Freedom of Information in Arab States

Freedom of information legislation has made less progress in Arab States as compared to other parts of the world, but advocacy efforts have been growing in the past years, in diverse countries and at regional level.

The only Arab State with a FOI law is Jordan (2007), while FOI Bills have been discussed in Lebanon, Palestine, Kuwait, Yemen, Egypt, Morocco and Bahrain (A summary of the Status of FOI Legislation in the Arab World is presented in this paper).

UNESCO supports the advance of freedom of information in the region by bringing together key stakeholders to move forward the process towards passing FOI legislation and translating it into practice, facilitating technical assistance in this regard, and contributing to sharing knowledge on the status of FOI laws and international standards. For more information on UNESCO initiatives in Arab States, see the related news section.