Day 1
08:30 - 09:00
Registration of participants and welcome tea
08:30 - 09:00
National Pledge
09:15 - 9:30
Welcome Statements
- Mr Besnik Dervishi, ICIC Chairman and Information Commissioner, Albania
- Hon Chernor Bah, Minister of Information and Civic Education, Sierra Leone
- Mr Khaled el-Anani, Director General of UNESCO
09:00 - 9.15
Handing Over ceremony:
- Mr Andreas Hartl, Federal Deputy Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information, Germany (2025 ICIC Host)
- Mr Dave M Gomez, Acting Secretary, Presidential Communication Office, The Philippines(Manila 2025 IDUAI Host);
- Dr Ibrahim Seaga SHAW (Chairman/Information Commissioner, Sierra Leone (ICIC-IDUAI 2026 Host)
9:50 -10:00
Keynote address
- Stuart Russell, Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and Director of the Centre for Human-Compatible AI, University of California, Berkley.
10.00 -11.00
High Level Plenary Panel
- Serafina Wakana, UN Resident Coordinator, Sierra Leone
- Mariya Gabriel, Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information (UNESCO)
- Dr Ismaila Ceesay, Information Minister, The Gambia
- Ms Geereeshatopsy Sonoo African Union Rapporteur on Freedom of Information and Access to Information
- Ms Livia Oliveira Sobota, National Secretary for Transparency and Access to Information at the Office of the Comptroller General of Brazil
- Ms Helena Päivikki Sångeland, Permanent Representative to OECD and UNESCO, Paris, France
10.00 -11.00
Entertainment
09:30 - 09:50
Official Opening
- HE Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, Vice President of Sierra Leone
11:00-11.10
Official Photo Opportunity with HE
11: 10-11.30
Tea/Coffee Brea
11:30 - 12:30
Plenary Panel 1: How timely, reliable official information can strengthen the information environment and counter information disorder
- Moderator: Toby Mendel, Centre for Law and Democracy, Canada
- Caroline Maynard, Information Commissioner, Canada
- Dorothy Jemator, Information Commissioner, Kenya
- Sulemana Braimah, Executive Director, Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Ghana
- Mr Rodrigo Fontenelle de Araújo Miranda, General Comptroller of the State of Sao Paolo, Brazil
- Gopidi Chandrashekar Reddy, Chief Information Commissioner, Telagana State, India
11:30 - 12:30
Entertainment
12:30 – 13:30
Plenary Panel 2: From Transparency to Proactive Disclosure: Towards a New International Standard (session organized together with the OGP, OECD, and the Government of the Netherlands
- Moderator: Marius Lukosiunas, Head of Section, Access to Information, UNESCO
- Marie Whellan, Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
- Ms Laura Neuman, Senior Advisor, Office of the Vice President for Peace Programs, The Cartar Centre
- Floortje Fontein, Policy officer open government, Public services and digitalization, Open Government Programme, Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (Netherlands)
- Cibelle Cesar do Amaral Brasil, Director of Monitoring and Oversight, Access to Information, Office of the Comptroller General of Brazil
13.30 - 14:30
Lunch
14:40 – 15:15
Plenary Panel 3: Stress Test on Freedom of Information presented by
- Guilliamme Canela, Director, DPT/UNESCO
- Toby Mendel, Centre for Law and Democracy, Canada
15:15 – 16:15
Parallel Sessions
Parallel Session 1: Technological advancements in support of good record-keeping practices and proactive disclosure as enablers of credible information access
- Moderator Mr Muniru Kawa
- Hon Salamatu Monorma Bah, Minister of Comumunication, Technology and Innovation, Sierra Leone
- Marie Whellan, Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
- Ahmed Musid, Director General, Right to Information Commission, Maldives
- Wattanapong Khumdee, Director - Office of the Official Information Commission, Thailand
- Valmir Gomes Dias, General Ombudsman of the State of São Paul
- Dr Tetyana Oleksiyuk, Vice-President of Access Info Group under the Council of Europe Convention on Access to Official Documents (Tromsø Convention)
- Dr. Attila Péterfalvi, Information Commissioner, Hungary
Parallel Panel 2: Media and Information Literacy as Enabler of the Right of Access to Credible Information. The session will explore that next to ATI people need the skills, systems, and safeguards to ensure that the information they access is accurate, trustworthy, and usable.
- Moderator, Ms Yeama Sarah Thompson, Director-General, Sierra Leone News Agency
- Dr. Sharon Adetutu Omotoso, the new Director of the MIL Category 2 Institute in Nigeria
- Dr Zakaria GARNO, Assistant Professor of Digital Law Euromed University of Fez, Morocco
- Elvana Thaçi, Head of the Tromsø Convention Unit / Council of Europe
- Catherine Theresa Walsh Mackie, Thompson Foundation, UK
Parallel Panel 3: -- Access to Information, Public Interest Data, and Information Integrity in West Africa: One Year After Praia, Cabo Verdo
- Moderator: Genevieve Shirley Lartey, Esq. Executive Secretary/Commissioner, Right to Information Commission, Ghana
- Rapporteur: Elvis Michel Kenmoe, UNESCO, Dakar, Senegal Joel AHOFODJI, Director of Communication, ECOWAS Commission, Abuja, Nigeria )
- Alfred Bulakali, Article 19, West Africa, Regional Director, Dakar, Senegal
- Mahamadou Talata Maiga, Journalist – Manager of Maison de la Presse, Mali )
- Jaiteh Bintou, Human Rights Officer, National Human Rights Commission, The Gambia )
- Taweh Johnson, Executive Director, Campaigners Against Misinformation and Disinformation, Liberia )
Parellel Session 4: Access to Credible Environmental Data for Climate Resilience and Humanitarian Response: Speakers
- Nompilo Simanje, Africa Programme Lead, International Press Institute (IPI)
- Andreas Hartl(), Deputy Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information, Germany
- Guilherme Canela de Souza Godoi, Director of Division for Digital Inclusion, Policies, and Transformation, UNESCO.
- Toby Mendel, Executive Director, Centre for Law and Democracy, Canada
- Sarah Wesonga, Program Manager, Freedom of Expression and Information Integrity at Article 19 East Africa.
Parallel Session 5: Credible Data as a Catalyst for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
- Moderator: Johannes Otremba, German Federal Commission for Data Protection and Freedom of Information
- Ms Kenyeh Barlay, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Sierra Leone
- Frederick Ampiah, UNDP Country Representative, Sierra Leone
- Anne Marie Konan Payne, Information Commissioner, Cote D’Ivoire
- Sabrina Aliyeva, Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman), Azerbajan
- Dr Emmanuel Gaima, Executive Adviser to the President and Head of Public Sector Reform, Sierra Leone
16:15—16:35
Tea Break
16:35– 16:50
Plenary Panel 4: feedbacks on parallel sessions
16:50-17:50:
Plenary Panel 5: New initiatives to strengthen ATI: Pretoria’s Proposition for Action and AU African Guidelines for Access to Data.
- Moderator: Gilbert Sendugwa, Africa Freedom of Information Network
- Pansy Tlakula, Chairperson of the Information Regulator (South Africa).
- Geereeshafirst name Topsy, The AU Special Rapporteur
- Mame Nadiack Wane, CNRA (Senegal)
- Raymond Amumpaire lawyer and AI policy expert