Version 4 Guidelines given to Rapporteur
Extensive consultations have resulted in Version 4 of draft Guidelines for Access to Data, which has now been presented to the African Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression and Access to Information, Commissioner Geereesha Topsy Sonoo.
In turn, the Rapporteur will assess and amend as she sees fit, and table the contribution at the upcoming February session of the African Commission and Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR).
It is expected that the Commission will then open its own consultation period, with an amended version for possible adoption mid-year.
This stage culminates work since the ACHPR’s adoption in November 2024, of Resolution 620 on “Promoting and Harnessing Data Access as a Tool for Advancing Human Rights and Sustainable Development in the Digital Age”.
That resolution mandated an instrument to materialise its aspirations, and under the auspices of the Rapporteur, 12 virtual consultations, 14 in person events, and 254 online submissions have been organised by the Alliance.
The latest version of the Guidelines sets out principles, definitions and practical measures that African states and stakeholders can take to unlock data on the continent. Further:
- It covers legal, policy and programmatic steps, and also gives special attention to specific data categories like health, research and electoral data.
- Guidance is also given on the institutional architecture for implementing data access, covering Information Commissions, National Statistics Offices, national research institutes, and multi-stakeholder advisory councils.
- Exemptions to data access, safeguards and the ethics of data in AI are also covered in the 27 pages of the document.
The recently published guidance for the G20 on data access for researchers, SMMEs and startups has informed the Version 4 of the draft ACHPR Guidelines.
The Alliance will hold a session and consultation on Version 4 at the UNESCO global conference on platform governance to be held in Pretoria on 13 February.
