Come Clean

The World Bank is backing media and civil society groups to make information a ‘public good’ in Sri Lanka.





The World Bank is backing media and civil society groups to make information a ‘public good’ in Sri Lanka. "Rule of law, good governance and GDP growth is much higher in countries with better access to information," said Sahr J Kpundeh, Senior Public Sector Specialist from the World Bank Institute (WBI) on Monday, at a workshop by the WBI and the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), a local civil rights group.

The WBI – part of the World Bank group - is now developing a proposal to improve access to information in Sri Lanka.

Local civil rights groups meanwhile, are drumming up support for a law that would force government institutions to disclose information to the public.

A draft Freedom of Information law got cabinet approval during the previous UNF regime, but is in limbo after the change of government in 2004.

The need for the law is in the limelight again because of the need to monitor the millions of dollars of tsunami funding that is now flowing into the island.

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