Right to Know Day around the world - Mali

Organizer: AU Washington College of Law
Date: September 28, 2007
Event: Panel discussion

Description:The Program on Law and Government and the International Legal Studies Program at American University Washington College of Law will celebrate “International Right-to-Know Day” with a panel discussion including participants, via audio feed, from

• University College London;
• UNESCO, Paris; and
• the Office of the Information Commissioner for New Zealand.

The event will be held from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m., on Friday, Sept. 28, in Room 503 of the Washington College of Law, 4801 Massachusetts Ave., NW. This will be the first-ever event held in the United States to commemorate International Right-to-Know Day since it was established in 2002.

Panelists:

• Dan Metcalfe, fellow in law and government, AU Washington College of Law; former director of the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Information and Privacy
• Robert Hazel, director, School of Public Policy’s Constitution Unit, University College London (via audio feed from London)
• Miriam M. Nisbet, former DOJ and NARA official; recently appointed director of the Information Society Division of UNESCO (via audio feed from Paris)
• Andrew Ecclestone, former UK official now working as deputy to New Zealand’s Information Commissioner (via audio feed from New Zealand)

International Right- to-Know Day was begun on Sept. 28, 2002, when advocates of openness in government from 36 nations joined together in Sofia, Bulgaria to form the “Freedom of Information Advocates Network.” Observance of International Right-to-Know Day is intended to symbolize the global movement for promotion of the right to information.

The LL.M. Program on Law and Government is designed to transcend the traditional constitutional law and civil rights. Its organizing educational principle is that the best prepared lawyers and analysts in fields of regulatory law have not only a firm grasp of particular subjects, but barriers that divide the study of administrative law, specific fields of regulatory law and policy, and also a mastery of theories, political forces, and institutional realities that define public law in the United States. While students can choose to focus deeply on a sub-field of regulatory law, there is also a focus on broad examination of cross-cutting issues.

WCL’s International Legal Studies Program was established in 1980 in response to a growing demand for lawyers trained in international law. One of the first truly international programs, the ILSP is one of the top LLM programs in the United States, and also includes the options of a dual LLM/MBA and a Certificate in International Legal Studies. With over 130 students from sixty-eight countries, the ILSP is one of the most intellectually and culturally diverse programs in the nation. The program incorporates a rich array of approximately 45 international law courses and seminars per semester, experiential learning, and special events that offer valuable opportunities to interact with international attorneys, diplomats, business leaders, and policy makers. The faculty in the program include over 24 full-time faculty members and forty adjunct faculty who are recognized experts and leading practitioners in their fields.

To arrange to attend this event or for media assistance, contact the AU WCL Office of Public Relations, 202-274-4279.