The 17th edition of the International Conference of Information Commissioners (ICIC) will take place in Freetown, Sierra Leone, from September 28 to 30, 2026, alongside activities to commemorate this year’s International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI).
The theme for the events, being hosted by the Sierra Leone Right to Access Information Commission (RAIC), in collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), is “Upholding Information Integrity in the Digital Age: The Role of Access to Information in Addressing Information Disorder.”
According to the Information and Data Protection Commission of Albania, which serves as the ICIC Chair and Secretariat, the first day of the events, namely Monday, September 28, which is IDUAI Day, will kick off with a joint ICIC-IDUAI opening ceremony followed by open plenary and parallel sessions, while the ICIC Open Session, consisting of plenary and parallel sessions, will take place on Tuesday, September 29.
On Wednesday, September 30, the ICIC Closed Session, including ICIC administrative meetings, will take place simultaneously with half-day sessions by the Civil Society Organizations (CS0)/the non-governmental organisations (NGO) Access to Information Coalition, which will be coordinated by Mr. Toby Mendel, Executive Director of the Centre for Law and Development in Canada, and Chair of the Steering Committee of the Freedom of Information Advocates Network (FOIAnet), an international information-sharing network of organizations and individuals working to promote the right of access to information.
The events will take place at the Bintumani International Conference Centre in Aberdeen, Freedom.
Further details regarding the programme, registration, and logistical arrangements are expected to be released in the coming weeks on the conference dedicated website, which may be accessed at: https://icic-iduai2026.com/. However, questions relating to the conference should be directed to the conference host at: info@icic-iduai2026.com.
The ICIC conference was first held in April 2003 in Berlin, Germany, with the Theme: Regulation on access to information and freedom of expression, its implementation and exercise of the right of access to information. Subsequently the conferences were held in Cape Town, South Africa (2004); Cancun, Mexico (2005); Manchester, United Kingdom (2006); Wellington, New Zealand (2007); Oslo, Norway (2009); Ottawa, Canada (2011); Berlin, Germany (2013); Santiago, Chile (2015); Manchester, England (2017); Johannesburg, South Africa (2019); Brasilia, Brazil (2021); Mexico City, Mexico (2022); Manila, Philippines (2023); Tirana, Albania (2024); and Berlin, Germany (2025).
The goals of the ICIC are to: Protect and promote access to public information; Promote and support dialogue and mutual cooperation; Encourage the development and sharing of information and best practices, including peer learning; Undertake and support research on issues integral to access to public information; and Develop the capacity of the ICIC.
Its other goals are to: Help to develop the capacity of its registered members and increase membership; Facilitate reflection and learning from case work on systemic issues; Act as a collective voice in the international community to raise awareness of issues that impact upon access to public information; and Promote the development and adoption of international standards in access to public information in all regions across the world, including the establishment of independent oversight bodies.
