Ensure Transparency and Access to Information
Transparency, accountability and reliability have become universally recognized key operational principles for the good governance of public administration. In effect, transparency and access to information are essential components of a rights-based social protection system. To effectively guarantee transparency, information should be available, accessible and disseminated among the population. In particular, transparency and access to information are crucial in ensuring access and participation, and can contribute to reducing or preventing corruption, clientelism and inefficiency. Transparency thus goes hand-in-hand with accountability. If rights holders are unaware of government rules, and indeed are not able to observe the implementation of social protection programmes in accordance with those rules, their ability to recognize violations and voice objections will be constrained. Furthermore, lack of transparency may impede the dissemination of information about results and undermine public support for continued and/or increased investment in social protection programmes.
The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights’ General Comment 19 recommends that transparency be integral to national social security programmes and action plans. The ILO’s Recommendation No. 202 (para 3j) echoes the need to ground the financial management and general administration of social security systems in the principles of transparency and accountability. For example, when formulating and implementing national social security strategies, States should raise awareness about the strategies and put in place information programmes (para 14f). Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) notes that the right to freedom of expression includes the freedom to seek, receive and impart information from the State.
To comply with the obligations in the ICCPR, which many States have adopted, social protection interventions should have mechanisms in place to facilitate requests for information and public officials should have the capacity to process them and reply promptly and comprehensively. Information on social protection programmes must be disseminated by culturally appropriate and accessible channels, and be adapted to the needs of the most vulnerable sectors of society. Transparency must be a fundamental element of all aspects of social protection programmes, including selection methods, eligibility criteria, benefit levels and complaint and redress mechanisms.
Transparency and access to information are essential components of a rights-based social protection system. In particular, they are crucial in ensuring access and participation, and can contribute to reducing or preventing corruption, clientelism and inefficiency. Transparency thus goes hand-in-hand with accountability. If rights holders are unaware of government rules, and indeed are not able to observe the implementation of social protection programmes in accordance with those rules, their ability to recognize violations and voice objections will be constrained. Recommendation No. 202 (para 14e) sets out that governments should raise awareness about social protection floors and their strategies for the extension of social security, including through social dialogue. Furthermore, lack of transparency may impede the dissemination of information about results and undermine public support for continued and/or increased investment in social protection programmes. (See access to accountability)
Personal information about rights holders must also be handled with the utmost care so as to ensure that the right to access public information does not breach the right to privacy. Collecting and processing information on beneficiaries must be done in accordance with internationally accepted human rights standards of privacy and confidentiality. (See respect of privacy)
Further, gender inequalities and circumstances specific to vulnerable groups, such as elderly persons or people with disabilities, can result in access to important information being restricted, and their ability to participate in decision making being limited. As such, sensitivity to the differing life circumstances of men and women, as well as those of marginalized people and communities, must be a priority when building transparency and access to information into a social protection programme.