Theme: Upholding Information Integrity in the Digital Age: The Role of Access to Information in Addressing Information Disorder
Conference Date: 28 to 30 September 2026 – Freetown, Sierra Leone..
Venue: Freetown International Conference Centre, Aberdeen, Freetown.
Programme: Please click here to download this file
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Sunday 27th Sept, 2026.
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18:00 - 21.00
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WELCOME COCKTAIL HOSTED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF SIERRA LEONE AT THE NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION AUTHORITY (NATCA) TOWER.
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DAY 1. 28th Sept 2026
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08:30 - 09:00
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Registration of participants and welcome tea
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09:10 - 09:15
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Handover ceremony: Dr Ibrahim Seaga SHAW (Chairman/information Commissioner, Sierra Leone and organizers of IDUAI 2025 and ICIC 2025
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09:15 - 09:30
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Welcome Statements: Director General (UNESCO) TBC, ICIC CHAIR, Minister of Information and Civic Education, Sierra Leone, Hon Chernor Bah
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09:30 - 10:00
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Official Opening—President of Sierra Leone and Chairman of ECOWAS, HE Dr Julius Maada Bio
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10:00 -10:15
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Official Photo opportunity
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10:15 -11:15
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High-Level Panel: UN Resident Coordinator, Sierra Leone, Mariya Gabriel, Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information (UNESCO), Information Minister of one ECOWAS country, African Union Rapporteur on Freedom of Information
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11: 15 -11.30
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Tea/Coffee Break
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11:30 -12:30
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Plenary Session 1: How timely, reliable official information can strengthen the information environment and counter information disorder (UNESCO).
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12:30 -13:30
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Plenary Session: 2: AI and ATI - The risksand benefits of technology for delivering the right to know (UNESCO and the International Association for safe & Ethical AI)
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13.30 - 14:30
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Lunch
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14:30 - 15:15
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Plenary Session 3: Stress Test (UNESCO together with CLD).
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15:15 - 16:15
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Parallel Sessions
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16:15 - 16:35
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Tea Break
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16:35 - 17:05
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Plenary Session 4: feedback on parallel sessions and closing remarks
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19:00 - 21:00
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Dinner to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the UNESCO Information for All Program (IFAP) and inscription into UNESCO Memory of the World International list the Swedish Freedom of the Press Ordinance of 1766:The world’s first legislation guaranteeing free communication of information.
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Day 2 - 29 Sept. 2026
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08:45 - 09:15
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Registration of participants and welcome tea
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09.15 - 09:45
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Key Note Speaker : Professor David Cuillier, University of Florida, USA
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09:45 -11.00
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Session 1 - Plenary: Global Best Practices for ensuring that access to information can contribute to upholding and safeguarding information integrity
Possible participants: Information Commissioner, Civil Society, Journalist, Government Policy Makers
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11:00 - 1:30
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Tea/Coffee Break
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11:30 -13:00
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Session 2 - Plenary: Access to credible data for open government and public sector reform
Possible participants: IGO (OECD), SL information and Civic Education Minister, information commissioner, CSO, academic
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14:00 -15:15
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Session 3 - Plenary: Panel hosted by African Network of Information Commissioners (ANIC) in partnership with African Charter on Human and People’s right
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15:15-16:00
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Session 4
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16:00 -16:30
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Plenary feedback from parallel sessions
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16:30 -16.50
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Tea/Coffee Break
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16.50 -17.30
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Session 5 –Parallel Regional Meetings
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17.30 - 18.00
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Session 6 - Plenary: Adoption of the Freetown ICIC/IDUAI Joint Declaration on access to information as a pillar of Information Integrity and Closing Remarks
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19:00 - 20:30
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Dinner and cultural gala hosted by RAIC-SL
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DAY 3. - 30 Sept. 2026
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09.30 - 13.00
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Closed ICIC Administrative Meeting
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09:30 - 13:00
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Closed NGO / CSO ATI Coalition Meeting (in parallel) |
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13:00 - 14:30
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Lunch
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Excursions to three touristic sites –Bunce Island, Tagocama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, and Peace Museum
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