Regional Report: Access to Public Information 2024
In terms of the legal recognition of the right to access public information, Latin America is well positioned compared to other regions. Virtually all countries in the region have transparency and public information access laws.
In October 2024, Costa Rica’s Assembly passed a framework law, while Bolivia’s Congress made progress in the same direction with the Senate’s approval of a bill, which was later shelved.
At the same time, the region has also seen concerning setbacks, most notably the recent elimination of Mexico’s Institute for Public Information Access. In the following report from our legislative radar on civic rights in Latin America, Civic Space Guardian (CSG)*, we detail the developments in each country since 2020.
*CSG’s mission is to identify and closely monitor parliamentary debates that could impact the exercise of freedom of expression, the right to assembly and association, access to public information, and citizen participation in public affairs. Each month, this observatory maps the legislative landscape in 18 Latin American countries, warning about potential progress or setbacks in these fundamental rights.