International Day for Universal Access to Information
A/RES/74/5
A/RES/74/5
This authority record treats the observance as a fixed annual date. The same month and day can be reused unless a stronger source changes the rule. Public-holiday or government status is never inferred from the observance name alone.
Overview
The International Day for Universal Access to Information is observed on 28 September. It highlights the importance of the public’s ability to seek and receive information, including the role of laws, institutions, records and public-interest disclosure.
The observance is especially relevant to governance, accountability, journalism, research and public participation, but the legal right of access varies by jurisdiction and should be explained using current local law.
Why it matters
Access to reliable public information can support participation, oversight and informed decision-making. Effective access depends not only on formal rights but also on recordkeeping, timely responses, accessible formats and institutions capable of implementing the rules.
The day overlaps with media-freedom concerns but is not identical to World Press Freedom Day: access-to-information systems apply to a broader range of people and public records.
History
UNESCO proclaimed 28 September as the International Day for Universal Access to Information at its 38th General Conference.
The United Nations General Assembly later proclaimed 28 September as the International Day for Universal Access to Information through resolution A/RES/74/5.
How the observance developed
This timeline is assembled only from verified provenance fields. Missing stages are omitted rather than inferred.
UNESCO General Conference
UNESCO General Conference 38 C/Resolution 57
First documented observance
UNESCO records the first International Day for Universal Access to Information as 28 September 2016.
Proclaimed 28 September as the International Day for Universal Access to Information at United Nations level after UNESCO had already established the observance.
United Nations General Assembly · UN General Assembly resolution A/RES/74/5
UNESCO
UNESCO provides the international platform and framework for stakeholder participation around the Day and its global conferences.
What the evidence establishes
Verified institutional roles and milestones are shown first. Fields that the reviewed sources do not establish remain fail-closed and are available below without competing with the confirmed record.
4 fields not established in reviewed sources
Later institutional actions
Later recognition, renaming, mergers or date changes are kept separate from original establishment.
Ways to observe
Find the official access-to-information or freedom-of-information process for your jurisdiction and explain how to locate it without giving legal advice.
Compare how a public body publishes budgets, decisions, datasets or meeting records proactively.
Audit whether important public information is available in accessible formats and understandable language.
Discuss the relationship between archives, recordkeeping and the practical ability to obtain information.
Use current official guidance for deadlines, exemptions and appeal rights because legal procedures differ by place.
Useful facts
The observance is held on 28 September.
UNESCO first proclaimed the international day through its General Conference.
The UN General Assembly later recognized 28 September through A/RES/74/5.
Access to information concerns public access, records and institutional accountability as well as journalism.
Jurisdiction-specific legal procedures should be checked against current competent authorities.
Topic and context
What this page does not assume
- Keep the source-defined country, community, organizer or institutional scope; do not silently broaden it.
- Do not treat the title alone as proof of government recognition or public-holiday status.
- Do not add a creator, founding story or origin claim unless the supporting evidence establishes it.
Evidence & sources
Repeated links from the authority record, institutional provenance and editorial guide research are consolidated here. Badges show how each source is used; a contextual source is never treated as proof of establishment on its own.
UNESCO — first International Day for Universal Access to Information, 28 September 2016 (opens in a new tab)
UNESCO — International Day for Universal Access to Information (opens in a new tab)
United Nations Digital Library — A/RES/74/5 (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — List of International Days and Weeks (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — Observances: who chooses them and how (opens in a new tab)
Understand it, compare it, then explore further
Start with the most common factual questions, then use reviewed distinctions and related authority records to understand where this observance fits.
Frequently asked questions
When is International Day for Universal Access to Information?
28 September The stored recurrence guidance is: 28 September.
Does International Day for Universal Access to Information fall on the same date every year?
The authority record classifies it as fixed annual, so its month and day are reusable unless stronger evidence changes the rule.
Is International Day for Universal Access to Information an official public holiday?
The authority record verifies it within this scope: UNESCO / United Nations / international observance. That recognition does not by itself make it a statutory public holiday; the site only makes public-holiday claims when the supporting authority record explicitly does so.
Who established or recognizes International Day for Universal Access to Information?
The reviewed provenance layer identifies UNESCO General Conference as the proclaiming or establishing body. Current facilitation or coordination is recorded as UNESCO.
Is International Day for Universal Access to Information international or country-specific?
The record has international or global institutional scope: UNESCO / United Nations / international observance. That does not mean every country treats the date as a public holiday or observes it in the same way.
How is this page verified?
The factual layer is source-backed and keeps its date rule, scope, provenance and editorial guardrails attached to the authority record. This record was checked on 2026-09-05.
Who established the International Day for Universal Access to Information?
UNESCO first proclaimed 28 September as the international day; the UN General Assembly later recognized it through resolution A/RES/74/5.
Is this the same as World Press Freedom Day?
No. The two are related, but access to information focuses on the ability to obtain public information and records, while World Press Freedom Day focuses specifically on press freedom and the conditions in which journalism operates.
Can this page explain my local freedom-of-information deadlines?
Not reliably without jurisdiction-specific checking. Deadlines, exemptions and appeal procedures should be verified against the current law and competent authority where you live.
How this differs from closely related observances
These distinctions are separately reviewed and source-backed. They clarify scope; they do not change either authority record.
Is International Day for Universal Access to Information the same as World Press Freedom Day?
International Day for Universal Access to Information on 28 September focuses on access to public information, records and the institutions that make information available. World Press Freedom Day on 3 May focuses specifically on press freedom and journalism.
Open World Press Freedom Day →Distinction sources
Is International Day for Universal Access to Information the same as World Telecommunication and Information Society Day?
The International Day for Universal Access to Information focuses on access to public information, records and accountability. WTISD is broader on telecommunications, digital connectivity and the information society rather than a public-records right specifically.
Open World Telecommunication and Information Society Day →Distinction sources
Other observances on September 28
These records also resolve to September 28, 2026 under the current authority data.
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