Declaration to Advance the Right of Access to Public Information Worldwide Released Today, Carter Center , March 26, 2008.

Participants in a global conference on the right of access to public information have released the Atlanta Declaration and Plan of Action to advance access to information as a fundamental human right.

The conference, held Feb. 27-29, 2008, brought together more than 125 representatives of government, civil society, media, private sector, international financial institutions, donors, and academics from 40 countries at The Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

The declaration states that "access to information is a fundamental human right; it is essential for human dignity, equity and peace with justice; and a lack of access to information disproportionately affects the poor, women, and other vulnerable and marginalized people."

• ATLANTA DECLARATION AND PLAN OF ACTION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE RIGHT OF ACCESS TO INFORMATION The Carter Center, Atlanta Georgia. February 29, 2008.