Facilitating Easy and Quick Access to Information for Citizens in Line with Digital Transformation Requirements

​(News Portal – Dong Nai) – The Provincial People's Committee has recently issued a plan to implement the Law on Access to Information. 

Training workshop on grassroots mediation and legal access associated with building new rural and advanced rural areas in Thong Nhat District, 2024 

Promoting Awareness of the Law on Access to Information

The Provincial People's Committee has instructed departments, agencies, and local governments at the district and city levels to establish and maintain a dedicated section on Access to Information on their respective portals/websites. This ensures timely posting and provision of information generated by their organizations. Departments must create a list of information required to be disclosed and publish it on their portals/websites to facilitate timely access and usage.

The contents of the Law on Access to Information and its guiding documents must be continuously disseminated to officials, civil servants, employees, and the public, especially those in remote areas, ethnic minorities, and disadvantaged communities. (Training materials and promotional documents on the Law on Access to Information are publicly available on the Access to Information section of the Ministry of Justice's portal.)

Departments must review and allocate appropriate units, divisions, or personnel as focal points for providing information. They are tasked with strengthening and enhancing the capacity of these personnel through specialized training on the contents of the law and its guiding documents. Internal regulations on organizing information provision must be developed, and the list of public information and conditional access information must be regularly updated and disclosed.​

Efforts must continue to review, classify, and ensure the confidentiality of information generated by agencies and units. Agencies are required to maintain, store, and update their information databases responsibly, ensuring a comprehensive, timely, and easily searchable information system. There is an emphasis on digitizing documents, records, and materials, as well as connecting with the national electronic network to enable seamless access across systems and to enhance information dissemination via electronic platforms. 

Accelerating IT Application

Based on the actual conditions of agencies, units, and localities, preparations such as infrastructure and necessary equipment for providing information to citizens must be ensured. Appropriate measures should be implemented to support individuals with disabilities and those living in mountainous or economically disadvantaged areas to exercise their right to access information. The application of IT must be further enhanced to facilitate the provision and transparency of information, enabling citizens to access information easily and quickly, aligning with the requirements of digital transformation, digital governance, and smart urban development.

Ongoing monitoring and supervision of the implementation of the Law on Access to Information within agencies and units are crucial. Agencies must direct their focal points to classify and process information, compile statistical data on information provided to citizens annually, and integrate these findings into administrative reform reports as required.

The Provincial People's Committee has tasked the Department of Justice with monitoring and supervising the implementation of the Law on Access to Information across the province. The department will prepare quarterly, semi-annual, third-quarter, and annual reports for submission to the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, integrating these into administrative reform reports. It will also guide agencies, units, localities, and citizens on exercising their right to access information while inspecting and addressing violations of the law on access to information within its management scope.

The Office of the Provincial People's Committee must promptly establish and maintain an Access to Information section on the province's portal/website to ensure timely posting and provision of information generated by agencies and units. A list of information required to be disclosed must also be created and published on the provincial portal to facilitate timely access and usage.

The Department of Home Affairs, in coordination with the Department of Justice and the Office of the Provincial People's Committee, will monitor and supervise the establishment and maintenance of Access to Information sections on the portals/websites of agencies, units, and localities. It will also propose evaluations of the performance levels of public service duties by agencies and units to the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee annually.​