Creating Access: Strengthening And Expanding Information Governance In Defence

Access to information is an essential tool in fighting corruption and building institutional integrity. It enables external oversight, facilitates informed participation of the public and civil society in public debates and the development of policy, and it brings corruption risks – and actual incidents of corruption – to light, facilitating the push for accountability and reform.

Due to the sensitivity of some defence-related information, access to information in the defence sector faces an extra layer of complexity. When considering publication, public interest needs to be weighed against potential harm to national security. Technical complexity, capacity constraints in public institutions, and broad, vague definitions of national security and related exemption clauses all contribute to the lack of effective mechanisms for accessing information from the defence sector in many countries.

Our new toolkit, “Creating Access: Strengthening And Expanding Information Governance In Defence”, is here to help with that. This hands-on guide translates global standards on information disclosure into practical steps for the defence sector. It highlights how better laws, clearer practices, and stronger oversight can balance security with accountability, building on the findings of Unlocking Access (2024).