UNESCO: Nepal: Tuesday, 28 October 2025.
Access to information is a fundamental right. When communities receive early extreme weather events alerts or air-quality updates, they can act fast, stay safe, and protect their future. This need for timely and readily available information was the focus of this year’s International Day for Universal Access to Information.
Nepal’s Right to
Information (RTI) Act, 2007 gives every citizen the power to seek and receive
public data. For environmental journalists, this law is a powerful tool,
helping them uncover how climate funds are used, how environmental policies are
implemented, and how local actions shape national development objectives. By
exercising the right to know, journalists strengthen transparency and
accountability.
To better understand how the Right to Information Act functions in practice, UNESCO reached out to environmental journalists who had previously participated in UNESCO’s workshop on “Strengthening Transboundary Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Reporting in the Nepal-India Context” from 24 to 27 June 2025. They were asked about their awareness of the Right to Information Act, its use in their work, the opportunities it grants, and challenges they have encountered. All five journalists shared that they are fully aware of their right to information and have used it in their reporting, mainly to obtain data on rainfall, government budgets, disaster preparedness, and environmental policy decisions.
Their experiences show that the Right to Information Act works as both a gateway and a challenge for environmental journalism in Nepal. Journalists often use Right to Information requests to access data that is not publicly available, from climate statistics to details of development projects.
At the same time, they shared that they face hurdles such as delays, incomplete replies, and refusals to share information under broad exemptions. Some noted that information is often shared only in printed or scanned formats, making it much harder to analyze and use than digital files. Additionally, they also noted that officials can be reluctant to release data related to budgets or policy decisions, citing rules or confidentiality.
Despite these difficulties, all agreed that utilizing Right to Information requests increases awareness within government offices and is steadily encouraging a stronger culture of transparency and accountability in environmental governance.
“I usually submit RTI forms to government authorities and other stakeholders to obtain data that are not publicly available but are of public interest,” shared Bidhya Rai, adding that monetary information and policy data are often the hardest to access. Similarly, another journalist Ritesh Panthee noted, “I have utilized RTIs to obtain data such as rainfall patterns and government strategies for my articles,” while acknowledging that bureaucratic delays and incomplete responses often make the process difficult. Another journalist Suresh Bidari shared, “I often file RTI applications to request environmental data, but most of the time officials provide printed or scanned copies instead of open digital files. It would be easier to analyze and share if the data were available in editable formats.”
The journalists’ experiences show that access to information directly influences the quality of reporting on issues such as rainfall, disaster management, and public spending. When environmental data is available and reliable, journalists can help the public better understand the implications of climate change and natural disasters. Even when responses are delayed, the consistent use of Right to Information requests helps reinforce the culture of transparency and participation envisioned by Nepal’s Right to Information Act.
Across South Asia, similar efforts are underway to strengthen the enabling environment for media freedom and access to information. In the Maldives, a recent report on the Environment for Media by the Centre for Law and Democracy and the Maldives Journalists Association urged reforms to ensure that the Right to Information Act meets international standards, removes broad exemptions, and empowers information commissioners to enforce decisions effectively.
Media and Information Literacy (MIL) empowers individuals to access, evaluate, and use information responsibly. It includes the ability to understand how Right to Information (RTI) Acts function, such as knowing how to request public information, what types of information are accessible, and how these laws support transparency and accountability. This is directly linked to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16.10.2, which measures how many countries have laws that give people the right to access public information. By learning MIL, people are better equipped to use these laws and take part in building open and fair societies.
By promoting the right to information, UNESCO reinforces the message that environmental data belongs to the public a principle especially important in Nepal, where access to accurate environmental information supports disaster preparedness, sustainable development, and government accountability.
Access to information is a fundamental right. When communities receive early extreme weather events alerts or air-quality updates, they can act fast, stay safe, and protect their future. This need for timely and readily available information was the focus of this year’s International Day for Universal Access to Information.
To better understand how the Right to Information Act functions in practice, UNESCO reached out to environmental journalists who had previously participated in UNESCO’s workshop on “Strengthening Transboundary Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Reporting in the Nepal-India Context” from 24 to 27 June 2025. They were asked about their awareness of the Right to Information Act, its use in their work, the opportunities it grants, and challenges they have encountered. All five journalists shared that they are fully aware of their right to information and have used it in their reporting, mainly to obtain data on rainfall, government budgets, disaster preparedness, and environmental policy decisions.
Their experiences show that the Right to Information Act works as both a gateway and a challenge for environmental journalism in Nepal. Journalists often use Right to Information requests to access data that is not publicly available, from climate statistics to details of development projects.
At the same time, they shared that they face hurdles such as delays, incomplete replies, and refusals to share information under broad exemptions. Some noted that information is often shared only in printed or scanned formats, making it much harder to analyze and use than digital files. Additionally, they also noted that officials can be reluctant to release data related to budgets or policy decisions, citing rules or confidentiality.
Despite these difficulties, all agreed that utilizing Right to Information requests increases awareness within government offices and is steadily encouraging a stronger culture of transparency and accountability in environmental governance.
“I usually submit RTI forms to government authorities and other stakeholders to obtain data that are not publicly available but are of public interest,” shared Bidhya Rai, adding that monetary information and policy data are often the hardest to access. Similarly, another journalist Ritesh Panthee noted, “I have utilized RTIs to obtain data such as rainfall patterns and government strategies for my articles,” while acknowledging that bureaucratic delays and incomplete responses often make the process difficult. Another journalist Suresh Bidari shared, “I often file RTI applications to request environmental data, but most of the time officials provide printed or scanned copies instead of open digital files. It would be easier to analyze and share if the data were available in editable formats.”
The journalists’ experiences show that access to information directly influences the quality of reporting on issues such as rainfall, disaster management, and public spending. When environmental data is available and reliable, journalists can help the public better understand the implications of climate change and natural disasters. Even when responses are delayed, the consistent use of Right to Information requests helps reinforce the culture of transparency and participation envisioned by Nepal’s Right to Information Act.
Across South Asia, similar efforts are underway to strengthen the enabling environment for media freedom and access to information. In the Maldives, a recent report on the Environment for Media by the Centre for Law and Democracy and the Maldives Journalists Association urged reforms to ensure that the Right to Information Act meets international standards, removes broad exemptions, and empowers information commissioners to enforce decisions effectively.
Media and Information Literacy (MIL) empowers individuals to access, evaluate, and use information responsibly. It includes the ability to understand how Right to Information (RTI) Acts function, such as knowing how to request public information, what types of information are accessible, and how these laws support transparency and accountability. This is directly linked to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16.10.2, which measures how many countries have laws that give people the right to access public information. By learning MIL, people are better equipped to use these laws and take part in building open and fair societies.
By promoting the right to information, UNESCO reinforces the message that environmental data belongs to the public a principle especially important in Nepal, where access to accurate environmental information supports disaster preparedness, sustainable development, and government accountability.
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