ICOM Launches Five-Year Plan to Strengthen Transparency and Access to Information

The Information Commissioner’s Office of Maldives (ICOM) has launched its Strategic Action Plan 2026–2031, setting out a five-year roadmap to strengthen the institution and advance transparency, accountability, and access to public information across the Maldives.

The plan was launched yesterday at the opening of the National Right to Information (RTI) Symposium 2026 in Malé. It aims to establish the ICOM as a proactive, resilient, and results-oriented institution while supporting stronger implementation of the Right to Information Act.

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Developed with support from the Accountability and Integrity Matters (AIM) Project, funded by the European Union, and in collaboration with UNDP Maldives, the plan draws on the ICOM’s institutional priorities and findings from its 2025 Capacity Needs Assessment.

The Strategic Action Plan identifies three key priorities: promoting a culture of transparency and accountability, driving digital and technological transformation, and strengthening institutional capacity and partnerships.

A central objective of the plan is to move public institutions away from reactive compliance towards what the ICOM describes as “transparency by default.” This approach seeks to encourage public authorities to make information more accessible as part of their routine institutional practices.

The plan also includes measures to improve the ICOM’s digital systems and services, including the Mahoali Portal and a new digital Case Management System. It further outlines investments in staff capacity and competency-based development, alongside efforts to strengthen partnerships.

The ICOM will monitor progress through a Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) framework. The framework will include indicators covering areas such as the resolution of RTI appeals and compliance by public authorities.

Information Commissioner Ahmed Ahid Rasheed said he hoped the plan would help ensure that people across the Maldives could access information from the government and understand how to exercise their right to information.

“By 2031, every person, wherever they are in the Maldives, can ask for information from their government and receive it,” Rasheed said, adding that institutions should recognise transparency as a foundation of public trust.

The UNDP Resident Representative in the Maldives said transparency should not be measured solely by whether information is published, but also by whether people can find, understand and use it. The representative highlighted the need for strong institutions, supported Information Officers and citizens who understand and can exercise their rights.

The launch marks a step towards strengthening implementation of the Right to Information Act 1/2014 and helping public institutions meet their obligations to provide information in a timely and accessible manner.

The Strategic Action Plan is one of two initiatives being introduced during the National RTI Symposium 2026. The ICOM is scheduled to launch new RTI Training E-Modules on 18 August, aimed at making practical knowledge of the RTI framework more accessible to public officials and members of the public.

The two-day symposium, which began yesterday and concludes today, brings together representatives from government, civil society, the media, academia and development partners to discuss progress, share practical experiences and strengthen collaboration on access to information.