Promote the process of "declassifying" information

Updated date: 05/24/2024 10:20:57

The draft Law on Archives (amended) has stipulated the responsibilities of agencies, organizations and historical archives in declassifying documents, thereby allowing people to access documents of public agencies sooner.

View of Dien Hong hall on the morning of May 24

A new and progressive point of the draft revised Law on Archives discussed by the National Assembly at the Dien Hong hall this morning, May 24, is reflected in the expansion of the scope of accessible information.

According to the draft law submitted to the National Assembly, the draft has stipulated the responsibilities of agencies, organizations and historical archives in declassifying documents, specifically: “Within 5 years, agencies and organizations that have determined state secrets are responsible for presiding over and coordinating with historical archives to declassify documents submitted to historical archives according to the provisions of law on protecting state secrets. The declassification of archival documents submitted to historical archives in cases where the agency that determines state secrets is no longer in operation shall comply with the provisions of law on protecting state secrets”.

National Assembly delegates attending the meeting

Regarding documents of the defense, public security, and foreign affairs sectors, the draft law empowers “the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Public Security , and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to manage and store documents formed during operations, backup archives, archives of special value, and the database of archives of the defense, public security, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs”, but must annually “establish a catalog of permanent records and archives under their management and annually update and send it to the Ministry of Home Affairs”. The Minister of National Defense, the Minister of Public Security, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs approve the List of conditionally accessible archives of the defense, public security, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

By reducing the deadline for submitting documents to historical archives, people will be able to access documents of public agencies sooner, shortening the time from 10 years from the year the work is completed (Archives Law 2011) to 5 years, calculated from the year the documents are submitted to the current archives; effectively contributing to helping people exercise their right to supervise the activities of state agencies.

In addition, the draft Law on Archives (amended) stipulates that the heads of agencies, organizations, and historical archives are responsible for publicizing the list of records and archived documents on the electronic information portal, electronic information page, and publishing archived documents under their management authority. The draft clearly defines the requirements for subjects who are obliged to proactively provide available information regularly, even without a request from the people, also contributing to ensuring the right to seek information - one of the contents of the right to access information.

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