US speaker Patrice McDermott, former Executive Director of the OpenTheGovernment.org (OTG), the main US organization promoting federal government transparency, will give a series of lectures to journalists, students, NGO members and academics in Sao Paulo and Brasilia from May 2 to 5 in celebration of the Press Freedom Day and the 5th anniversary of Brazil’s Freedom of Information Act.
Patrice McDermott has brought OTG to the forefront of progress on government transparency and accountability, including successful efforts to reform the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), ensure preservation of the Senate Torture Report, combat secrecy around surveillance programs, and engage the openness community in such diverse policy areas as trade, immigration, and law enforcement accountability.
She was also the linchpin of the transparency community’s work with the Obama Administration on open government from 2009 – 2016. OTG has coordinated the engagement of U.S. civil society organizations in the development and implementation of the U.S. Government’s National Action Plans for the Open Government Partnership, which Brazil is also part of.
The visit is one of many other initiatives of the US Diplomatic Mission in Brazil this year to promote dialogue and mutual understanding between Brazilians and Americans.
