The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is an important tool that gives anyone the right to request official documents or data from public bodies in Trinidad and Tobago – this could include environmental permits, pollution reports, contracts or scientific assessments used in decision-making.
The FOIA can be used to support your advocacy, build legal challenges or help communities access the information they need to protect their rights. We know that submitting FOIA requests can be seem challenging but EnviroRightsTT hope to make the process clearer and easier to navigate.
Through EnviroRightsTT, we can support your team in several ways:
- One-to-one FOIA support: We can connect you with a FOIA expert, who can help you draft a new request, review one you have already written or advise on next steps if a request is denied.
- Submission assistance: If needed, we can help submit a FOIA request on your organisation’s behalf.
- Capacity building: We can share teaching materials and templates from our FOIA expert.
- Follow-up support: We can help guide how to use the information once received, especially if it is intended to support a campaign, a public statement or a legal process such as a case before the Environmental Commission.
Resources:
Explore the learning materials from our FOIA training for CSOs
Coming soon!
Civil Society FOIA Handbook