Argentina - September 2024

On 30 August, President Milei issued Decree 780/2024, amending a 2016 law aimed to enhance state transparency and public information access. The changes modify the types of information that the public can request, limiting access to details about public officials' private lives, “working papers,” and “deliberations.” The decree also imposes more requirements for requesting information and introduces potential penalties for individuals deemed to be abusing their rights when seeking public information. Over 60 civil society organizations and press freedom watchdogs have petitioned for its withdrawal, arguing it poses a threat to the right to access information in accordance with international human rights standards, potentially undermining efforts to prevent corruption and enforce accountability. They warn that the measure could allow public officials to discretionally determine what constitutes public information shielding them from public scrutiny by the press and general public.

Sources: Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS), El Pais, Foro de Periodismo Argentino (FOPEA), Buenos Aires Times

Argentina's National Statistic Agency (INDEC) report on the first half of 2024 shows a dramatic increase in the country’s poverty rate. According to the report, over 52 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line, including more than 18 per cent in extreme poverty. This is the highest poverty rate in two decades. The report also reveals that 66 per cent of children aged 0 to 14 belong to households living below the poverty line. These numbers reflect the ongoing economic crisis and the impact of President Milei’s government's austerity measures, which include significant cuts in public spending, laying off thousands of state employees, and cutting subsidies for transportation and energy to control inflation and achieve fiscal balance. Some of these measures, widely criticized by experts, involve cuts to soup kitchens and other social welfare programs that support the most vulnerable. The government argues that poverty rates are the result of years of left-leaning populist governance.

Sources: The Guardian, National Institute of Statistics and Census of Argentina (INDEC), Pagina 12, Die Welle