It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts that Access Info shares the passing of our Executive Director and founder, Helen Darbishire, on Friday 18th October.

Helen was an extraordinary leader, colleague, and friend, whose commitment to Access Info and this community will be remembered by all who had the privilege of working alongside her.

Helen moved to Madrid in 2006, where she established Access Info. Since then, both she and the organisation have become global references for the promotion and protection of the right to information, Open Government, the fight against corruption and the defence of human rights in Spain, in the European Union and at the international level.

In her own name, and through Access Info, Helen has been involved in many impressive achievements in the area of access to information over the years:

  • The founding of 28 September as Right to Know Day, which has been recognised as an official UNESCO day since 2016, and a UN official day since 2019;
  • Advocating for greater transparency through strategic litigation at the EU level (General Court in Access Info Europe v Council) and national level (Access Info Europe v Ministry for Home Affairs and National Security);
  • Creation of the Pro Access Coalition, a civil society transparency network formed of Spanish CSOs, which calls for greater transparency in Spain;
  • Assisting in drafting and promoting the implementation of access to information laws in Europe, Latin America and Africa, as well as advising intergovernmental organisations such as UNESCO, Council of Europe, OSCE, and World Bank;
  • Contributing to international movements on transparency, open government and anti-corruption through serving on the OGP Steering Committee for two terms, from 2016 to 2022, and as chair of the UNCAC Coalition from 2020 to 2023;
  • Authoring important work that contributed to the field of access to information, as well as training journalists, civil society activists, and public officials globally on the right.

For everyone who has worked at Access Info, Helen has been a friend, a mentor, a guiding light, and a source of inspiration. Her unwavering commitment to access to information, coupled with her compassionate leadership style, has shaped the very fabric of Access Info as an organisation.

In honour of Helen’s legacy, Access Info will continue to uphold the values and vision she instilled in the organisation, ensuring her work and passion live on in all that we do.