A diagnostic tool designed to rate accessibility to data and information from government agencies is to be introduced in the Western Division by the Fiji Council of Social Services.

FCOSS executive director Vani Catanasiga said the tool was piloted in the North last year when six agencies were assessed, and that the results prompted the council to meet government agencies that needed to improve accessibility to their services.

“The Kacivaka Project was supported by UNDP and the UK Government and they helped us co-create this tool that looks at how open data and public information combined with community-generated data can help improve issues of access for communities,” she said.

“We have found that many communities continue to be vulnerable because they do not have access to some policies, and this in turn undermines their agency.”

Ms Catanasiga said the government applied “a blanket approach to everything and they are not mindful that there are people in communities facing these issues”.

She said the diagnostic tool was a good measuring tool of the Government’s performance for this particular aspect of service delivery