A population emerging from a time of war has many expectations. Justice for victims, accelerated economic recovery and development that can generate employment and prosperity, and social services like education, health, electricity, water and the rehabilitation of infrastructure are all necessary for reconstruction. To meet these expectations, access to information is essential. Accountability and transparency promote a better understanding of the on-going reconstruction processes. Accountability deals with systems of control for corruption, fraud, embezzlement, negligence and gross incompetence, which in most cases hinder direly needed development. Proper record keeping is a prerequisite to effective accountability. It is important for peace building, democratic governance, the creation of an engaged civil society and a vibrant public sphere. This session addresses the importance of research about the role and function of public institutions' record keeping in a socio-cultural perspective, and the relation between record keeping and access to information in the process of democratization and post-conflict transition. -