Home Highlights 2025 The power of strategic communication to continue advancing legislative openness

The power of strategic communication to continue advancing legislative openness

August 29, 2025 | Activity

After a decade of advances in legislative openness and the implementation of open-parliament action plans across Latin America, a central question remains: how can this agenda continue to be a priority in national congresses while also fostering a close and genuine connection with citizens? At a time when disinformation undermines institutional credibility and polarization erodes democratic dialogue, the answer lies in strengthening strategic communication.

This was the central theme of the meeting Strengthening Legislative Openness: Communication Strategies to Keep Moving Forward, organized by the ParlAmericas Open Parliament Staff Network. Reflections concurred that legislative openness entails an ongoing exercise of public engagement, clear communication, and citizen outreach through accessible and inclusive messaging. As highlighted by Diego González, Secretary General of the Senate of the Republic of Colombia and General Coordinator of the Network, the use of new language and ways of communicating is key to sustaining this agenda in increasingly complex political environments.

Building on this idea, Mario Riorda, Professor at the Graduate School of Communication at Universidad Austral, noted that legislative openness goes beyond conventional formal exercises in transparency and instead should be understood as part of a broader process of public outreach, plurality, and social responsibility. He emphasized the importance of clearly explaining the decision-making process, giving visibility to the different arguments raised in a debate, and following up on legislative decisions so that citizens can understand both their rationale and their effects.

Ilana Trombka, Director General of the Federal Senate of Brazil, complemented these reflections by highlighting that incorporating gender and human rights perspectives into institutional communication not only expands audiences but also strengthens the legitimacy of open parliament, positioning it as a cross-cutting policy and an essential element of democratic integrity. In this spirit, and to ensure that gender equality and legislative openness reinforce one another, ParlAmericas presented the publication Bridging Legislative Agendas: Exploring Synergies between Open Parliament and Gender Equality (in Spanish), which offers guidance and practical examples for integrating the two agendas.

The diversity of voices present enriched the dialogue moderated by Luciana Términe, Director of Parliamentary Diplomacy and International Cooperation of the Chamber of Deputies of Argentina and Regional Coordinator for South America of the Network. The dialogue brought together parliamentary staff from Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Paraguay, and Uruguay, along with representatives of civil society organizations such as Fundación Ciudadanía y Desarrollo and Directorio Legislativo, highlighting how strategic communication can serve as a bridge between parliaments and citizens.

Participants agreed that communication is not merely a channel for disseminating information, but a bridge for building trust and fostering more effective forms of citizen participation. They emphasized that using clear language in legislative matters is essential to facilitate access to information and expand opportunities for truly inclusive participation, enabling citizens to better understand and engage more meaningfully in parliamentary work.

The meeting concluded with a shared conviction: opening parliament also means knowing how to tell its story. Only through strategic communication that makes progress visible, engages historically excluded groups, and brings parliamentary work closer to citizens can legislative openness be consolidated as a catalyst for public trust and democratic renewal.

This meeting was made possible thanks to the generous support of the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada.