Home › Recent News › 2026 › Transparency, integrity, and new forms of influence: Parliamentary dialogue on lobbying regulation in Latin America

Transparency, integrity, and new forms of influence: Parliamentary dialogue on lobbying regulation in Latin America

August 21, 2026 | Activity

Video conference screenshot with about 20 participants in a grid, each tile showing a person’s face and a muted microphone icon, names visible under each tile (legislative/ParlAmericas meeting).

Lobbying regulation presents a central challenge for parliaments: ensuring that engagement with different sectors of society contributes to informed and pluralistic legislative deliberation while providing transparency about who seeks to influence public decisions, which interests they represent, and the mechanisms they use. Clear frameworks in this area help strengthen integrity, accountability, and trust in democratic institutions.

In this context, nearly a decade after the development of the Regional Guide on Lobbying Regulation, ParlAmericas and Fundación Directorio Legislativo are working to update the guide based on the accumulated experience across the region and the new challenges posed by current forms of influence and interest management. As part of this effort, a virtual working meeting was convened with parliamentarians from Latin America to exchange experiences and gather input to inform this process.

The meeting was moderated by the Honourable Representative Catherine Juvinao of Colombia, Vice-President for South America of the ParlAmericas Open Parliament Network. In her opening remarks, Representative Juvinao highlighted the importance of drawing on a range of national experiences to inform the update of the guide. She also shared insights on Colombia’s experience in advancing lobbying regulation.

María Barón, Global Executive Director of Fundación Directorio Legislativo, presented the background of the guide and the main areas proposed for its update. Originally developed through a regional collaborative process, the guide seeks to provide a reference framework for promoting regulations that reconcile legitimate participation in decision-making processes with the principles of transparency and integrity.

Changes in influence and interest management practices, together with the emergence of new digital channels and tools, have transformed how these activities take place across the region. The update aims to address these new dynamics and provide a framework that remains relevant to parliamentary debates on the subject.

The parliamentary dialogue addressed three key areas for updating the guide. First, participants exchanged perspectives on lobbyist and meeting registries, including the information these should contain to provide the public with useful and timely data, as well as the responsibilities associated with their implementation.

The conversation also examined new forms of lobbying through digital channels and the challenges they pose for transparency, particularly when it is unclear who is promoting specific communications or expressions of interest and which interests they represent. Participants also explored issues related to conflicts of interest and the “revolving door” phenomenon, including criteria that can guide parliamentarians when addressing potential conflicts and the challenges arising from movement between the public and private sectors.

The parliamentary exchange helped identify experiences, lessons learned, and challenges that will inform the update of the guide. The input gathered during the meeting will be included as part of the regional consultation process led by Fundación Directorio Legislativo, with the aim of ensuring that the document reflects both the lessons learned across the region and the new dynamics of the lobbying landscape and participation in public decision-making processes.

  • Woman with round tortoiseshell glasses speaking directly to the camera against a blurred indoor background.
  • Woman with long brown hair wearing a beige textured coat speaks, wearing white earbuds during a video call or interview.
  • Woman with short dark hair and glasses speaks directly to the camera in a home setting, hand with coral nails visible in foreground.
  • Woman outdoors on a porch speaking, with green trees in the background and a blue shirt on.
  • Man wearing glasses and a white shirt speaking directly to the camera against a plain light wall.
  • Formal video call or press briefing: a man in a light gray suit and blue shirt speaks from an office with American and other flags in the background.
  • Woman with wavy red hair speaks to camera in a video call, bookshelves and trophies in the background.
  • Close-up of a woman with dark hair wearing a green collared shirt, speaking during a video call.