Home Highlights 2025 Digital readiness in parliaments: Key takeaways from the meeting of the ParlAmericas Parliamentary Staff Network on Open Parliament

Digital readiness in parliaments: Key takeaways from the meeting of the ParlAmericas Parliamentary Staff Network on Open Parliament

March 14, 2025 | Activities

Digital transformation is reshaping legislative institutions, creating new opportunities to enhance transparency, accessibility, and security. Recognizing this, the ParlAmericas Parliamentary Staff Network on Open Parliament convened today to exchange knowledge on strategies for integrating digital technologies in parliamentary processes.

A robust digital infrastructure is fundamental to legislative efficiency and public engagement, underscored Luis Rojas, Deputy Secretary General of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile and General Coordinator of the ParlAmericas Parliamentary Staff Network on Open Parliament. He further emphasized that the adoption of any digital or artificial intelligence tools must feature high ethical standards and strong security measures. Discussions then explored concrete approaches for implementing or strengthening these considerations across efforts related to technological advancement, fostering inclusive, secure, and effective digital spaces in parliaments.

Juan Carlos Chavarría, Director of the Citizen Participation Department of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica and Regional Coordinator for Central America, led a discussion on cybersecurity and gender considerations on AI. Experts presented strategies to prevent AI systems from reinforcing biases and spreading misinformation, as well as addressing growing cyber threats like AI-powered identity theft, financial fraud, and social engineering attacks. Recommended measures included public awareness campaigns, strengthening technical infrastructure, fostering international cooperation to enhance cyber resilience in legislatures, regularly reviewing datasets for gender representation and language balance and providing training to staff on AI literacy and bias mitigation.

Strong digital platforms in parliament also require robust data governance, accessibility, and infrastructure that meets the needs of its users and the public. Christopher Henry, Director General of Digital Enablement and Innovation at the House of Commons of Canada and Regional Coordinator for North America of the ParlAmericas Parliamentary Staff Network on Open Parliament, led a discussion on these and other core components of digital transformation in legislatures. He emphasized the need for strong data protection measures, the use of structured data, and adherence to ethical standards. Participants then shared concrete cases of the positive impacts of technology for legislative work, including how digital communication tools strengthen transparency and civic engagement and how AI-driven speech-to-text technologies can support the digitalization of Hansards, making legislative records more accessible. Others highlighted the importance of building inclusive digital environments through concrete actions such as implementing user feedback mechanisms, conducting regular accessibility audits, and using AI-powered tools for sign language interpretation and live transcription to eliminate barriers to participation.

Institutional capacity-building, interparliamentary collaboration, training programs, and sustained investment in digital literacy for parliamentary staff were also highlighted as priorities for advancing digital readiness in the region’s legislatures.

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