ParlAmericas coordinates panel at the XVI Gathering of the Network on Transparency and Access to Information
On November 7, ParlAmericas coordinated a panel session on parliamentary openness at the XVI Gathering of the Network on Access to Information and Transparency held in Asunción, Paraguay. This network is composed of public entities that oversee the implementation of transparency and access to information measures in their respective countries.
The panel convened Senator Blanca Ovelar of Paraguay, President of the ParlAmericas Open Parliament Network, with Carolina Hidalgo, President of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica, María Dolores Martínez, Director of the Modernization Program of the Chamber of Deputies of Argentina, Rocío Noriega, Advisor to the Bicameral Group on Transparency of the Congress of Chile, and Rosario Pavese, Program Officer for Government Support and Exchange at the Open Government Partnership. It provided an overview of open parliament principles, and explored the use of action plans to advance the open parliament agenda, as well as linkages with the Open Government Partnership.
“Complying with citizens’ right to access public information is a fundamental aspect of an open parliament. Public information belongs to citizens who require it in order to be empowered and to fully participate in democratic processes, which in turns contributes to building confidence and legitimacy of our institutions. Exchanging good practices with transparency enforcement bodies is invaluable to ensuring the effectiveness of these efforts”, concluded Senator Blanca Ovelar. ParlAmericas’ participation in this activity initiated a dialogue with national transparency and access to information enforcement agencies on the application of transparency and access to information standards to parliaments and provided an opportunity to explore possibilities for future collaboration.
