ParlAmericas participates in the launch of Colombia’s 5th Open Parliament Action Plan
The official launch and start of the co-creation processes for the 5th Action Plan for an Open and Transparent Congress in Colombia, organized by the Chamber of Representatives, took place on Thursday, November 12, 2020. The purpose of this activity was to bring together Colombian authorities and international guests to announce the development of the Open Parliament Action Plan to be implemented by the Chamber of Representatives, which will focus on strengthening the inclusion and participation of Afro-descendant populations in the legislative process. ParlAmericas participated in this event through Member of the Chamber of Deputies Javier Macaya (Chile), Vice-President of the Open Parliament Network.
The activity began with a presentation by Representative Germán Blanco (Colombia), President of the Chamber of Representatives, who highlighted the work done by Colombia in terms of legislative openness, including action plans and laws to strengthen this process, as well as the importance of focusing the plan on transparency and clear language. Meanwhile, Member of the Chamber of Deputies Macaya stressed that “the action plans are based on co-creation processes aimed at prioritizing, developing, and subsequently implementing commitments between parliamentarians, officials, and representatives of civil society. These processes not only generate greater confidence, but also allow us to come together to achieve the same goal.” Representative Astrid Sánchez (Colombia), Vice-President of the Chamber of Representatives, also participated and highlighted the importance of implementing an action plan that overcomes social and technological inequalities in order to reach the most marginalized sectors of Colombia, especially Afro-Colombian communities. Along the same lines, Representative Jhon Murillo (Colombia), President of the Afro-Colombian Legal Committee, underscored the value of an initiative that contributes to actions in favour of these communities, given the under-representation of Afro-Colombians in parliament and their exclusion from public policies reflected in the country’s budget.
Representative Milton Angulo (Colombia); Mr. Jorge Humberto Mantilla, Secretary General of the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia; Mr. Carlos Eduardo Venegas, head of Internal Control of the Colombian Parliament; Ms. Sandra Milena Alvarado, coordinator of the 5th Action Plan; Mr. Francisco Herrero, resident director of the National Democratic Institute in Colombia; Mr. Alberto Almonacid of the Domopaz Foundation; and Ms. Mercedes de los Santos of the Directorio Legislativo Foundation, also took part in the discussion. The event ended with the announcement of co-creation boards that would meet in the following weeks, with the support of the Domopaz Foundation, the Directorio Legislativo Foundation, the National Democratic Institute and ParlAmericas.
For further information on the work carried out by ParlAmericas, visit www.parlamericas.org and follow @ParlAmericas on social media.
