ParlAmericas, the Congress of the Republic of Colombia and the Latin American Network for Legislative Transparency organized a working meeting on Open Parliament
BOGOTA (COLOMBIA), November 30, 2023 – Participants from 12 Latin American countries attended a working meeting of the ParlAmericas Open Parliament Network entitled Legislative Transparency Measurements and Tools: Opportunities for Parliamentary Openness organized by ParlAmericas, the Congress of the Republic of Colombia, and the Latin American Network for Legislative Transparency. Parliamentarians, parliamentary staff, and representatives of civil society organizations exchanged experiences and knowledge in support of more open, honest, and inclusive parliaments. The event concluded today following two days of sessions in Bogota.
Opening remarks were delivered by high-ranking members of the Congress of the Republic of Colombia: the Honourable Senator Iván Name, President of the Senate; the Honourable Representative Andrés Calle, President of the Chamber of Representatives; the Honourable Representative Catherine Juvinao, Vice-President for South America of the ParlAmericas Open Parliament Network; and the Honourable Senator Germán Blanco, ParlAmericas Board Member.
During the first day of sessions, participants shared progress, opportunities, and lessons learned with regard to legislative openness; windows of opportunity to advancing the open parliament agenda; and relevant measurement tools, including the Latin American Legislative Transparency Index (ILTL, by its Spanish acronym), which highlights relevant achievements made by parliaments in the region. The first session was aimed at gaining perspectives on how the open parliament agenda has been promoted in the region and on various strategies to leverage the opportunities presented by tools such as the ILTL. In addition, another session focused on the ILTL as a measurement tool and included working groups on the dimensions of this index, using the ParlAmericas Road Map towards Legislative Openness 2.0 as a reference.
On the second day, participants exchanged ideas on good practices related to open parliament, with special emphasis on ethics and probity, as well as accessibility and inclusion. These discussions focused on lessons learned and addressed how to continue collaborating at both regional and national levels to broaden reach and involve more parliaments, parliamentary departments or areas, and civil society organizations, such as women’s organizations, organizations of Indigenous peoples’, and organizations for persons with disabilities, among others.
Quotes
Honourable Representative Catherine Juvinao (Colombia), Vice-President for South America of the ParlAmericas Open Parliament Network
“The open parliament model is an essential tool for promoting gender equality in legislatures, both at the regulatory and institutional levels. Multi-stakeholder dialogue and multilateral cooperation guided these sessions and are key to achieving this goal.”
Honourable Senator Germán Blanco (Colombia), ParlAmericas Board Member
“Legislative openness is a fundamental pillar in our work as parliamentarians in that it allows us to not only continue strengthening the legislature’s role as a guarantor of democracy, but also contributes to the initiatives and actions we carry out in favour of integrity and inclusion.”
