OUTCOME: STATEMENT OF COMMITMENT ON OPEN PARLIAMENT IN THE AMERICAS
Based on their roundtable discussions, delegates committed to advancing the following concrete actions within their countries to fulfill the points of agreement:
"If we don’t serve those who give us our ethical and political legitimacy, we run the risk of continuing a tradition of authoritarianism, shadiness, and arrogance."
"My duty now as a parliamentarian is to go back home and try to get the other parliamentarians involved, let them know what has taken place and the nature of the [working group] that we had here."
Provide practical training for legislators in information and communications technologies (ICTs) and social media for the purpose of improving direct dialogue with citizens, within an intercultural framework.
Support the drafting of laws on transparency and establish specialized oversight mechanisms in countries where these do not yet exist.
Examine the experience of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies as a model for sharing parliamentary information in a more user-friendly manner, avoiding the presentation of information in overly institutional, legalistic, or bureaucratic terms.
Invest in education and training that fosters a culture of parliamentary transparency and that deepens the public’s understanding of the functioning of public institutions.
Make use of free or open source software, collaborate with civil society organizations specializing in transparency, and build public/private partnerships in order to make progress in parliamentary openness.
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