Photo by Andrew Mandelbaum at the 127th Assembly of the IPU on Oct. 24, 2012.

Today at 11:30am EST, the Declaration on Parliamentary Openness will be presented at a session of the 127th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

The IPU, established in 1889, is the international organization of parliaments of sovereign states, which includes membership from more than 160 national parliaments. It is described as the focal point for worldwide parliamentary dialogue. The 127th Assembly, held in Québec City, Canada, from October 21-26, 2012, brings together more than 1,300 delegates and observers from over 120 member parliaments and international organizations to facilitate debate, dialogue and co-operation among parliamentarians on the international stage.

The Declaration will be presented by representatives from OpeningParliament.org, including Melissa Ortiz Massó from Fundar (Mexico) and the Latin American Network for Legislative Transparency; Eric Mill from the Sunlight Foundation; and Andrew Mandelbaum from the National Democratic Institute. It will be discussed during a session entitled, Does the UN take Democracy Seriously Enough?, posing the questions:

What are the implications of the Declaration for parliaments?

What is the potential for constructive partnerships between parliaments and CSOs in bringing parliament closer to citizens?

What should the IPU be doing to further the development and implementation of criteria for democratic parliaments?

Previously, the PMO community has engaged in efforts to promote dialogue about parliamentary openness and the Declaration to members of the parliamentary community through the IPU. The IPU’s secretary general, Anders B. Johnsson, participated in a conference of PMOs held in Washington, D.C., welcoming the opportunity for greater collaboration. The Declaration on Parliamentary Openness was launched at the World e-Parliament Conference 2012, an event of the Global Centre for ICT in Parliament, a joint venture of the United Nations and IPU.

We hope that this event is just the beginning of collaboration between the community of PMOs and parliaments on issues of openness, citizen engagement and accountability.

Follow the Assembly on Twitter using the hashtag #IPU127.