As Dan noted last week, the Inter-Parliamentary Union graciously invited us to present the Declaration on Parliamentary Openness at its 127th Assembly in Quebec. Participating on the panel with me, were Melissa Ortiz Massó of Fundar and the Latin American Network for Legislative Transparency and Eric Mill of the Sunlight Foundation (I was representing the National Democratic Institute). 

Although we had just one half-hour to discuss the document, the Declaration received positive feedback from members of parliament from Namibia, Australia and Canada. Speaking at the joint IPU-Association of Secretaries General of Parliament meeting on Parliamentary Representation and Communication and the Role of Social Media, IPU Secretary General Anders Johnsson stated his belief that the Declaration “represents an opportunity”  for parliaments to engage with civil society.

We also began preliminary discussions with the IPU and Global Centre for ICT in Parliament about potential opportunities for collaboration with the international PMO community moving ahead. Although these conversations are only preliminary, please feel free to share your thoughts on how collaboration with the IPU or a network of parliamentarians internationally can benefit both communities.