Representatives from Asian national parliaments and parliamentary development organizations will meet on 28-29 August in Manila, hosted by the Congress of the Philippines, to provide final input to the review and improvement of the Common Principles for Parliamentary Development.
The Principles, which began to be drafted in November 2013 with contributions from various stakeholders, aim to provide clear and helpful guidelines to identify what is more important and aspirational in parliamentary development as a means of ensuring strong, functioning and fully inclusive legislative institutions. Using a common language that all actors involved in the field of parliamentary development can share, this ambitious project ensures that parliaments retain ownership of their own development process adapting it to their history, institutions and local circumstances.
The Principles underline the importance of parliamentary development as a political sensitive area of cooperation and take into account the increasing understanding that this process cannot be directed externally. Change must come from within. The drafting group - European Parliament, the French National Assembly, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and IPU – will present its work to date and provide a briefing on content, scope and implications of the draft Common Principles. Participants will then exchange experiences in providing parliamentary development support at the national level and will discuss ways to implement the Principles, as well as mechanisms for regular follow-up and exchange of experiences. The meeting will result in a revised text of the Common Principles for endorsement by parliaments and parliamentary development organizations. (More information)
