For the first time in over twenty years, authoritarian governments outnumber liberal democracies, according to a Varieties of Democracy Institute (V-Dem) report. However, in this year of elections, 1.8 billion potential voters have an opportunity to participate in the democratic process and make their voices heard. With elections come newly elected officials, and with thousands of parliamentarians taking office in the next several months, many of them for the first time, strengthening legislatures should become a priority for development partners.
IRI is proud to collaborate and support parliaments worldwide to advance responsive and democratic governance and looks forward to opportunities to engage new members and democratic champions through our peer learning exchanges. In 2023 alone, with the support of the House Democracy Partnership (HDP) and the Institute for Representative Government (IRG), IRI successfully organized and conducted 13 parliamentary exchanges, bringing together more than 600 members of parliament and staff from 34 countries. Through these peer engagement opportunities, legislators and staff worked to foster resilience and collaboration, and renew commitment to democracy in parliaments around the world. Highlights of IRI’s work in 2023 include:
- In collaboration with HDP and the National Democratic Institute (NDI), IRI made significant contributions to the 2023 Summit for Democracy. The Year of Action webinar, chaired by former Congressman and HDP founder David Price, showcased progress made from the 2021 Summit. Meanwhile, the Legislative Track of the 2023 Summit brought nearly 50 legislators together from over two dozen countries to discuss democratic renewal and advancing commitments to collectively strengthen democracies worldwide. Through these platforms, parliamentarians engaged in strategic dialogue, knowledge-sharing, and collaborative efforts to promote democratic values and governance on a global scale.
- In response to the evolving security landscape in Europe, IRI collaborated with HDP and NDI to organize a regional exchange with the George C. Marshall Center. The conference focused on the changed security landscape in Europe and aimed to foster discussions between MPs from Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine on security sector oversight and enhance coordination among partners to promote a safe and secure Europe.
- Also using the regional modality, IRI arranged a Regional Women’s Economic Empowerment Forum in Chile, in collaboration with IRI’s Women’s Democracy Network, focused on advancing women’s economic opportunities across the Americas. This forum brought together legislators to discuss legislative solutions and initiatives aimed at empowering women economically. While the two events had different focuses, they both emphasized the importance of regional cooperation in addressing important issues and promoting shared values such as democracy, security, and prosperity.
- Additionally, the IRG inbound exchange study tours brought together 18 lawmakers from Nepal, Sri Lanka, Kenya, and Tanzania to Washington, D.C., and enabled lawmakers to gain a firsthand understanding of governance and electoral processes in the United States, providing valuable insights and best practices to inform their work back home.
- IRI also supported a bilateral meeting between Members of U.S. Congress and Members of Parliament from Ukraine during an HDP Congressional Delegation in Poland. This bilateral engagement between U.S. Congress and the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada gave Ukrainian MPs unprecedented access to U.S. legislators to speak about best practices in making democracy deliver for citizens during and after wartime. These bilateral engagements seek to provide targeted support and attention to best address the unique needs of partner parliaments as they seek to improve their democratic processes in parliament.
- Lastly, IRI arranged a Zambia fact-finding mission which consulted a wide range of in-country stakeholders to ascertain the operations and capabilities of parliament. The mission seeks to understand if there are openings and opportunities for HDP to partner with the National Assembly on efforts to advance a more responsive and independent legislature. These missions are a tool to identify where HDP can have the greatest impact in partnering with parliaments to improve citizen-centered governance.
As IRI continues its work bolstering legislatures throughout 2024, we look to build on progress made in 2023, innovate program approaches, and implement responsive and timely programming in close collaboration with partners around the world.
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