Message from the team - Newsletter June 2020

We are pleased to introduce the first edition of the new INTER PARES newsletter. It’s another way for us to communicate with you about the different programming and activities we’re carrying out around the world in conjunction with our partners in European Union Member State Parliaments, the European Parliament, and the Inter-Parliamentary Union. The newsletter complements our other communications initiatives including the website (see below), a new podcast series that’s launching this month, and our social media channels including Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Just like everyone else, the coronavirus pandemic has impacted us on a professional and personal level. With our programme of exchanges between parliaments temporarily suspended, we’ve speeded up development of our e-learning courses, which will complement the in-person support provided through the partnerships. We’re also planning to deliver one-to-one training on legislative drafting on demand to several partner parliaments. In other partnership news, we’re moving forward in planning for several of the second round of partner countries, and are currently finalizing support partnership proposals with the parliaments of Trinidad and Tobago, Malawi and Mauritania.

Parliaments around the world are adapting their work so they can safely continue carrying out their constitutional functions of legislation, oversight, and representation, while ensuring human rights and due process are protected during this exceptional time. We have developed a new Primer, Parliaments and Crisis: Challenges and Innovations. The Primer explores the challenges faced by parliaments and identifies best practices adopted by parliaments, including innovations to function virtually and engage citizens, as well as different approaches to ensuring effective oversight of emergency powers. We’re also developing a global tracker on parliamentary responses to the pandemic, which will present the different measures and actions in infographic form, which we’re aiming to release by the end of the month.

Our new website (www.inter-pares.eu), launched May 8, includes a special section on Parliamentary Innovations in Times of Crisis. The first two articles highlight cutting edge initiatives at the Hellenic Parliament and the Czech Parliaments. The recent stories include innovations at the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago (our partner parliament), as well as a touching story of the European Parliament’s transformation of one of its buildings to house homeless people impacted by the pandemic.

INTER PARES, The EU Global Project to Strengthen the Capacity of Parliaments, is funded by the European Union, and delivered by International IDEA. This is International IDEA’s 25th anniversary, and we’re pleased to participate in IDEA’s celebrations to mark this anniversary of its work to support and enhance democracy around the world. June is INTER PARES’ month, and our chance to highlight the centrality of parliaments to effective democracy. We are posting different facts about parliaments, democracy, and the work of INTER PARES throughout the month.