The second AGORA Parliamentary Development Community of Practice (PD COP) session “Advancing Parliamentary Accountability in Crisis Contexts”, organised by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) was held on 24 February 2022.
Parliaments globally have the important responsibility of engaging in effective oversight of government actions through inclusive representation and informed policymaking. In crisis contexts, these responsibilities are even more critical. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to require governments to deliver resources to impacted and underserved citizens. Additionally, with growing threats from climate change and global conflicts, governments everywhere will inevitably be confronted by crises, and must be prepared to support citizen security and recovery in those times of need. Parliaments remain on the front lines in ensuring that resources reach citizens during crises in a timely manner. 
 
To address this issue, in this session speakers and participants convened to discuss the issue of “parliamentary accountability” as it relates to crisis contexts. Specifically, the issue was explored through three key themes:

1. Foundations and globally-upheld norms in parliamentary accountability good practices;
2. Parliament’s role in maintaining accountability of government service delivery in a crisis;
3. Mechanisms that ensure parliament remains accountable to its core mandates to ensure effective action in crisis contexts.

 
The session welcomed 183 participants from all over the world: members of parliaments, parliamentary staff, representatives from civil society organisations, academia, experts, and practitioners in the legislative assistance field, who joined to exchange experiences and showcase successes and models for effective parliamentary accountability. 
Read the Agenda Outline for more information.
 
Recordings of the Webinar can be found here.

Find out more about this event here.