ParlAmericas Podcast

This episode was recorded during the virtual workshop “Together We Are Stronger”, led by the Equality Fund, as part of a three-part training series on effective engagement in parliamentary processes, jointly offered by ParlAmericas, the UN Women Multi-Country Office - Caribbean, and the Equality Fund, with the participation of Women’s Voice and Leadership –Caribbean grantee partner, Raise Your Voice Saint Lucia."

Listen to this dialogue between Andrea Calmet, of Equality Fund, and Catherine Sealys, President of Raise Your Voice Saint Lucia, on the passage of the domestic violence bill by the Parliament of Saint Lucia and its later enactment. Ms. Sealys describes the advocacy and effective parliamentary engagement strategies undertaken by Raise Your Voice Saint Lucia, local and international allies, and other actors to contribute to the enactment of the bill.

On March 8th, 2022, four years after it had been drafted for a second time, the government of Saint Lucia enacted what is now considered one of the most progressive bills in the Caribbean and an important first step towards gender equality and inclusion in Saint Lucia.

The Equality Fund is transforming the way that resources—and power— flow into the hands of girls, women, and trans people worldwide. Designed by feminists for feminists, we are a new model for sustainably resourcing feminist movements everywhere. Learn more at equalityfund.ca

In this ParlAmericas Podcast episode we receive an overview of how to detect disinformation in its various manifestations and its insidious impacts in our societies as it threatens the integrity of our institutions and increases public distrust. Professor Taylor Owen, Beaverbrook Chair in Media Ethics and Communications, Max Bell School of Public Policy, McGill University illustrates how omnipresent this phenomenon of disinformation has become due to quickly emerging technologies and social platforms. As a tactic for undermining electoral processes, spreading propaganda and dwindling democratic discourse, disinformation is delegitimizing political systems across the globe. As parliaments grapple with countering disinformation in its various forms, this presentation offers an overview of the growing set of international good practices and recommendations for parliaments on mitigative actions they can employ such as reformation to current legislation, budget allocations, and parliamentary oversight actions.

This address was recorded at the 5th Gathering of the ParlAmericas Open Parliament Network: Countering Disinformation to Promote Responsible Public Discourse, which took place virtually on March 15, 2021.

What challenges do parliamentarians face in executing their fiscal scrutiny functions, including the review, approval or rejection of their government’s national revenues and expenditure plans? How does information asymmetry between the Executive and the legislative branch influence their ability to effectively fulfill this responsibility? What institutions or practices can be adopted to facilitate this?

One of parliament’s fundamental roles is their fiscal scrutiny functions which include the review, approval or rejection, of a government’s national revenues and expenditure plans (including its expenditure estimates, budget and taxation proposals, and public accounts). Parliaments often face challenges in effectively fulfilling this role due to lack of technical capacity, political intervention and inefficient systems. The information asymmetry that exists between executive and legislative branches creates an important gap, along with the tendency to focus debates on new programs rather than sustainability and the reluctance to change.

To address these challenges governments and parliaments can start to re-think transparency by focusing on the publication of relevant information in a format that can easily be understood rather than overwhelming parliaments and the public with unnecessary data. It can consider developing new institutions such as Independent Fiscal Institutions (IFIs), also known as Parliamentary Budget Offices (PBOs), to support parliament with independent fiscal analysis. Finally, it can examine the entire financial process to understand where the core issues lie to fix a dysfunctional system.

This intervention was recorded during the workshop on Strengthening Accountability through Fiscal Transparency Practices that took place in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on September 6, 2017. This workshop, which was partly facilitated by Mr. Page, explored transparency and accountability practices within the parliamentary financial cycle to analyze challenges and identify opportunities for improvement, with particular attention to the role of parliamentary budget offices and fostering public participation in fiscal policy.

In this ParlAmericas Podcast episode, Mr. Jaime Guerrero explains key considerations to ensure that anti-corruption legislation relevant to the private sector is implemented effectively. He also discussed private sector programs and procedures that aim to prevent corrupt practices by employees as well as how companies are now testing the effectiveness of these measures to make sure they are working well. Mr. Guerrero also draws attention to opportunities for collaboration between parliaments and the private sector which could lead to innovations in the fight against corruption.
This address was recorded at the 4th Gathering of ParlAmericas Open Parliament Network, “Beyond the Walls of Parliament: Strengthening Parliamentary Oversight”, held in Quito, Ecuador from March 12 to 14, 2019.

En este episodio, Juan Ricardo Ortega, asesor senior del Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo, expone sobre aspectos clave de la recuperación de activos destacando que es necesario una institucionalidad sólida que garantice buenos procesos y controles. Asimismo, también pone énfasis en la necesidad de buenos equipos de investigación en finanzas y contabilidad que faciliten la identificación de actividades criminales y las formas que adoptan para poder combatirlas más eficazmente.
Este episodio fue grabado durante el 4to Encuentro de la Red de Parlamento Abierto de ParlAmericas “Más allá de las paredes del parlamento: fortaleciendo el control político”, realizado en Quito, Ecuador, realizado del 12 al 14 de marzo de 2019.