The Open Parliament E-Network (OPeN) will join forces with global partners to host the seventh annual Global Legislative Openness Week (#GLOW) from October 21 to 25, 2024, focusing on the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities in parliamentary openness, emphasizing its critical role in 2024, a pivotal election year.
OPeN has consistently created a space for global stakeholders to highlight the current trends, challenges, and innovations related to parliamentary openness since its establishment. Recently, it collaborated with the Open Government Partnership (OGP) and the Estonian Riigikogu to reflect on the role that legislature plays in the fight against Corruption in an Open Parliament Day on the margins of the 8th OGP Summit.
The Global Legislative Openness Week is an annual event about transparency and participatory parliament, it is an opportunity for government, parliament and civil society representatives to share knowledge and seek new commitments. The inaugural #GLOW in 2014 featured over 45 activities across 30 countries, setting a precedent for global engagement.
OPeN hosted the fifth and sixth Global Legislative Openness Weeks (#GLOW) in 2020 and 2022, focused on collaborative action towards an open state and bridging the divide amid intensified polarisation. The exchange of knowledge and experiences across the different contexts has continued to showcase the significance of the open parliament movement in raising the quality of public participation and transparency in parliamentary processes. The #GLOW event will take place on 21-25 October, 2024.
Dedicated to supporting parliaments worldwide in their efforts to collaborate with civil society, enhancing transparency, accountability, and citizen participation, its work encompasses assisting parliaments and civil society to co-create and implement open parliament initiatives and commitments; building interest and political will through knowledge-building events and exchanges; offering tools and resources, including step-by-step guidance and solutions for common challenges; facilitating the sharing of innovative practices and lessons, particularly in using technology for transparency and citizen engagement; promoting parliamentary involvement in OGP processes to advance and monitor government-led commitments; and identifying best practices and knowledge gaps to guide future work.
In recent years, there has been growing recognition that legislatures can be strong drivers of openness reform and key allies to the open government agenda. Indeed, legislatures are currently the third-fastest growing area in OGP Action Plans across the world, and the second fastest in Asia and Europe. While OPeN’s remit is not limited to countries and parliaments operating in the framework of the OGP, its work ties in closely with the Partnership in view of the central role it plays in advancing open governance reforms worldwide.
For further information about the event, please visit https://openparliamentnetwork.org/2024/08/13/glow2024-parliamentary-openness-more-important-than-ever-in-the-super-election-year/.
