Webinar on Citizen Engagement on Law Making

The Open Government Partnership Networking Mechanism is pleased to announce the next Webinar on Citizen Engagement on Law Making taking place on Thursday, April 25, 2013, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM EST. We hope you can join us. Please see the details below.

REGISTER for this webinar here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dEhISkQ0MkhzN084TzNrbUZJTDJqc0E6MA

JOIN the Webinar here (login 5 minutes before the scheduled time): http://worldbankva.adobeconnect.com/ogpweb/

Date & Time Thursday, April 25, 2013 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM EST | 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Brazil | 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM Morocco (14:00 GMT)

Citizen Engagement on Law Making

That laws are made by the citizens who must live by them is a fundamental tenet of democracy. As noted in the recently launched Declaration on Parliamentary Openness, the right of citizens to participate in governance, including in lawmaking has been enshrined in international treaties and standards frameworks for democratic parliaments, as well as in many national constitutions. Through the Open Government Partnership, many government institutions have signaled a renewed commitmentOGP commitments are promises for reform co-created by governments and civil society and submitted as part of an action plan. Commitments typically include a description of the problem, concrete action... to engaging citizens in lawmaking and ensuring that laws enacted are reflective of citizens’ interests. While increased citizen engagement has potential to result in better laws that meet citizens’ needs, it may also invigorate citizens’ relationships with government and build confidence in democratic processes. This webinar will explore online and offline approaches to enhancing citizen participationAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, citizen participation occurs when “governments seek to mobilize citizens to engage in public debate, provide input, and make contributions that lead to m... More in lawmaking processes by both government institutions and civic organizations. It will also discuss lessons learned with respect to citizen engagement and prospects for increasing collaboration between government and civic groups to meet common goals.

Presented by Andrew G. Mandelbaum, Senior Program Officer, National Democratic Institute (NDI) Cristiano Ferri Faria, Manager, LEgislative e-Democracy Program, Brazilian House of Representatives — The Open Government PartnershipThe Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a multi-stakeholder initiative focused on improving government transparency, ensuring opportunities for citizen participation in public matters, and strengthen... More webinar series is an initiative of the OGP Networking Mechanism to encourage peer learning and knowledge sharing on critical open government issues among civil society, government, and private sectorGovernments are working to open private sector practices as well — including through beneficial ownership transparency, open contracting, and regulating environmental standards. Technical specificat... More participants. It is hosted by the World Bank Institute