In the small coastal town of Montrouis, far from the bustle and parliamentary buildings of Port-au-Prince, Haitian senators gathered to jump start work on the nation’s challenges. The NDI-supported retreat, held from from March 3 to 5, focused on the 2017 legislative agenda. Senators from across the political spectrum engaged in passionate debate on pending issues and showed a readiness to work with the executive branch to meet the needs of the Haitian people.  

Colombia’s Congress has taken several steps to improve transparency and make legislative affairs more accessible to citizens in recent years.

Their ideas include an online platform to combat misinformation during Middle East and North Africa election campaigns, an app to support Arabic-speaking victims of domestic violence in the United States, and a blockchain-based system to protect property ownership rights in Libya.

Ukraine’s parliament (Verkhovna Rada) is in a race to deliver the sweeping democratic reforms demanded by Ukrainians during the Revolution of Dignity. However, faced with an economic crisis and ongoing war, parties in parliament have struggled to enact these policies. Current legislative procedures and fragmented political dynamic among parliamentary factions have only compounded the challenges of pushing through changes.

Days after Haitians went to the polls to vote on November 20, more than 130 members of the Haitian Parliament and staff met to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the institution and lay out a roadmap for moving forward.

Leaders from across West Africa met in Cabo Verde last month to discuss regional guidelines for democratic handovers of power after democratic elections. The November 21-22 gathering represented a significant and timely effort to begin developing international norms and standards around executive branch transitions.