Congress | DemocracyWorks: A Blog of the National Democratic Institute

Freshman Members of Congress Understand the Value of a Small Investment Abroad

NDI Chairman Madeleine Albright discusses democracy assistance with Representative Brad Schneider (IL-10) and freshman Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07)

I’ve seen my share of campaign slogans, and—to my knowledge—democracy assistance has yet to make it to the political mailers. In fact, foreign policy is rarely a key campaign issue for Congressional candidates, who tend to talk about fixing problems at home rather than facing challenges abroad. Yet, when they come to Washington, Members of Congress become essential decision-makers in the foreign policy process that determines America’s place in the world.

First Action Plan for a Transparent Congress in Colombia

The president of the senate signs the first action plan for a transparent congress Credit: Press Office of the Honorable Senate of the Republic of Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia. November 2016.

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On November 30 in Constitution Hall of the Honorable Congress of the Republic of Colombia, an important event took place for the country’s democracy, particularly its legislative institutions. Leaders from the Senate and Chamber of Representatives came together to publicly present the first Open Parliament Action Plan of the Colombian Congress, which lays a series of benchmarks toward making the congress more visible and accessible to citizens. Colombia’s Open Parliament Action Plan is notable regionally and internationally – it is the third such plan developed in Latin America and the sixth in the world.