by Linda Straker
- Joint meeting held 8–10 May 2024, in Asunción, Paraguay
- Declaration of parliamentarians from Americas and Caribbean to democracy, human rights, gender equality, and rule of law
- Cato elected Vice-President for Caribbean on ParlAmericas Open Parliament Network Executive Committee
Leo Cato, Speaker of the Lower House of Parliament was recently elected to serve as Vice President for the Caribbean during the recent Parliament of the Americas meeting when over 50 parliamentarians from 21 countries of the Americas and the Caribbean convened for the 20th ParlAmericas Plenary Assembly, and 8th Gathering of the Open Parliament Network.
He made the announcement to members during the 4 June sitting of the Lower House.
Organised by ParlAmericas and the Chamber of Senators of the Congress of the Republic of Paraguay, the joint meeting was held 8–10 May 2024, in Asunción, and focused on the theme “Building Partnerships to Strengthen Democracy and Promote Human Rights.”
During the gathering, parliamentarians discussed the state of democracy along with representatives of international organisations, civil society, academia, and youth leaders. Participants also had the opportunity to discuss the critical role parliaments play in fostering active democracies, promoting human rights, maintaining peace, building consensus, promoting inclusive policies, and pursuing social justice.
The main session focused on “Human Rights and Democracy: Challenges for the Future” and feature the participation of Marta Lagos, Director and Founder of the Latinobarometer Corporation, and Dr Rosina Wiltshire, international development and human rights specialist.
This session covered approaches to the main challenges related to democracy and human rights, considering the role of parliaments and their opportunities for action that facilitates democratic consolidation. It will set the context for the rest of the sessions that will take place over the course of the gathering said a news release on the Parlamericas website.
During the Plenary Assembly, elections were held for vacant subregional seats on the ParlAmericas Board of Directors. Chile and Peru were elected as representatives for South America; Panama, Guatemala and Belize as representatives for Central America, and St Lucia and Dominica as representatives for the Caribbean.
The website noted that in addition, for the Executive Committee of the ParlAmericas Open Parliament Network, Member of the National Assembly Luzmila Abad (Ecuador) was elected Second Vice-President for South America, and the Honourable Leo Cato (Grenada), Speaker of the House of Representatives, was elected Vice-President for the Caribbean.
At the end of the meeting, the participants adopted a declaration in defence of democracy and human rights during the 20th Plenary Assembly of ParlAmericas and the 8th Gathering of the Open Parliament Network.
The declaration reflects the outcomes from the dialogues and working sessions held during the meeting. It highlights the commitment of parliamentarians from the Americas and the Caribbean to democracy, human rights, gender equality, and the rule of law. Additionally, the declaration includes a series of commitments for parliamentary action in response to the growing challenges faced by democracy and human rights and underscores the role of parliaments in safeguarding democratic principles, promoting cooperative political dialogue, consensus-building, peaceful resolution of differences, and the maintenance of peace and security.
