Parliamentary Strengthening

The IBAHRI is a part of a new initiative, the Westminster Consortium for Parliaments and Democracy. This is a group of organisations which was established to help developing parliaments set up sustainable centres of learning for their staff and members and has come out of a need to increase the capacities of parliaments in order to ensure good governance through capabilities, accountability and responsiveness. Supporting the development of parliaments is an important and vital challenge to all organisations working in the field of democratic governance, and the Consortium has been formed by bringing together leading experts in the fields of parliamentary practice, financial oversight and communications to develop learning schemes based on international best practice. As part of the wider project, the IBAHRI will run three day courses focussed on the role of parliaments in upholding the rule of law and the implementation of constitutional and human rights obligations. The first training was successfully held in Macedonia in November 2009. Further courses are currently being planned in Ukraine, Uganda, Lebanon and Mozambique. 

The member organisations of the Consortium are as follows:

• Westminster Foundation for Democracy
• Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK Branch
• The Overseas Office of the House of Commons
• The Centre for Democratic Governance
• The International Bar Association
• The National Audit Office
• Thomson Reuters Foundation

As part of the wider project, the IBAHRI will run a three day course focussed on the role of parliaments in upholding the rule of law and the implementation of constitutional and human rights obligations.