Enriching Discussions about Digital Democracy and the Role of Parliamentary Councils In Strengthening It
13 September 2023
The working session on "Digital Democracy and Social Communication and the Role of Parliamentary Councils in Promoting It", in the work of the Tenth Conference of the Association of General Secretaries of Arab Parliaments, witnessed rich discussions and interventions from participants.
The Secretaries-General participating in the session from various Arab councils and parliaments stressed the importance of the democratic principles of the individual and society as a key means of advancing States and achieving equality among members of society, and pointed to the need to use technology in promoting parliamentary action.
The Secretaries-General stressed the importance of citizens' interaction and participatory democracy, especially with easy access to information and data in light of the era of digital proliferation and spectacular expansion of its use, while warning of today's challenges, specifically with regard to cybersecurity and the ethics of public dissemination, which require confrontation and reduction.
Participants presented various working papers on the topic of discussion. They also reviewed their experiences in using modern technological and electronic systems to develop parliamentary work, reinforcing the shared visions of Arab parliaments in exchanging experiences, transferring knowledge and drawing on each other's experiences.
The members of the Assembly concluded in the debate that Arab parliaments should accelerate to keep pace with the accelerated digital and technological development globally and benefit from it in parliamentary and legislative work.