Recent Activity
HDP’s Executive Director Derek Luyten spoke on a panel organized by the Women's Foreign Policy Group and hosted by Microsoft on February 6, entitled “Safeguarding Democracy: Technology and Election Security.” The panel, which also featured the International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute, focused on the role of generative AI in the political process and the challenges legislators face in finding opportunities to use technology to modernize while also protecting democratic norms from technological misuse and harm.
From January 31 to February 2, 2024, the House Democracy Partnership engaged with the Parliament of Sri Lanka in Colombo, focused on strengthening the research capabilities of the parliament.
A team of HDP staff was in Buenos Aires, Argentina from January 25-28, 2024 to learn and find ways in which the U.S. Congress and Argentinian Parliament can better collaborate with one another and also with other legislatures in the region. Meetings included high-level engagements with U.S. Ambassador to Argentina Marc R. Stanley, Foreign Relations Committee Advisors within the Argentinian Parliament, the Argentina Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NGOs focused on good governance, labor representatives, and academics.
From January 22-24, 2024, the House Democracy Partnership, in coordination with the Congressional Research Service (CRS), recently welcomed delegations from the Armenian National Assembly’s Expertise and Analytical Department (EAD) and the Mongolia State Great Hural’s Parliamentary Research and Training Institute (PRTI) for a three-day inbound exchange. The program focused on using global insights to strengthen nonpartisan legislative research institutions.
Building on the House Democracy Partnership’s recent engagement with the Korean National Assembly, HDP joined the East Asia Institute 동아시아 연구원(EAI) for a virtual roundtable between U.S. Members of Congress and Korean National Assembly Members to speak on democratic solidarity ahead of important elections globally. Members shared the challenges, opportunities, and importance of working across party lines on critical issues and expressed well wishes for the ROK-hosted Summit for Democracy happening later this year.
From December 5-7, 2023, the House Democracy Partnership (HDP) traveled to Pristina, Kosovo to implement a Technical Assistance Consultancy (TAC) with the Assembly of Kosovo’s professional staff and Members of Parliament (MPs). This exchange covered effective member services, communication strategies, knowledge management, technology integration, digital optimization, relations between support agencies and legislators, and good practices for building institutional trust with key parliamentary stakeholders.
From October 18-20, 2023, the House Democracy Partnership engaged with the National Assembly of The Gambia to conduct a Technical Assistance Consultancy (TAC) focused on strengthening parliamentary committee functions. The TAC engaged with National Assembly Members (NAMs), including assembly leadership and leadership of several committees, as well as with committee staff and civil society representatives, to highlight the best practices of committees and the roles that members and parliamentary staff hold.
From September 5-8, 2023, the House Democracy Partnership (HDP) facilitated the participation of six Members of Parliament (MPs) from partner legislatures in the 2023 Open Government Partnership Summit in Tallinn, Estonia. The Summit focused on transparent governance and included panel discussions, workshops, and sessions on open government initiatives, e-governance, anti-corruption, and engagement with civil society organizations.
From August 29-31, 2023, the House Democracy Partnership (HDP) organized a Women’s Economic Empowerment Legislator Forum in Viña del Mar, Chile. This event brought together 22 legislators from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Paraguay, and Peru. Among the notable attendees was Former U.S. Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy.
From June 28 to June 30, 2023, the House Democracy Partnership traveled to Yerevan, Armenia to conduct a technical assistance consultancy (TAC). The event involved Members of Parliament from Armenia’s parliamentary factions, along with NDI and HDP delegates, including former U.S. Congress members and democracy development experts. Activities included discussions on challenges faced by MPs in engaging with constituents, presentations on U.S. and proportional representation systems, and dialogues on tools for effective constituent engagement.