Recent News and Activities

From October 15 to 19, 2012, the House Democracy Partnership (HDP) organized a weeklong Parliamentary Staff Institute on budget analysis for 23 staff from 12 HDP partner countries: Colombia, Georgia, Haiti, Indonesia, Kenya, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Liberia, Macedonia, Peru, and Timor-Leste.  Developing the capacity of budget staff is a central component of HDP's work with its partner legislatures.

From September 10 to 14, the House Democracy Partnership (HDP) organized a weeklong seminar for 14 Members of Parliament from three HDP partner countries (Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, and Mongolia). 

The Members of Parliament met with a dozen of their counterparts in the U.S. House of Representatives to discuss the organization and operation of public committee hearings, the importance of committee oversight, legislative ethics, and working with the press, the importance of a budget analysis capability, and the role of a committee chairperson.

A delegation from the House Democracy Partnership (HDP) traveled to Africa from June 30 to July 9, to renew the commission's partnership with the Liberian Congress and the Kenyan National Assembly, to meet with the constituent assembly in Tunisia, conduct a preliminary assessment of South Sudan's legislature, to conduct a bilateral visit to Madagascar, and briefly visit Morocco.

From June 4-8, 2012, the House Democracy Partnership (HDP) organized a four-day seminar for 14 female Members of Parliament from four HDP partner countries (Indonesia, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Peru). This program, which focused on strengthening women's leadership in the legislature with a particular focus on economic development and poverty reduction, was organized in cooperation with the the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI).

A delegation from the House Democracy Partnership (HDP) traveled to Afghanistan on June 3-4, 2012, to renew the commission's partnership with the Afghan National Assembly. The delegation was composed of HDP Chairman David Dreier (R-CA) and Ranking Democratic Member David Price (D-NC). Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) accompanied the House Members. This was HDP's eighth outbound legislative strengthening mission of the 112th Congress and 29th overall since 2005.

From October 31 to November 4, 2011, the House Democracy Partnership (HDP) organized a weeklong seminar for 10 Members of Parliament from Afghanistan, all of whom hold positions on defense oversight committees. This program, which focused on strengthening legislative oversight of the military, was organized in cooperation with the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies (NESA Center) of the National Defense University.