# Joint statement signing ceremony

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###### tags: `OPF2021`,`OPF`,`OP`

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Joint Statement

2021 Open Parliament Forum: “Open Parliament in a Post-COVID Context: Global Examples of Resilience and Planning for 2022 and Beyond”

December 3, 2021 - We, representatives of the Legislative Yuan of Taiwan, participating parliamentarians at the 2021 Open Parliament Forum (hereinafter referred to as the Forum), the National Democratic Institute and representatives of the Open Parliament Multi-stakeholder Forum, affirm our commitment to enhancing legislative openness and creating active spaces for dialogue in full support of Taiwan’s first Open Parliament Action Plan 2021-2024.

We believe legislatures play a key oversight role and an equally important independent role in the Open Government Partnership process, of which parliamentary and civic engagement remains integral to oversight of the executive branch and its leaders. Recognizing the importance of providing opportunities for governments, parliaments and civil society to come together, we endeavor to build upon Taiwan’s open parliament commitments and seek greater cooperation in the following areas:

Advance parliamentary engagement on the core open government challenges identified in the Forum – transparency, civic space, open response to, and recovery from, the COVID-19 crisis – while bringing a broader spectrum of civil society organizations into Taiwan’s executive and legislative efforts in tackling these challenges;
Raise awareness of the ongoing infringement on minority rights in the Asia-Pacific region and worldwide, and enable inclusive engagement of indigenous peoples, ethnic minorities and marginalized communities, including women, youth, LGBTQI+ individuals and people with disabilities, in the implementation or oversight of key reforms and for the promotion and protection of universal human rights;
Strengthen adherence to democratic norms through the development and implementation of strong open parliament actions that respond directly to the democratic challenges posed by illiberal influence operations;
Draw from the lessons learned to date and build connections between legislatures across the region and world to foster global legislative transparency strategies and democracy strengthening initiatives; and
Ensure cross-party support and institutional buy-in to allow for full ownership of the open parliament principles by all actors involved, including civil society organizations, parliamentary staff and members of parliament across politics groups; necessitate a review mechanism to assess the extent to which parliamentarians and civil society stakeholders are engaged with a view to furthering open parliament objectives beyond existing commitments and beyond 2024.

As we uphold shared values and work with Taiwan and regional partners to promote legislative openness, we must recognize that democracy is being challenged as never before. We are deeply alarmed by recent examples of democratic backsliding and the expansion of authoritarianism in the Asia-Pacific region. Populist movements that undermine civil liberties and democratic governance are rampant as the pandemic has isolated countries from one another. Taiwan’s resilience in the face of threats from authoritative regimes offers not only salient lessons for the region, but for the international community.

In the true spirit of open government principles: transparency, accountability, participation and inclusion, we call on the openness community to increase its support for Taiwan and deepen collaboration. Authoritarians have taken advantage of the pandemic, crippling many young democracies and exacerbating disparities of wealth and divisions in society, so it is now more important than ever for the international community to stand with Taiwan and like-minded countries around the world in pursuit of democratic governance, peace, human rights and the rule of law.