Parliaments are uniquely positioned to design, implement and follow up on development projects, including – but not limited to – the 2015 Millennium Development Goals.  Through enacting legislation that enables lasting positive change, parliaments could and should be at the forefront of international development cooperation.  

Since its launch at the National Assembly in Paris on March 2, 2010, AGORA has become the leading portal for the parliamentary development community, connecting international organizations, parliamentary development experts and professionals, but also Members of Parliament (MPs), parliamentary staff, Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) and civil society organizations active in the field of parliamentary development. 

AGORA Partners

AGORA is a global, multilateral project jointly implemented by UNDP, International IDEA, the World Bank Institute and the National Democratic Institute.  AGORA also works closely with the European Union: the European Parliament’s Office for the Promotion of Parliamentary Development is an official Partner to the AGORA project, and the European Commission has made several contributions to AGORA since its launch in 2010.  Beyond this, AGORA maintains an active partnership with the European Parliament through contributions to study tours, internships, provision of technical expertise and organization of joint parliamentary development round tables.

Creating a Global Community of Practice

Embracing the latest communication and knowledge management tools, AGORA is creating a true ‘community of practice’ in the field of parliamentary development.  The Portal’s ‘Trusted Area’, a members-only platform, presents a unique opportunity for all those working in this field to connect, share experiences and exchange information. The Trusted Area currently counts more than 1200 members and lists more than 430 documents, 270 news articles and half a dozen e-discussions.

AGORA’s contribution to the field of parliamentary development has been praised by both its partners and its users.  The Portal is available in English, French, Russian, Spanish and Arabic, and offers a virtual library with more than 1200 resources, 35 knowledge modules on the key aspects of parliamentary development work, a comprehensive Atlas of Parliamentary Monitoring Organizations around the world, a project mapping system, latest news and developments, and more.  In doing so, AGORA makes use of state of the art technologies and innovative capacity-building methods, setting high standards as an adaptive, flexible knowledge network that successfully meets the changing needs of its audience. 

Following the growth of AGORA’s member network, requests for technical assistance and capacity-building have multiplied.  In response, AGORA has delivered several tailored workshops on legislative drafting and law-making, setting the tone for a strengthened focus on capacity-building.  In the first half of 2013 AGORA will be developing additional workshop templates and will be launching its own E-learning platform, with a first course expected to go live in July 2013.

AGORA in the Arab World 

In light of recent development in the Arab States, and given the crucial role of representative institutions in this region, AGORA has recently launched its new Arabic Portal. Understanding the urgent need for support, AGORA is actively providing technical backstopping, training materials and capacity-building opportunities for its partners and users in the Arab States.  Visitors from the Arab States region currently constitute more than 20% of the Portal’s users, indicating that AGORA is meeting a growing and realistic demand.