"The information society is a major revolution in many of our countries. It has the potential to greatly improve our lives. But it has not yet kept all of its promises. There is an urgent need for parliaments to play a more active and more decisive role in its development" said the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Mr. Pier Ferdinando Casini, at an international conference entitled The Policymaking role of parliaments in the development of the information society.

Organized by the Italian Chamber of Deputies, and held on 3 and 4 March 2007 at the Montecitorio Palace in Rome within the framework of the Global Centre for Information and Communication Technologies in Parliament, the conference was attended by some 160 legislators from 68 parliamentary assemblies.

The IPU President called on parliaments to guarantee the democratic development of the information society, that can not be limited to technology alone. It is important to keep a strong focus on the human dimension: "Investing in education, literacy and ICT skills is indispensable if we are to overcome poverty and exclusion".

Policy choices need to strike the right balance between security and citizens’ right to privacy, and between technical expertise and political leadership. It is parliaments’ duty to guarantee fundamental rights as well as the inclusion of all social groups in the benefits of the information society. Parliaments should exercise vigilant oversight of government actions, in addition to adopting the appropriate legislative framework for the development of the information society.

He concluded his remarks by saying that "we need to adapt and improve the methods of international cooperation that are too often weighed down by bureaucracy. International parliamentary associations – and in first place the Inter-Parliamentary Union – should play a leading role in improving methods and standards for international cooperation, and ensuring particular reference to democratic procedures."

The Global Centre for ICT in Parliament (www.ictparliament.org) is a joint project of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs. By fostering parliamentary cooperation and exchange of information on ICT-related initiatives, it works to increase transparency and effectiveness and to strengthen parliaments’ central role as promoters of good governance and democracy.

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Established in 1889 and with its Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the IPU, the oldest multilateral political organisation, currently brings together 148 affiliated parliaments and seven regional assemblies as associate members. The world organisation of parliaments has an Office in New York, which acts as its Permanent Observer at the United Nations.
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