The role of parliaments in building knowledge-based societies, with a particular focus on the question of access to information, will be the core of a parliamentary panel that the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is organising on the occasion of the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), in Tunis, on 17 November 2005 in the afternoon, on the premises of the Tunisian parliament.

"Accessible information societies have the potential to enrich and renew democracy by offering new channels for public participation. It is parliaments that set the legislative framework on which information societies are built", underlines the IPU President, Mr. Pier Ferdinando Casini, who is also the Speaker of the Italian Chamber of Deputies. President Casini will open the panel, which is co-organized with the Tunisian Chamber of Deputies, in cooperation with UNESCO.

"For the IPU and the parliamentary community - which counts more than 40'000 elected people - parliaments, which represent the second branch of the State and the legitimacy given by the citizens which they represent, must be recognized as essential partners for government, the private sector and civil society in the construction of information societies", added the IPU Secretary General, Anders B. Johnsson.

The panel will examine this important subject from two angles: parliaments' ability to obtain the information they need to do their work effectively and legislation guaranteeing citizens' right of access to information. It will give insight into the global trend to adopt legislation on access to information. More than 60 countries now have access to information laws, opening up the workings of government to the public. The parliamentary panel will share the experiences of parliamentarians and experts, highlighting guidelines to follow and pitfalls to avoid when legislating on the right of access to information.

The panel will also ensure that the voice of parliamentarians as legitimate representatives of the people is heard during the Summit, and lay foundations for parliamentary involvement in follow-up action at the national, regional and international levels

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Established in 1889 and with its Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the IPU, the oldest multilateral political organisation, currently brings together 143 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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Contact for additional information or interviews:

In Geneva: Mrs. Luisa Ballin, IPU Information Officer 5, ch. du Pommier, CH - 1218 Le Grand-Saconnex / Geneva Tel. +41 22 919 41 16/27 Fax: +41 22 919 41 60 E-mail: lb@mail.ipu.org or cbl@mail.ipu.org