International Legislative Strengthening Technical Assistance Services

May 2004 - May 2009

As part of the efforts of its overall legislative strengthening programs, USAID has established the Legislative Strengthening IQC to assist legislatures and other deliberative bodies to become stronger, more effective, democratic institutions through programs and activities designed to increase transparency, accountability, and pluralism; strengthen public participation and representation; and build policy, law-making, and oversight capacities. To achieve this USAID seeks to foster in-country enabling environments to ensure that legislatures can properly perform their mandated functions and responsibilities by:

• supporting efforts to create a constitutional and legal framework
• building broad public support for the legislature through working with civil society and media groups
• promoting recognition on behalf of other government bodies of the critical role of representative bodies in a democratic society.

USAID identifies and seeks to promote three primary functions of democratic legislature: representation of the wishes of citizens in policymaking, lawmaking, and oversight of the implementation of laws, policies and programs.

Pact's approach

As a member of the State University of New York's Center for International Development (SUNY/CID) consortium, Pact will support activities designed to provide training and assistance for the development of democratic legislative practices and procedures; clarify the role of the parliamentary bodies vis-à-vis the executive and judicial branches; conduct assessments, design strategies, and perform evaluations of the operations of deliberative bodies; and train legislative members and host and representatives of non-governmental organizations on the duties, responsibilities and best practices of legislative officials.

Pact will employ its experience in advocacy training, media interventions, and public education awareness campaigns that have assisted local organizations in engaging in the national dialogue which ultimately affects legislative representation, lawmaking, and oversight.