BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 7. Speaker of the
Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova delivered an online address as a
special gust of the 4th International Workshop of Academics and
Parliamentarians, themed ‘The role of parliaments in the face of
technological transformation, political fragmentation and the
crisis of democratic confidence’ and organised by the Group of
Latin American and Caribbean Countries (GRULAC) in Buenos Aires,
Argentina.
This was reflected in the statement of the Parliament’s Press
and Public Relations Department.
The Speaker observed that digital technologies are transforming
the work of state institutions and their interaction with citizens
fundamentally in the modern era. She stated that, whilst opening up
great opportunities for parliaments, this process gives rise to
serious responsibilities at the same time. Emphasising that
digitalisation enhances the transparency and accessibility of
parliaments, the Speaker drew attention to the fact that technology
can in no way replace accountability, political dialogue and strong
institutional structures.
As she was talking about the rich experience of Azerbaijan in
this field, the Speaker of Parliament remarked that policy of
digitalisation, e-government, artificial intelligence and
innovations is being co-ordinated successfully in the country by
the Digital Development Council under the leadership of First Vice
President Mehriban Aliyeva. As Sahiba Gafarova pointed out, the
Milli Majlis is strengthening the legal frameworks consistently and
is using the e-documentation, e-vote and legislative monitoring
systems actively. She remarked that the new legislative acts being
passed provide a complete legal basis for holding public
discussions and parliamentary hearings also in the electronic
format.
Technologies are but means whereas the level of democratic
confidence in a society depends directly on how those means are
employed, the Speaker said.
According to the Speaker of the Milli Majlis, the challenges that
technological transformation poses affect every region and every
parliament; still, not all the parliaments possess the same
research and digital resources.
She proceeded to say that not one parliament could withstand
alone such global challenges immune to borders as artificial
intelligence, cybersecurity and protection of data, and the
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) being the international
parliamentary organisation with the broadest representation
coverage in the world plays an important role of a platform in this
regard.
The Speaker emphasised that the IPU ought to ensure co-operation
amongst parliament in spite of differences and promote the
achievement of consensus at earlier stages. The question of how
artificial intelligence can make democratic institutions stronger
without steepening equality and weakening human responsibility must
land amongst the topmost topics for discussion in the regular
dialogues organised under the aegis of the IPU.
The Speaker of Parliament also drew attention to that even
though all the Member Parliaments enjoy equal rights, their
researching capacities and access to technologies are not equal.
Therefore, the IPU should bridge that gap by way of exchange of
knowledge, connecting parliaments to universities and experts.
Speaker of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova concluded her
address by emphasising that the main force of international
parliamentary platforms lies in their diversity and that this
diversity must be employed to restore global trust.
