The member of the RA NA delegation Sona Ghazaryan gave a speech at the session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) going on in Strasbourg. The MP noted:
“Madam President, distinguished colleagues!
On behalf of the ALDE Group I would like to thank the Committee on Rules of Procedure for its thorough work on the proposed modifications to the Assembly’s Rules. This is a sensitive and important exercise, one that goes to the heart of how this institution functions and presents itself to the public we serve.
We particularly welcome the inclusion and engagement of the Youth Rapporteurs in this process. It is not only symbolic, but essential, that young voices are involved in shaping the democratic standards of our institutions. I am myself a Youth Rapporteur of the Rules Committee and I highly value the importance of the position.
In this regard, we also strongly support the provisions aimed at making it easier for civil society to engage with the work of the Assembly. Strengthening the channels through which NGOs and other actors can attend and contribute to sessions brings our debates closer to the citizens and increases transparency. Opening our doors to civil society is not only a matter of democratic accountability, it is an opportunity to enrich our work with lived expertise from across our member states.
As a liberal and democratic political family, we are firmly committed to maintaining high standards of inclusion, transparency, and equality in our rules and practices. In this spirit, I highly support the decision offered by the committee to nominate three people, out of which two females and one male, for the position of vice-chair.
Let us ensure that any procedural reform reflects not only institutional efficiency, but also our deep and unwavering commitment to inclusion, equality, and democratic integrity.”
