Dimension: 6.3.2 Reaching out to all communities
This dimension covers parliament’s capacity to reach all communities. Without a proactive effort from parliament, structural barriers are likely to limit some voices and inequalities can be widened. It is vital for parliament to promote participation from all communities. This might entail making strategic choices about whom to target, identifying the most effective ways of working with the target communities and investing resources in making parliament more accessible to all.
Groups facing barriers to engagement with parliament include women, youth, older people, rural groups, LGBTQI+ people, Indigenous communities, national, ethnic, linguistic and religious minorities, and migrants and refugees.
See also Dimension 5.1.5: Youth inclusion.
Aspiring goal
Assess your parliament against this dimension
Assessment criteria
No 1: Policies
Parliament sets out strategies for engaging all groups within the community, especially those facing barriers to engagement with parliament, regardless of their age, gender, location, physical ability or any other characteristic.
No 2: Accessibility
Information about parliamentary consultations is made available in a timely manner and to a wide and diverse audience. Parliamentary buildings and infrastructure, as well as print and digital materials, are accessible and inclusive.
No 3: Engaging women
The participation of women is institutionalized and mainstreamed throughout the work of parliament. Engagement is safe and accessible for women. Parliament ensures that both women and men are equally represented among experts and other witnesses at committee hearings.
No 4: Engaging youth
Parliament provides targeted engagement opportunities for youth and young people are systematically consulted on matters that are important to them.
No 5: Engaging remote communities
Parliament proactively offers engagement opportunities for communities that are geographically remote from parliament. These may include bringing people to parliament, organizing committee hearings outside the parliamentary premises or offering educational programmes to people in remote areas.
How to complete this assessment
This dimension is assessed against several criteria, each of which should be evaluated separately. For each criterion, select one of the six descriptive grades (Non-existent, Rudimentary, Basic, Good, Very good and Excellent) that best reflects the situation in your parliament, and provide details of the evidence on which this assessment is based.
The evidence for assessment of this dimension could include the following:
- Parliamentary strategies or action plans outlining the inclusivity of parliamentary engagement programmes
- Data on diverse participation in parliamentary consultations
- Gender balance in public consultation and among witnesses over the course of a year
- Data on young people consulted by parliament over the course of a year
- Materials in sign language or Braille
- Records showing diverse participation in committee processes/hearings
- Information about remote parliamentary committee meetings and/or other programmes outside the parliamentary premises
Where relevant, provide additional comments or examples that support the assessment.
Download this indicatorGet help with this assessment
The assessment of indicators involves diagnosing and considering strengths and weaknesses, i.e. the things parliament is doing well, and the things it could do better or more effectively, taking into account established good practices that are described in the indicators.
Read the assessment guidance to find out what to consider when conducting an assessment against the Indicators. Find out how to prepare, how to set the objectives of the assessment, how to organize the process, and more. Contact the project partners for expert advice.
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