The passing of the 20th anniversary of the Kosovo conflict has provoked an outpouring of personal reflection on wartime experiences. Every night, news channels broadcast stirring images of citizens bringing flowers to grave sites and monuments, commemorating executed and disappeared family members, telling stories, and giving speeches on heroism and hardship.

In Latin America and around the world, citizens are increasingly wary of political parties. In Central America, this is particularly acute where recurring party scandals involving money in politics are compounded by growing insecurity, corruption and impunity, all of which have led to increased rates of migration. Of all the democratic institutions in Latin America, citizens have the least confidence in political parties and parliaments, with a mere 13 percent of citizens expressing any level of trust in political parties and 21 percent in parliaments.

In 2017, Kenya passed the Powers and Privileges Act, a landmark law that established a code of conduct for members through the oversight of a legislative Powers and Privileges Committee. Since then, under the leadership of Speaker Justin Muturi, the National Assembly has worked to codify practices on ethics and integrity measures for members and staff of the institution. Ethics frameworks promote the integrity of the legislative institution by ensuring members and staff do not exploit their position for personal advantage.

The World Health Organization estimates 15 to 20 percent of the world’s population (approximately one billion people) as having a disability. Persons with disabilities are the world’s largest minority group and more than 80 percent of the world’s persons with disabilities live in developing and post-conflict countries. The disability community remains largely excluded from public life and is underrepresented in parliaments and political parties, limiting their ability to directly engage in decisions that impact their lives.