In a continuously globalising world also parliaments need to be ready to meet new challenges. It is tremendously important, that parliamentarians engage in the topic of international relations and development co-operation, because they are amongst the most important players when it comes to implementing measures to reach the UN-Millennium Development goals and thus have to be at the forefront in terms of fighting world poverty. Especially parliamentarians in the North need to get conscious about the fact, that laws and regulations enacted by them may - directly or indirectly - have serious implications for the people in the South.

On the basis of these aspects as well as out of the interest of many Austrian parliamentarians in development cooperation the initiative to engage in a North-South Dialogue and partnership with the Mozambican Parliament is founded. Mozambique is a focus country of the Austrian development co-operation (OEZA).

Among the common goals of all parties and parliamentarians involved in the project is the interest to communicate with and learn from fellow parliamentarians in the South, to contribute to sustainability and effectiveness of development cooperation, and to raise the acceptance of development cooperation within the political and societal spheres.

The Parliamentarian North-South project is supported by the project’s Advisory Committee consisting of the president of the Austrian parliament, Barbara Prammer as head of the committee, the development policy speakers of all parties situated at the Austrian parliament, a member of the international department of the parliament, staff members of all political academies as well as development policy experts.