Highlights of Activities in 2020

Federated States Of Micronesia

The Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) becames the first Pacific legislature to convene a virtual session.

The proclamation of COVID-19 as pandemic resulted in some interesting developments in FSM, which on one hand required parliament to perform its role and, on the hand, prevented its members from convening the session. The Government of FSM imposed international and national travel bans, while also declaring some emergency measures. As per the FSM Constitution, FSM Congress had to meet to review and approve the emergency measures. But Senators could not travel to Pohnpei due to the national travel bans. Additionally, two Senators were stranded in Guam But FSM Congress had some plans in place which helped it overcome the challenge. In 2018 under the SLIP project, the FSM

“We are lucky to have partnered with UNDP for the last few years. Through our collaboration with UNDP, we have received and made significant institutional improvements. We started with the resources (leadership and staff expertise) available within our institution and reached out to UNDP to help us with appropriate solutions. Their team provided useful advice on adopting suitable technology and looking at related issues such as addressing our procedures. We followed their advice on necessary frameworks, procedure and technological tools and hope to [further] improve upon them ourselves with their advice". Chief Clerk, FSM Congress

Congress, as part of its Capacity development activities had already put in place a plan to move towards an electronic legislature ("e-Parliament") With support provided by the UNDP, it had assessed its information technology infrastructure. Based on the assessment, it developed a plan to automate its business to be done through digital means, progressively. The implementation of the plan was slow, due to other priorities often taking precedent. So, the COVID-19 crisis presented an opportunity for Congress to use parts of the plan and introduce possibilities for organising a virtual session. The project worked with FSM Congress to activate the plan and make necessary arrangements for holding a virtual session as well and advised them the adoptions of potential teleconferencing software and changing procedural aspects.

The FSM Congress Secretariat accordingly selected digital solutions, including agenda building and teleconferencing software. Its teams then went ahead and conducted a mock session, to test the technology and allow Senators and staff to familiarise them with the new system.

Finally, the FSM Congress successfully organised its first remote session by bringing together its senators from across the states using technological tools. The session ran for ten days (between 13-22 April) and resulted in the approval of over 2 million USD stimulus package for the COVID-19. Ever since, the FSM Congress organised around 7 virtual sessions during year. During these sessions, it decided important matters such extension of state of the emergency and several normal and COVID-19 related bills and resolutions. Congress’s committees also continued to meet online regularly.

The FSM Congress well received the support and they much appreciated the project's assistance. According to the late Chief Clerk of the FSM Congress, Ms Liwiana Ramon, "We are lucky to have partnered with UNDP for the last few years. Through our collaboration with UNDP, we have received and made significant institutional improvements. We started with the resources (leadership and staff expertise) available within our institution and reached out to UNDP to help us with appropriate solutions. Their team provided useful advice on adopting suitable technology and looking at related issues such as addressing our procedures. We followed their advice on necessary frameworks, procedure and technological tools and hope to [further] improve upon them ourselves with their advice"

The Honourable Esmond B. Moses, Vice Speaker of the Congress also recognised the value of support provided: "We overcame the challenges and successfully organised the session approving important COVID-19 budget amounting to over USD 2million. Hence, we enabled the Government to implement necessary measures directly and together with partners such as the World Health Organisation".

Their experience of the virtual session, which is the first in the Pacific region, provided a platform for other Pacific Parliaments in Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) and beyond to adapt to the Pandemic. FSM Congress accordingly shared its experience with Pacific parliaments through a UNDP produced blog2 and webinar (more on the webinar below).

2 See the blog here: https://www.pacific.undp.org/content/pacific/en/home/blog/2020/fsm-congressbecomes-the-first-pacific-legislature-to-convene-a-virtual-session.html. UNDP team circulated the blog widely and it remained most read article on the website for nearly two weeks.

Adoption of the Sexual Harassment Policy

In a significant development, the Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia adopted a sexual harassment policy in February 2020. By adopting the policy, Congress has become the only Pacific Parliament, and one of the few globally, to have such a policy. According to an InterParliament Union’s (IPU) publication, only about 20% parliaments have such system in place for Members, and 40% of Parliaments have such policies for staff. The FSM Congress’s policy covers both staff and members.3 The adoption of the policy was a result of a SLIP funded workshop held in Chuuk in November 2019, where the UNDP Pacific office provided technical support to Congress on ethics highlighting the need to adopt ethics code, including a sexual harassment policy. During the workshop, the Speaker had directed its staff to focus on drafting a sexual harassment policy as a starting point to incorporate ethics code. Following the seminar, Congress staff explored good practices and developed a policy. Congress team shared the policy for comments with Senators and UNDP in January 2020. UNDP team sent its comments in writing and held a call with Congress to discuss them further. Finally, the Speaker notified the policy to be incorporated into Congress’s ‘Administrative Manual of Congress’. The adoption of the policy

3 See IPU’s Gender Sensitive Parliaments A Global Review of Good Practices, http://archive.ipu.org/pdf/publications/gsp11-e.pdf, accessed on 16 April, 2020 denotes a significant result of the project in institutionalising reforms within Congress. The policy’s scope covers both staff and Senators.

Following the adoption of the policy, the FSM Congress has requested UNDP to help organise training on the Policy for staff and Congress Senators.

Support in the Development of Business Continuity Policies

UNDP supported the FSM congress in developing business continuity policies and plans. With outbreak of the pandemic, it became clear business continuity policies and plans were needed by parliaments in the region to regulate their internal working in line with different safety measures being imposed. Based on this, the UNDP team provided technical support to the FSM Congress to develop business continuity plans and policies Through a call, it shared with the FSM Congress team key contents which could be covered through such continuity policies.

Following up on this, the team also shared with the FSM Congress staff some business continuity plans and policies developed by the parliaments of Tonga and Fiji, with assistance by UNDP. The FSM Congress team then presented the idea to the Speaker of the Congress, who tasked the team to develop similar policies for the Congress. Accordingly, the team worked on the policies and shared a draft with the Speaker’s office.

Independent State of Samoa

Hardware and Software Solutions to enable Samoan Committee’s to stay operational

Similar to other regional governments, the Government of Samoa also imposed an emergency in the country. In addition to the emergency, it also imposed various measures in response to COVID 19. The measures included limiting the number of people that can gather in a place to 5, reducing the working hours of civil servants and placing civil servants on work hour rotation to ensure a minimum number of people are in the office and interaction between people are minimised. These measures severely impacted the work of Parliament, especially the work of the parliamentary committees. The project, therefore, held discussions with the Legislative Assembly to provide it ICT support to enable a remote work arrangement for MPs who sit on Parliament Committees and Parliament staff who support the work of Committees. The project purchased and deployed hardware and software solutions worth over US$100,000 to facilitate the remote working of five Permanent Committees and two Special Committees. The support enabled the Committees to scrutinise 34 bills referred to it by the House, examined the operations of government ministries through the review thirty-six (36) annual reports. The support also facilitated the virtual participation of relevant ministries staff, who were requested to appear before the Parliament Committees. Special Committees were able to organise three inquiries virtually5 .

“This initiative is quite an achievement for the Parliament of Samoa which will enable our Parliamentary Committees to conduct meetings via teleconferencing and to receive online public submissions…Furthermore, this initiative has enabled Parliamentarians to be better equipped in carrying out their duties and responsibilities in an advanced and professional way. It will also assist our Parliamentary Committees in engaging and collecting more feedback from outer districts and communities”, Speaker of the Samoa Legislative Assembly

4 Constitution Amendment Bill 2020, Land and Titles Bill 2020, Judicature Bill 2020, 5 Privilege and Ethics Committee and Special Parliamentary Committee

The UNDP Samoa Resident Representative, Mr

Sorensen handed over the ICT Solution to the Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Leaupepe Toleafoa Fa'afisi at an official handover ceremony held on 21 April 2020 which was also attended by the representative of the Government of Japan to Samoa Ambassador, HE Mr Terasawa Genichi and other Members of Parliament, and the Parliamentary staff. Upon receiving the ICT Solution, the Speaker of Parliament said that "this initiative is quite an achievement for the Parliament of Samoa which will enable our Parliamentary Committees to conduct meetings via teleconferencing and to receive online public submissions…Furthermore, this initiative has enabled Parliamentarians to be better equipped in carrying out their duties and responsibilities in an excellent and professional way. It will also assist our Parliamentary Committees in engaging and collecting more feedback from outer districts and communities".

Since the Samoan Parliament, with the SLIP Project’s support was one of the first parliaments in the Pacific to make investments in ICT infrastructures to support the business continuity of the parliament to enable the institution to continue to remain open and operational during pandemic and at the same time comply with social distancing measures in place by the Samoan Government, the Samoan Parliament, therefore featured in two of the four webinars as a panellists presenting their efforts to adapt and respond to the Pandemic. UNDP has received very positive feedback on the webinars with 98% of respondents, including male and female parliament staff, rating the sessions as an excellent platform for shared experiences and learning.

Technical Advisory Services: Review of Standing Orders

Consistent with efforts to improve parliamentary oversight mechanisms and modernize its rules, the project provided technical advisory support to the Members and Staff on the review of their standing orders. In this regard, the Legislative Assembly organized a MPs workshop on revisions currently being undertaken on Samoa’s Standing Orders. UNDP deployed technical experts to share with Members and staff knowledge about good practices and options for reviewing various provision of the standing orders.

Following the workshop, the Samoa Legislative Assembly requested further technical support: i) to the Standing Orders Committee, especially with the provision of international good practices not only from Pacific Parliaments but also beyond; and ii) on a practical a workplan to guide the Samoa Legislative Assembly on the revision of their Standing Orders. UNDP provided these supports to the Legislative Assembly and also arranged subsequent meetings with MPs and staff. The work is ongoing and will continue into 2021.

Technical Advisory Services: Development of the Business Continuity Plans for Parliaments

Like other Pacific parliaments, the Legislative Assembly Samoa also engaged with UNDP on the development of business continue plan. UNDP provided technical advice to the Assembly staff on how to develop the business continuity plans. The assembly appreciated UNDP’s advice and undertook further internal consultations to move ahead with the development of the business continuity plans. However, the Government of Samoa had directed all government entities to first prepare disaster preparedness plans and include business continuity plans under that. As this was supposed to be a government wide effort, the Legislative Assembly decided to engage with the disaster preparedness plans first and then come back to UNDP for continuing the work business continuity plans.

Technical Support on Women Leadership Development Programme

As Samoa gears up for their next Legislative Assembly elections in April 2021, UNDP remained active in supporting the increase women parliamentarians. In this regard, the UNDP team provided technical support to the Samoa for conducting leadership development programme for aspiring women candidates for Samoa’s 2021 elections. The programme comprises of arranging practice parliament for the women and gives them advice on the good practices for parliamentary development and running for the office. In this regard, UNDP team shared concept note, draft agenda and structure with Samoa parliament. These documents provide a clear roadmap to the parliament on running the programme. The programme is expected to be implemented ahead of Samoa’s elections in April and will be implemented in collaboration with UNWOMEN and UNDP.

Planning for the Induction of up-coming Parliament Members

With the next Legislative Assembly elections coming up, the parliament started its preparations for welcoming the new and returning members and putting in place necessary plans for organizing induction of the new members. In this regard, UNDP provided technical support to the parliament of the Samoa and shared draft agenda and concept note with the team of the Legislative Assembly.

The Solomon Islands

Procedural support on adopting to COVID-19

Like other Pacific Island Countries, the Government of Solomon Islands also declared a national emergency to contain the spread of COVID-19 and implemented social distancing and safety measures. Following the imposition of measures, the National Parliament of Solomon Islands wanted to continue its operations while complying with safety measures and tasked a committee to review its procedures to come up with options for the Parliament to remain operational during the Pandemic.

In response to a request for technical assistance by the Committee, UNDP developed an options paper presenting different options for the National Parliament to review and revise its procedures to adapt to and respond to the Pandemic. UNDP also held a series of meetings with the leadership of the National Parliament to discuss the options and provide further technical assistance on the discussions taking place within the Committee. Following the discussions, the parliamentary leadership started working internally to finalise the options.

Strategic Planning Workshop

In recognition of the importance of developing new ways of working for the “new normal” created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Secretariat staff of the National Parliament of the Solomon Islands participated in a two-day planning workshop, focussed on how they can better support Members of Parliament in fulfilling their mandate during the time of crisis, in particular with regard to their relations with constituents.

The initiative of the Solomon Islands parliament follows good international practices and provides an interesting experience for the region, highlighting that the strengthening and adaptation of democratic governance and processes to challenges raised by the crisis is crucial. Participants included the Clerk and his deputies, the heads of divisions, the committee clerks as well as senior Parliament staff.

In delivering his address at the opening of the workshop, the Speaker of the National Parliament of Solomon Islands, Honorable Patteson Oti, highlighted the importance for the legislature to review and chart a plan as they work to modernising its services.

He added, “As Parliament started to develop and increase its capacity to serve MPs, it is only right that the parliament management systems adapts with it and this two-day workshop allows you to take a fresh look at the needs of Parliament and to develop practical solutions to the new challenges the institution will face in the next three years.”

UNDP supported the National Parliament in designing and implementing the strategy planning workshop. It is now working with the parliament on implementing the plan.

Support in implementing ICT Plan to stay operational during the COVID-19

Along-side the support on revised their procedures, the Solomon Island's Parliament also started the process of amplifying their ICT set up to allow remote or hybrid sessions and committee meetings, in case the Parliament was forced to change its mode of operation. In this regard, the National Parliament beefed up the implementation of their ICT Plan, which they had developed with the support of UNDP under the SLIP project Accordingly, the Parliament developed a comprehensive plan for equipping the committee rooms and chamber with necessary ICT hardware and software. UNDP provided the Parliament technical assistance in improving the plan. The discussion also includes necessary revisions to the rules of procedures and procuring essential software and hardware solutions.

Further the parliament requested UNDP to provide equipment for the implementation of the plan. In response to their request, the Solomon Islands National Parliament received a range of Information Communication Technology (ICT) equipment as part of its COVID 19 preparedness strategy and continuing efforts to strengthen parliamentary openness, accessibility and effectiveness into the future. This was supported by both SLIP and the additional funding provided by Japan in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Pacific.

The ICT equipment will ensure the National Parliament continues to effectively carry out its core functions in the event of a national crisis. Similarly, ICT infrastructure development will also enhance parliament’s transparency and accountability to citizens.

The unprecedented social and economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on the role of ICT in supporting Members of Parliament to effectively carry out their representation, law-making and oversight functions. The ICT equipment will enable MPs and staff to continue operating remotely, including face to face consultations during for Solomon Islands Standing Committee Meetings in the event of a national crisis.

Republic of the Marshall Islands

Support to Nitijela on Business Continuity During COVID-19

The challenges of moving forward the support to Nitijela continued throughout 2020 as well. Using the pandemic as a fresh impetus and following the imposition of travel bans in RMI, the SLIP Project team engaged remotely with Nitijela to provide them technical support for ensuring Nitijela's continuity, in case lockdowns were put in place in the country. In this regard, the team held a couple of calls with the Legislative Counsel of Nitijela and discussed different assistance options that can be provided to Nitijela to prepare it for operating under lockdowns.

The team exchanged information with Nitijela on how various parliaments within the Pacific and globally are adapting and responding to the Pandemic. Though RMI does not have any COVID-19 cases, the team suggested to the Nitijela that it was a good opportunity for them to put in place business continuity measures. Such measures will prepare the Nitijela if any strict lockdowns are imposed due to COVID or because of natural calamities that the country otherwise faces. In this regard, the team offered its support to Nitijela in:

• Reviewing its procedures to allow for remote sessions and committee meetings,

• Making arrangements for physical distancing measures,

• Developing policies and business continuity plans for staff to work under different COVID-19 scenarios,

• Reviewing and adoption of any suitable technologies (software and hardware), and

• Facilitating remote technical briefings by experts on COVID-19.

The Legislative Counsel agreed on the team's proposals and suggested to get back to the team after consulting with Clerk and Speaker. The team continued to follow-up with Nitijela, but no substantive response was received. The SLIP team continues to face challenges in supporting RMI Nitijela as it is less responsive compared to the other Parliaments The project continued to follow-up with Nitijela using some of UNDP’s in-country staff as well. However, such efforts did not yield any results and the parliament did not engage with the team beyond phone calls.

VANUATU

Adoption of the Standing Orders to Strengthen Parliament and Its Committees

In a significant development, the Parliament of Vanuatu approved its new Standing orders, which simplify and clarify many parliamentary procedures. Amongst the many improvements, the reformed standing orders strengthen the powers of parliamentary committees, which will now have strong powers to undertake oversight of the Government, in line with international parliamentary benchmarks. In particular, the committees will have the powers to summon witnesses and evidence.

Under the new orders, the number of standing committees are reduced to four, namely: economic and foreign policy; social affairs; institutional affairs and public accounts. The reduced number will increase the efficiency and effectiveness of committees. Further clarifications have also been made for the membership of committees, formulation of annual work plans for plenary and committees, quorum requirements, sanctions against MPs for regular absence, and creation of a new deputy chair of committees to convene committee meetings when the chair is absent. The rules applying to the public accounts committee and the other standing committees are also harmonised

Since 2017, UNDP has rigorously worked with Vanuatu Parliament on the review of the standing orders, and it had also supported the Parliament in drafting newly adopted rules. The support was further amplified under the SLIP project. The project is now discussing with Vanuatu parliament the support on implementing the new regulations and conducting orientation workshops for members.

Upgrading ICT Infrastructure for the National Parliament of Vanuatu

Like other parliaments mentioned above, the parliament of Vanuatu was also struggling to continue its business amid travel restrictions and imposition of social distancing and safety measures. The National Parliament requested UNDP to provided technical support and relevant solutions so that the parliament could continue its operation. In response to the request, SLIP supported the upgrade of Vanuatu's ICT structures, enabling the Members of Parliament and Parliamentary staff to work remotely and also conduct virtual Parliamentary committee meetings in the event of a lockdown or national crisis. The setup was also helpful for the Vanuatu parliament to undertake induction of the new and returning Member of the Parliament following their 2020 elections.

“These tools will enable MPs and staff to continue operating remotely as we have begun to implement closure of non-essential businesses, limit large gatherings and face to face consultations during our Standing Committee Meetings.”, third Deputy Speaker, Honourable Sanick Asang said

Following the procurement of equipment, the UNDP arranged a handover of the equipment to the Vanuatu parliament In receiving the ICT equipment, third Deputy Speaker, Honourable Sanick Asang said “These tools will enable MPs and staff to continue operating remotely as we have begun to implement closure of non-essential businesses, limit large gatherings and face to face consultations during our Standing Committee Meetings.” “We are very grateful to our development partners in UNDP and the Government of Japan for this support as this also means we can operate through other crises such as a natural disaster or another pandemic,” said Honourable Asang.

The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan, H.E. Mr. CHIBA Hirohisa, highlighted the importance of ensuring the National Parliament of Vanuatu operated uninterrupted under any emergency. “This support for ICT Equipment includes procurement of hardware such as note laptops, headsets, routers, webcams, interactive white board, software licence and related technical services worth around 8,034,518 VUV (US$73,061), which were equally funded by the Government of Japan’s SLIP project and the Japans additional funding in response to it’s COVID 19 support in the Pacific region,” said H.E. Hirohisa.

“I am further pleased to say that, Vanuatu, like and other Pacific Parliaments, have benefited immensely from the upgrade of their ICT infrastructure. The ICT equipment is conducive to facilitating ‘Uninterrupted Operation of Parliament’ under emergency situations, including pandemics such as COVID 19.”

Induction for new and returning members of the Vanuatu Parliament

Approximately 50 per cent of the new Members joined in the 12th Legislature of the Republic of Vanuatu following the 2020 elections of the parliament Such high turnover required that members were briefed about the parliament’s functioning, parliamentary procedures, committees, and the roles of MPs. The UNDP supported the Parliament in designing and undertaking a five-day induction programme for new and returning members. The induction helped the MPs to understand better their role as legislators and tools they use to dispense their functions. The induction programme also focused on legislative and oversight work, and parliamentary outreach and citizen engagement.

Even the senior members found the induction very useful and appreciated the quality of the session. Veteran politician and Opposition Leader Honourable Ralph Regenvanu said he found the content of the induction program and discussions beneficial and productive, especially the session related to the revised Standing Orders of Parliament.6

6 See his tweet here: https://twitter.com/RRegenvanu/status/1270630709028241409

Due to the current COVID-19 travel restrictions, the UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji Resident Representative, Levan Bouadze, conveyed his remarks to the new Parliamentarians via teleconference from Fiji and congratulated the MPs for their successful election into Parliament. He also used the opportunity to encourage leaders to advocate for and support the participation of Vanuatu women in politics, especially in the political parties they are part of.

First-time Member of Parliament, Honourable Ulrich Sumptoh, expressed his gratitude on the usefulness of the Induction Programme. According to Honourable Sumptoh, "The induction has updated us new MPs on the work that we are supposed to do throughout this four-year term. It is interesting to me as a new leader because I must know where I am, what direction or course to take for the next few years, through the Government Strategic Plans that these institutions presented to us during these three days. This induction course is a good initiative to inform our new MPs on what is happening in the country, especially with the Government. I have learnt many things in this induction course"

Newly Elected Committee Members Induction

Following the elections and oath taking of new members, Vanuatu parliament formed its house and standing committees. The committee members required briefing and induction on committee system given that Vanuatu had changed its rules recently increasing committees powers and around 50% members were new. Accordingly, the parliament requested UNDP to help arrange induction for the members of the committees. The induction was aimed at increasing the understanding of Members and staff on the important roles parliamentary committees play in a legislature. The SLIP team provided technical support to the Vanuatu for designing and implementing the activity

The two-day program provided both new and returning Standing Committee members and interested MPs plus their staff an opportunity to enhance their knowledge and skills, share information and exchange ideas on the workings of Standing Committees; their functions and place within parliaments, the roles of a Committee Chair and Clerk, how to convene meetings, committee rules and regulations and consideration of Bills and developing a report.

First time MP, Hon. Ulrich Sumptoh, commendedtheinductionprogramme “The induction has updated us new MPs on the work that we are supposed to do throughout this four-year term. It is interesting to me as a new leader because I must know where I am, what direction or course to take for the next few years, through the Government Strategic Plans that these institutions presented to us during these three days.”

In recognition of staff capacity and institutional knowledge, committee staff of the National Parliament were also used as resources in sessions like committee rules and regulations, support to committee members by staff, processes for Bills and the Standing Orders of parliament, to name a few. To broaden Members learning base, key government agencies briefed MPs on their mandates and engagements with Committees. This included: the Ministry of Health on COVID 19 response, the Auditor General and the Ministry of Justice & Community Services, to name a few.

Staff Training Workshop on Revised Standing Orders

As a contribution to staff professional development, UNDP supported a one-day training workshop for Vanuatu National Parliament staff on the revised Standing Orders. Feedback received from staff was overwhelmingly positive, and many highlighted that the revisions will simplify parliamentary procedures and strengthen the parliaments, its committees and powers. Further, participants said this training workshop was important as it built their understanding of the requirements of the revised SO in relation to the support and advice they provide to Members daily. A total of 34 staff participated in the training, ranging from the Clerk to the office cleaners. 21 were males and 13 females.

Procedural Support on COVID-19

As was the case with other Pacific parliaments, Vanutua parliament was also grappling with strategies for adapting its business during the time of pandemic. They reached out the SLIP team help provide technical advice on this matter, with particular focus on revising their rules of procedures. UNDP team deployed the technical support and help meetings with the parliament staff Following the conversations, the team developed an options paper and presented to the Vanuatu parliament. The paper is currently being discussed and may result in further amendments to the standing orders.

National Youth Parliament Programme

The Vanuatu parliament arranged a four-day Youth Parliament for 52 young people, of whom half were females. Coming from diverse backgrounds, the youth actively participated this unique opportunity

Vanuatu parliament organised the event in very lively and practical manner with a range session. These included information sharing sessions on Vanuatu’s development priorities, the role of parliament, Members and Secretariat staff and how citizens can engage with parliamentary processes. The youth were also introduced to the law-making process, where they had the opportunity to assess and then debate the Youth and Sports Bill.

“Youth MPs have shown the maturity of this country while presenting themselves inside parliament and it clearly shows what this parliament will be like in the future with educated elected representatives,” Speaker Shadrack stated during the closing of the parliament exhibition and the youth parliamentary on July 29. The Speaker Shadrack said he is very happy to see gender equality reflected in the youth session as well.

Impressed with their level and quality participation throughout the program, political leaders present at the closing ceremony encouraged youth participants to consider engaging with political parties of their choice so they could further build on their interest in politics and enhance their leadership skills.

Parliament Open Day

Coinciding with the National youth parliament, the Vanuatu Parliament also organised an Open Day organized by for the citizen in July 2020. The open day provided citizens, including school children, an opportunity to learn more about the Parliament, its roles, the decision-making processes including how laws and policies are endorsed through the parliamentary procedures.

Pacific Floating Budget Office at the Parliament of Vanuatu (7 - 11 December)

The Pacific Floating Budget Office (FBO) is UNDP’s flagship initiative, which involves a flexible and innovative approach whereby Parliaments in the Pacific share expertise to be able to support each other during their respective budget processes. The initiative has received global recognition for its innovation to address capacity gaps and promoting South-South collaboration.

However, the travel restrictions due to pandemic made it difficult to physically send researcher to a host parliament. Therefore, UNDP team converted the floating budget into a virtual mechanism starting with its first online deployment in Tonga. The same modality was followed in the Vanuatu.

Five (5) researchers from the Parliaments of Solomon Islands, New Zealand and the Australian Federal Parliament and two (2) experts in the area of gender responsive budgeting and climate finance worked with the researchers of the Vanuatu National Parliament to undertake an independent and rapid analysis of the national budget and drafted budget briefs.

Utilising the briefs, the National Parliament, the Vanuatu Association of Non-Government Organizations (VANGO) and UNDP will jointly convene a one-day briefing session for members of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in January 2021. This is in recognition of further empowering CSOs in their oversight role and holding government accountable to the budget passed by the legislature

Vanuatu’s participation at the Australian Pacific Hansard Editors Association (APHEA) conference in Sydney, Australia

SLIP supported the participation of two (2) female Hansard reporters of the Parliament of Vanuatu to participate at the Australasian Pacific Hansard Editors Association (APHEA) Conference in Sydney held on 28 – 30 January 2020. The main objectives of the conference included providing a platform for Hansard Editors to network with peer and develop a longlasting working relationship. More importantly, the conference provided the participated an opportunity to share ideas, especially around emerging technologies, best practices on issues that affect Editors in different ways, and live captioning of broadcasts and staffing strategies.