CDI Assisting Vanuatu Parliament with Induction Program for New MPs

At the invitation of the Speaker of the National Parliament of Vanuatu, CDI is supporting the National Parliament in organising an induction program for Members to follow the 2008 national elections, which are expected to be held in September 2008. CDI will also work in partnership on this project with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through its Fiji Multi Country Office.

In conjunction with the National Parliament of Vanuatu and UNDP, and with the application of experience from our induction program work in PNG, Solomon Islands, and Fiji in recent years, CDI will design a program that encourages greater understanding of public leadership, the constitutional framework, accountability, transparency and parliamentary oversight among-newly elected Members of Parliament in Vanuatu. The program will also raise awareness among participating parliamentarians of key government agencies and constitutional offices by explaining their structures, functions, services, and obligations in relation to leadership and accountability. This will balance Members' need for capacity building and skills transfer with demands for the greater engagement of parliamentarians in public policy discussions.

The program will use a combination of informational and participatory sessions, including presentations by local and international experts and the work-shopping of core procedures and practical skills, such as committee work, parliamentary speechmaking, question time and debate in the chamber. In so doing, it will deliver training in both the formal and informal mechanisms of parliamentary work. The following themes will be covered: administration, parliamentary practice and procedure, public leadership and ethics including constituency relations, and the structure of government. CDI will engage both local and regional expertise with key speakers and resource personnel from within Vanuatu and elsewhere in the Pacific Island region.

A substantive, coordinated, and practical induction program for Vanuatu MPs following the 2008 national election has clear political governance benefits for the country as a whole. Newly elected MPs in particular need access to clear and impartial information on all aspects of parliamentary procedure and key national performance indicators, informed by advice and guidance on their leadership obligations and opportunities as individual Members of the National Parliament, working both to represent their local constituents and to serve the national interest.

As part of the planning for the induction program, CDI Deputy Director, Quinton Clements, visited Port Vila from 18 to 23 April 2008. Mr Clements is working closely with the Speaker and the Clerk of Parliament, Mr Lino Bulekuli dit Sacsac, in planning the program. As part of this process, Mr Clements met with other key constitutional officeholders including the Principal Electoral Officer, Mr Martin Tete, the Ombudsman, Mr Peter Taurakoto, and the Auditor General, Ms Juli-Anne Rovo, as well as Members of Parliament and NGOs such as Transparency International Vanuatu.

Following the induction program, CDI will, in conjunction with the UNDP, work toward organising a specialised training workshop for Members of Parliament on the role of parliamentary committees.