CDI Deputy Director part of evaluation of UNDP Pacific Parliamentary Support Projects

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Pacific Centre in Suva is conducting an evaluation of the UNDP's 4 parliamentary support projects in the Pacific - in Papua New Guinea, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands and Fiji .

The evaluation provides an opportunity to assess the performance of each project as well as to analyse the common challenges facing such projects and to identify lessons learned across the region. The evaluation will also provide a starting point for identifying regional level activities which the UNDP can use to support the overall objective of strengthening Pacific Island country legislatures. The involvement of UNDP, like that of CDI, in parliamentary strengthening is premised on the belief that effectively operating parliaments are essential to ensuring stable and democratic political systems in the region.

Led by Professor Robert Nakamura, Director of the Center for Legislative Development, at the State University of New York, Albany, and including CDI Deputy Director, Mr Quinton Clements, the evaluation commenced in mid-April 2007. Mr Clements, who undertook the original legislative needs assessments for Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea, joined the evaluation team as Pacific Parliamentary Specialist for the Fiji and Solomon Islands evaluations.

In April 2007 the evaluation team spent one week each in Fiji and Solomon Islands meeting with key stakeholders in each country including, in the case of Solomon Islands, the Speaker and Members of Parliament, parliamentary staff, senior government officials, NGOs and the media.

As the Parliament of Fiji was dissolved following the military coup of 5 December 2006, in Suva the evaluation team considered the future of the project in an environment where Parliament is no longer operating and its staff are being redeployed to other government agencies.

In the case of Solomon Islands, the project evaluation will feed into the design of a proposed phase 2 of the Project following its current expiry date of August 2007.