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(L-R) Australian High Commission, Head of Mission, H.E. John Feakes; New Zealand High Commission, Head of Mission, H.E. Charlotte Darlow; Speaker of the Parliament of Fiji, Hon. Ratu Epeli Nailatikau; and UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji Resident Representative, Levan Bouadze. (Photo: UNDP)
Suva, Fiji – The Fiji Parliament, Australian Government, New Zealand Government and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) jointly signed an agreement for the third phase of the Fiji Parliament Support Project, which aims to support further strengthening of Parliament’s capacity to fulfil its mandate over the next four years.
The third phase of the Fiji Parliament Support Project (FPSP), building on the progress made since 2014, will deepen the capacity of the Fiji Parliament by strengthening effective legislative processes and the oversight of public policies and spending. It will continue to support Parliament’s Standing Committees to expand their legislative and oversight work.
Additionally, the Project will also support the Fiji Parliament to undertake legislative and oversight functions for the urgent and long-term recovery from the challenges posed by COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters.
Speaker for the Parliament of Fiji, the Honourable Ratu Epeli Nailatikau said the impact of UNDP and its donors “kind contribution towards Phase Three of the project goes beyond the institution of Parliament. It is also helping Fiji in its desire to be a nation of informed, inclusive and empowered citizens”.
Speaker for the Parliament of Fiji, Hon. Ratu Epeli Nailatikau (Photo: UNDP)
New Zealand High Commissioner to Fiji, H.E. Charlotte Darlow (Photo: UNDP)
He emphasized that “the UNDP FPSP has been a lifeline for Parliament and the Department of Legislature as we worked to re-build parliamentary democracy from 2014 till now. And the project had provided much-needed assistance most recently at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji”.
“As a key player in Fiji’s governance system, Parliament needs to be a capable and effective institution that is robust and resilient enough to successfully confront the complex global, regional, and domestic challenges that lay ahead”, he further said.
He added “but Parliament cannot build capacity and effectiveness on its own. The support and contribution of our development partners have become important and was critical as we re-established parliamentary democracy in 2014”.
Levan Bouadze, Resident Representative of the UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji said UNDP is “pleased to support the Fiji Parliament since its inception. As legislative assemblies remain the main engine and core of parliamentary democracy, we are honoured and thrilled to continue our partnership through the next phase of FPSP”.
Australian High Commission, Head of Mission, H.E. John Feakes (Photo: UNDP)
UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji Resident Representative, Levan Bouadze. (Photo: UNDP)
He added that this third phase of the Project “is going to be more important than ever before. As we speak, Fiji has entered into an election year, which is going to mark the third electoral and parliamentary cycle in Fiji’s history since its return to democracy.”.
He thanked the Governments of New Zealand, Australia, and Japan for continuing to fund this important Project and expressed his gratitude to the Speaker of Parliament, Secretary-General of Parliament, MPs and staff of Parliament for their continuous trust in UNDP.
The signing ceremony took place in Suva today, Thursday 17 February.
Attendees at the official launch in Suva (Photo: UNDP)
For media queries, please contact:
Bale Dolokoto, Parliament of the Republic of Fiji, email: bale.dolokoto@legislature.gov.fj
Emily Moli, Knowledge Communications Analyst, UNDP, email: emily.moli@undp.org
