Parliamentary Committees have a key role to play in holding government institutions accountable for their actions and the roles of Parliamentary Committee Chairpersons and Deputy Chairpersons are important to shaping development activities.

This was highlighted in a two-day skills sharing session at the Bougainville House of Representative parliamentary precinct in Kubu, Bougainville, on October 19.

Speaker of the Bougainville House of Representatives, Hon. Simon Pentanu reiterated the importance of “accountability.”

“The ability of committees to hold our government accountable is key. This is also in line with the pillars of the six -point plan presented by the President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Hon. Ishmael Toroama, to address corruption. Committees play a key role in asking the right questions to hold the Government accountable and they should be supported to do that work more effectively,” Mr Pentanu said.

Deputy Speaker, Hon. Therese Kaetavara and Hon. Carolyn Poli attended the event as the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Gender Equality and Human Rights Committee, one of the 13 committees of the Bougainville House of Representatives.

Hon. Theresa Kaetavara said that the sessions were an “eye-opener” and helped her on how to better advocate for equality and to use her role as a Member and Committee Chairman to address the rise of Gender-Based Violence on the Island.

“It’s also important to engage more with the Civil Society Organisation who can then raise key issues and help the Government in forming policies to help Bougainville,” said Ms Kaetavara.

The skills sharing sessions are part of the Strengthening Papua New Guinea’s Parliament Project that is implemented by the UNDP working closely with key government partners; the Papua New Guinea House of Parliament and the Bougainville House of Representatives.

UNDP Deputy Resident Representative, Mr. Edward Vrkic, highlighted that parliaments are a cornerstone of democracy and that the training sessions will equip parliamentary committee chairman and chairperson necessary skills to drive accountable and inclusive development for all.

This is a second training organised by UNDP in 2022 for Members of the House of Representatives. Expert presenters from the NSW, Fiji, and Solomon Islands parliaments, as well as from UNDP, joined the meeting virtually to share their experience.

The New South Wales Parliament twinned with the Bougainville House of Representatives as part of the Pacific-Australian Parliamentary Twining Program initiated in 2010 by the Australian chapter of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. The NSW Parliament covered topics such as parliamentary privilege, committee oversight of draft laws and the role of committees in budget review processes.

The Fiji Parliament provided comparative experience of how their parliamentary committees facilitate inclusive law-making, including through public hearings. The Solomon Islands Parliament shared their experience of the role of their Parliamentary committees in reviewing the proposed national budget before it was enacted and reviewed expenditures.

This UNDP Parliamentary Strengthening Project is a five-year programme that has been funded for 2022/23 by the Government of Australia through its Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.