LocationsNew e-Budget Portal Strengthens Citizen, Civil Society and Investor Understanding of Public Finance Across the Pacific
December 22, 2025
The portal supports a shared understanding of national budgets by making complex fiscal information easier to access, interpret and use.
Suva, Fiji - Civil society organisations, citizens, and private-sector stakeholders across the Pacific now have improved access to clear, practical information on how public funds are planned and spent, following the launch of Pacific Islands Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (PIANGO) new e-Budget Portal.
Developed by PIANGO under the UNDP-implemented and EU funded Vaka Pasifika initiative, the portal supports a shared understanding of national budgets by making complex fiscal information easier to access, interpret and use. The initiative, supported by the European Union as part of its Global Gateway strategy, promotes transparent, resilient and people-centred finance systems aligned with national and regional priorities.
The portal focuses on access, clarity and predictability of strategic fiscal information across 8 Pacific countries, enabling civil society, communities and private-sector actors to engage constructively with publicly available fiscal information, grounded in nationally defined priorities.
From Global Peer Learning to Pacific Innovation
The e-Budget Portal builds on international peer-learning experience, drawing inspiration from the Pro-PALOP-TL platform—an EU-funded, prize-winning initiative that strengthened civil-society engagement in public finance across Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa and Timor-Leste. That experience demonstrated how simplified, well-structured budget information can improve dialogue, trust and coordination among governments, civil society and economic actors.
Vaka Pasifika adapts and extends this approach for Pacific contexts, linking national budgets to the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent and creating a regional space for civil society to learn from one another—while also offering a clearer picture of long-term public-investment priorities that matter for businesses, investors and development partners alike.
The launch of the e-Budget Portal marks a strong year of collaboration between PIANGO and the EU funded UNDP Vaka Pasifika project, with tangible results across the region, including Citizen Budgets Guides and budget consultations across 8 Pacific Countries and significant progress in the formal inclusion of communities and civil society in budget and fiscal processes.
Why Public-Finance Engagement Matters – in Simple Terms
“Public budgets shape everyday life and long-term development: they determine how much is invested in health, education, climate resilience, infrastructure, digital connectivity and economic opportunity. Yet budget documents are often technical and difficult to navigate” said Emeline Siale Ilolahia, Executive Director of PIANGO. “The e-Budget Portal is about enabling better conversations—between governments, citizens, civil society and economic actors.”
When public-finance information is hard to access or understand:
• Communities struggle to engage meaningfully in development decisions
• Civil society finds it harder to monitor delivery and results
• Investors and businesses face uncertainty about policy direction, infrastructure pipelines and long-term priorities
The portal can be accessed here: https://piango.org/public-finance-management.
The launch of the e-Budget Portal marks a strong year of collaboration between PIANGO and the EU funded UNDP Vaka Pasifika project.
By simplifying access to strategic fiscal information, the e-Budget Portal helps different actors play their role more effectively:
• Citizens and CSOs can engage in informed dialogue and accountability as the portal provides visually compelling access to large numbers and fiscal balance.
• Governments benefit from clearer communication of priorities and reforms with the portal presenting revenues and spendings per sector and trends for the past three years.
• Private-sector actors and investors gain better visibility on public-investment signals, helping align responsible investment with national and regional development goals notably with key data on debt sustainability.
This transparency supports confidence, coordination and long-term planning—key ingredients for inclusive and sustainable economies.
Aligned with Global Gateway, Driven by Pacific Priorities
The European Union’s support to Vaka Pasifika and the e-Budget Portal reflects its Global Gateway commitment to transparency, resilience and sustainable investments and connectivity. By supporting locally led tools that improve access to public-finance information and connect Pacific priorities with global learning, the initiative contributes to stronger institutions, more informed public dialogue and a more predictable environment for inclusive investment—locally, regionally and globally.
The portal can be accessed here: https://piango.org/public-finance-management
For more information please contact:
Marine Destrez, Vaka Pasifika Project Manager, UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji, marine.destrez@undp.org or Risiate Biudole, Communications Analyst, UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji, risiate.biudole@undp.org
About PIANGO
PIANGO is a regional network that supports civil society engagement, advocacy, and capacity building across the Pacific. PIANGO plays a key role in ensuring that citizen voices are heard in governance processes and that tools like the Vaka Pasifika e-Budget Portal are used to strengthen accountability.
About Vaka Pasifika
Vaka Pasifika is a regional initiative that champions citizen-centered governance and transparency in public finance. Through tools like the e-Budget Portal, Vaka Pasifika works to simplify complex budget information, strengthen accountability, and empower civil society organizations and citizens to actively participate in shaping their countries’ development priorities.
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