Brief description of Project 

The Pacific Islands Parliaments are all unique in their set-up and practices, mirroring the co existence of human rights as defined in their national constitutions and those realised through traditional customs in each PIC. That being said, there are many commonalities: Pacific Islands parliaments tend to be young, and relatively small parliaments. The parliaments supported under PPEI 3, the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Niue, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu Parliaments are Westminster-style parliaments that have limited resources and are dominated by their executive counterparts. Representation of women, youth and people with disabilities (PWDs) remains low, and parliaments struggle to engage the public in their work. The parliaments depend on development partner assistance for their institutional development.  

PPEI 3 builds on previous phases of support in assisting beneficiary parliaments to progress towards being more effective, representative, inclusive, and accessible in their law-making, budget and oversight. To this end, the project will support parliaments in improving their cooperation with their governments, strengthening their legal and procedural basis, improving their committee systems, and developing effective approaches to bill review, budget review, and oversight. It will foster civic engagement, strengthening public participation in the work of parliament. It will continue fostering regional Pacific integration. 

The project will strengthen parliament’s ability to develop sustainably, to plan and deliver parliamentary services, and to build important knowledge, skills, and abilities of staff and MPs without overreliance on development partner support. The project will help parliaments become more representative of women, persons with disabilities and other marginalized groups, as well as more transparent, accessible and effective in facilitating public participation. It will work with women, youth, and PWD leaders, activists, and champions inside and outside of parliament to empower their political leadership. The project will also help parliaments engage more effectively with the public and civil society.

The project is a five-year initiative, implemented by UNDP under its direct implementation modality, and funded by New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.