The Honorable Speaker of the Vanuatu National Parliament, Honorable Gracia Shadrack

His Excellency, the High Commissioner of New Zealand to Vanuatu, Jonathan Schwass

His Excellency, the Ambassador of Japan to Vanuatu, Chiba Hirohisa

William Nasak, the Director of VANGO

Members of Civil Society Organizations

Colleagues

Ladies and Gentlemen:

GUD MONING!  Welcome to the 2021 Parliamentary Budget Briefing for CSOs. I thank you for this opportunity to offer a few remarks on behalf of the UNDP Pacific Office.

COVID-19 and TC Harold Impact

A year into COVID-19, the global pandemic crisis is still unfolding. In the Pacific, the human, social and economic crisis continues to unleash havoc and add to the devastation caused by TC Harold. It seems difficult to understate the task Government has set for itself in 2021 when drafting the national budget. Every citizen and inhabitant of the Pacific has been impacted, some disproportionately. Men, women and youths have lost jobs and revenue and are required to provide extended care for their families and communities.

In Vanuatu, the combined impact of COVID-19 and TC Harold is expected to result in a 14-point-2 percent (14.2%) contraction of the agricultural sector. The industrial sector manufacturing capacity has declined as a result of the cyclone damage and the transport and tourism sectors have suffered huge losses. Tackling the impact of these crises while keeping in mind the long-term goal of sustainable development will remain a challenge for years to come.

UNDP’s work in parliamentary development

Since 2016, UNDP, with the generous support of New Zealand and Japan, has provided support to the Vanuatu National Parliament through our regional parliamentary portfolio, the Pacific Parliamentary Effectiveness Initiative (PPEI) Project and the Strengthening Legislatures in the Pacific (SLIP) Project.  Our support is focused on key areas such as professional development of MPs and staff, the improvement of Committees’ legislative and oversight work, and support to parliamentary outreach and citizen engagement roles.

UNDP’s work on Public Finance Management

Thanks to the support of the European Union, this work is complemented by the Strengthening Public Finance Management in the Pacific (PFM) project. Its activities focus on the oversight role of Parliaments, Auditors General and civil society. After supporting the development of the first citizen budget of Vanuatu, UNDP has been honored to work with VANGO on the 2020 citizen budget guide which will be presented today.

National Budget and Role of Parliament

The Legislative approval of the national budget is a constitutional requirement. As such the Vanuatu National Parliament becomes a link between the government, collecting and spending public funds, and the taxpayers and citizens it serves.

As the body that represents the people, parliament is the appropriate place to ensure that the budget reflects the priorities of your country. Equally, budget oversight is a means used by parliaments to ensure financial accountability of the Executive: after the state budget has been passed, the parliament has an important role to play in monitoring how the budget funds are spent.

Role of CSOs in the Budget Process

I would like to acknowledge the fact that, for the first time, the Vanuatu National Parliament, UNDP Pacific Office and Vanuatu Association of NGOs (VANGO) have joined forces to convene this budget briefing workshop.

UNDP recognizes the multiple functions civil society organizations play in addressing key development challenges at all levels and from the local to the global: even more so now in supporting the massive COVID-19 and TC Harold recovery efforts.

Civil society is a source of independent information on needs, priorities and current conditions of diverse large and small communities, groups and individuals. Beyond the crucial information you possess and collect through your work, you are also the holders of lessons learnt on past budget measure efficiency. You understand current initiatives successes and failures. You document the expectations and challenges of fellow citizens including the most marginalized. To be effective and relevant, a national budget should be guided and respond by these very needs, priorities and context.

For this reason, your engagement today is a step forward to a much larger consultation and collaboration process to design, implement and monitor public finances. Now, more than ever, I encourage organizations like yours to work together and across sectors, to support and complement as much as possible the efforts of public authorities, the private sector, academia, media and every actor in Vanuatu to mitigate the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters.

National budgets impact everyone, regardless of your status in society: when there is lack of access to budget information, or when you as citizens of Vanuatu do not actively engage in budget processes, it opens the door for inappropriate or questionable decisions to be made; and in the worst cases public monies to be wasted or even corruption to take place.

Objective of Seminar

The objective of this one-day briefing is to assist CSOs by providing easy-to-understand information on aspects of the National Budget; to enhance your understanding and knowledge about key information contained in your national budget and assist you in your oversight role.  

Research Team

I wish to express my sincere thanks to the Parliament of Solomon Islands, the Australian Federal Parliament and the New Zealand Parliament, as well as our Climate Finance and Gender Response Budgeting experts who provided remote support to the Vanuatu Parliament research team. The knowledge, skills and information sharing between national and international researchers will go a long way in further strengthening the resource base of the Vanuatu Parliament.

To conclude, Ladies and gentlemen:

UNDP’s support for the induction was made possible through the generous assistance of our project donors: The European Union and the Governments of Japan and New Zealand. We thank them for their steadfast commitment to supporting parliamentary development efforts and public finance management in Vanuatu and in the Pacific region.

I wish you a successful workshop!

Tank yu tumas.