Vanuatu Parliament Open Day

October 4, 2021

Hon Seoule Simeon - Speaker of the Vanuatu Parliament

Honorable Prime Minister, Hon. Bob LOUGHMAN

Leader of the Opposition, Hon.  Ralph REGENVANU

Honourable Members of Parliament,

His Excellency Johnathan Schwass – High Commissioner – New Zealand High Commission to Vanuatu

Her Excellency Natsuko Miguchi – Acting Ambassador – Embassy of Japan to Vanuatu

Colleagues of the Parliament Secretariat

Ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning.

It is my honour and privilege to speak on behalf of UNDP at the occasion of the Vanuatu Parliament Open Day.

COVID-19 has unfolded unprecedented times for humanity. It has impacted our lives, economies, the way we work. It is the very reason that we at UNDP Pacific Office could not join you in person for this very important event. It is however my hope that I, personally, will have the opportunity to travel again to Vanuatu soon.

Global context

The global concept of ‘outreach’ is as key to effective citizen engagement, whereby citizens are actively involved where they live, including in remote and isolated areas, on their terms – and of course on issues which are the most of concern to them, and in a language that makes sense to them.

Parliaments around the world, the Pacific included, are experimenting with new forms of public communication and engagement. In the recent past, we have witnessed, for example, legislatures taking an active approach to communicating   with   the   public  through social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and twitter, as well as   websites, blogs or even YouTube.

Parliamentary outreach and increasing citizen engagement are gaining increased momentum globally, particularly with the impacts of technology and the wave of interested and passionate voices on issues including human rights, and the inclusion of women and youth in all aspects of society.

Citizens’ participation

Like many other Pacific Island countries, Parliament and politics are abstract notions that are our people tend to consider only briefly during the general election period. Many do not really understand what is going on in Parliament even though it is the very institution that makes life-changing laws and initiatives. This situation is a common trend across the world and is not unique to Vanuatu or the Pacific.

I therefore commend the leadership of the Vanuatu Parliament for such an initiative. The Parliament Open Day presents an opportunity for the people of Vanuatu to know more about their Parliament, how it has evolved, the leaders who guided your nation before, during and after independence, and developed their own conceptions and interpretations of parliamentary democracy and its principles. Most importantly, they will also how they can engage with their elected representatives and meaningfully contribute to democratic processes.

Background of UNDP Support to Parliament

UNDP has provided support to your Parliament for several years through different programmes, most recently through the Japanese Government funded Strengthening Legislatures in the Pacific Islands Project (SLIP) and the New Zealand Government funded Pacific Parliamentary Effectiveness Initiative (PPEI) Project.

Our support is focused on key areas such as MPs and staff professional development, the improvement of Committees' legislative and oversight work, and support to parliamentary outreach and citizen engagement roles.

Thanks to Japan’s and New Zealand’s generous support, UNDP is working with your Secretariat to significantly upgrade the ICT structures and processes in Parliament. This will enable virtual and remote meetings, especially for your Committees and staff who may still need to meet and take critical decisions, even if a lockdown is necessitated in Vanuatu.

Support to Parliament Outreach

Consistent with our collective efforts to “Take Parliament to the People”, UNDP supported Vanuatu Parliament first ever outreach mission in the Sanma province in July. The Secretariat staff conducted three separate activities:

  • The Budget briefing workshop for citizens groups: Previously, Parliament and UNDP jointly convened this briefing workshops only for Civil Society Organization (CSO) groups in Port Vila. To spread the benefits of learning and information sharing, the budget briefing was held for CSOs outside of Port Vila for the first time this year;
  • Outreach sessions in targeted villages and communities where Secretariat staff shared information and public displays on the role and functions of the Parliament; and
  • A consultation on the Parliament Bill with traditional leaders and representatives of community groups.

I understood the activities were very well received, and citizens were grateful for the opportunity to hear and learn more about Parliament.

They asked insightful and important questions: the role of Committees of Parliament and how they can engage with them; how laws are made in Vanuatu, how they as citizens can interact on a regular basis with their elected representatives, and the allocation of resources by government through the national budget, to name a few.

The Vanuatu Parliament has done a great deal to improve its reach and accessibility through the internet, public education and outreach activities. We all know however that too often, her like everywhere, citizens who are engaged with Parliament remain a small group, not always representative of society as a whole, and likely to be older, more educated, in a higher socio-economic group, and male. There remains a large group of citizens who Parliaments, all around the world, does not talk to, and who are not aware of how Parliament works and how it relates to their daily lives. We have to break this dynamic in order to “leave no one behind” – the ultimate objective of the Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals. 

I know that the people of Vanuatu will take advantage of the Open Day to engage with Secretariat staff, learn and appreciate the important place of Parliament in Vanuatu and how it influences and impacts everyone.

Ladies and gentlemen:

UNDP’s support for this event was made possible through our project donor's generous assistance: the Government of New Zealand and the Government of Japan. We thank them for their consistent commitment to supporting parliamentary development efforts in your Parliament and, more generally, in the Pacific region.

I wish you a successful two-day event.

Tangkyu Tumas!