Two Members of the National Parliament have successfully participated in a workshop hosted by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association United Kingdom (CPA UK), in London.
The programme aimed to enhance the capacity and effectiveness of parliamentarians and parliamentary officials in the financial scrutiny and oversight of aid by both aid donors and recipient countries in order to increase the knowledge and build capacity of parliamentary institutions in holding governments to account on aid spending, thereby ensuring increased aid effectiveness and efficiency.
Member of Parliament for Aoke-Langalanga, Hon. Matthew Wale attended the workshop under the capacity of Acting Chairman for the Public Accounts Committee while Member of Parliament for East Central Guadalcanal, Hon. Ishmael Avui as the Chairman for the Public Expenditure Committee of the National Parliament. Both Committees are mandated by Parliament to scrutinize Governments Expenditures.
The “6th Westminster Workshop: Parliamentary Financial Oversight of Aid Effectiveness” was held on 4 – 7 July 2016. It is one of CPA UK’s flagship programmes for strengthening the effectiveness of parliamentary practice and procedure and exploring new developments in the field.
Since its inception, the primary focus has been to strengthen parliamentary financial oversight capacity, in particular through the work of the Public Accounts Committees (PACs).
Bringing together PAC Members and Chairs from across the Commonwealth and beyond, the project has highlighted the importance of exchange of ideas and expertise. This in turn has led to the establishment of the Commonwealth Association of Public Accounts Committee (CAPAC) as a network for strengthening public financial management and accountability across the Commonwealth.
The programme offered the opportunity for parliamentarians to share experiences and case studies on the active role parliaments can play in aid management, benefit from discussions on issues relevant to their countries and regions, and network with other parliamentarians and representatives from international organisations, non-governmental sector and the academia.