Parliamentary committees get training from UNDP

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PAPUA New Guinea’s parliamentary committees joined clerks to parliament from other countries in a skills-training.
Former Parliamentary Clerk of Trinidad and Tobago Keiba Jacob and clerks from Australia, New Zealand and Fiji attended the two-day training seminar facilitated by the United Nations Development Programme for PNG’s parliamentary staff in Port Moresby.
Jacob said getting people and members of parliament to understand the importance of parliamentary clerks was a big challenge.
“In most jurisdictions, the parliament is responsible for approving public expenditure. Parliament through the executive is responsible of ensuring that money they have allowed you to spend is spent in the manner that was intended,” she said.
“Parliamentary committees are a check and balance on the executive to ensure they do what
they are supposed to do, to make sure the people get value for money.”
UNDP resident representative and United Nations resident coordinator Roy Trivedy said the committees were the main engine rooms of parliament.
“They are significant to all three parliamentary functions – representing the citizens’ interests, legislating and overseeing the executive branch.”
PNG has more than 30 parliamentary committees.
Trivedy said UNDP was supporting Parliament to modernise processes, practices and procedures to promote the effectiveness of its parliamentary committees.