Forum aims to achieve community input

National, Normal
Source:

The National, Wednesday June 26th, 2013

 THE 2013 Consultative Implementation and Monitoring Council (CIMC) National Development Forum begins today at the state function room in Parliament House.

It is being spearheaded by Minister for National Planning and Rural Development and CIMC chairman Charles Abel.

The forum, on “Revitalising the Districts of Papua New Guinea: Achieving Effective Community Participation for Quality and Sustainable Public Services in the Districts”, will end on Friday.

CIMC executive officer, Wallis Yakam, said: “The National Development Forum follows on from the four Regional Development Forums that were held last month, and will be composed of speakers from a wide range of stakehol­ders, including government 

partners, private sector, independent research think tanks and civil society organisations giving their perspectives on how the districts could be revitalised to enhance effective community participation for quality and sustainable public services at the district level.

“The forum theme is in line with the current Government’s focus on 2013 as the ‘Year of Implementation’.

“It is intended to stimulate discussions and promote how the community or citizens could be actively and meaningfully involved in the development process, especially at the district level.”

Yakam said the purpose of the forum and its theme was to promote the idea that:

  • Access to information was key to make rural development participatory;
  • Openness to planning and management as well as implementation enhanced the spirit of community ownership and sustainability of development projects;
  • Rural development was to alleviate poverty therefore, active involvement of the poor in decision making was crucial to ensure their needs were well accommoda­ted in the deve­lopment projects being initiated;
  • Community was empowered by relevant information to be community watch dogs for public expenditure; and
  • A set of action-oriented recommendations was produced from the 100-plus participants invited as well as interested members of the public.

Recommendations from the event will be endorsed and submitted to the National Executive Council.