Pacific journalists attend transparency workshop

By CHARLES MOI
EIGHT journalists from Pacific countries, including Papua New Guinea, attended a two-day workshop in Honolulu, Hawaii, which covered issues of good governance and transparency.
Representatives from various civil societies in the Pacific also attended the workshop last week which had the theme of “Defending democracy through good governance and transparency in the Pacific Islands”.
The workshop was held from July 25-26 and co-hosted by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy and the East West Centre. Participants discussed the roles civil societies and journalists could play in ensuring good governance and combatting potential threats of external influence.
In addition, the workshop explored tools journalists, members of civil society and non-government organisation workers could develop to better oversee government transparency and raise public awareness.
East West Centre president Richard Vuylsteke encouraged participants to use the relevant information to improve their work in their home countries.
“Today’s focused is on good governance and transparency which in line with the East West Centre’s priorities for the Asia Pacific region to work together with our colleagues in the 36 countries that we interact with to drive for better governance, which is a challenge for all of us,” Vuylsteke said.
“Because transparency on facts and information is what enables people to make more sagacious, wise decisions.
“That we listen to the priorities of the Pacific in any programme we run to see what their priorities are and try to take our template and fit it to the priorities as identified by the region.
“Many times the priorities of the region are the priorities of others and this workshop is an example of that.”
US State Department Global Engagement Centre deputy director Daniel Kimmage, Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of North American Affairs director general Vincent Chin-Hsiang Yao, and TFD president Ford Fu-Te Liao and Macdonald-Laurier Institute senior fellow Charles Burton were other speakers at the workshop.
Participants of the workshop were: Grace Auka (Post Courier), Charles Moi (The National), Arianne Kassman (Transparency International PNG), Andrew Fanasia (Solomon Star), Ruth Luloqula (Transparency International Solomon Islands), Louchrisha Hussain (Fiji citizens constitutional forum) Tony Vaia (Radio Kiribati), Noela Adam (Naru Media), Quot-ro Depaune (Naru Media), Leilani Ngirturong (Island Times Palau), Yvette Tepaula (Tuvalu Broadcasting Corporation) and Emeline Ilolahi (Pacific Islands association of non-government organisations Tonga).