UNDP Floating Budget Office Virtual Workshop Concludes

1 2 3

1 2 3

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) concluded its three-day virtual workshop for the Pacific Floating Budget Office (FBO) today. Parliamentary representatives from six Pacific Island nations, including the Legislative Assembly of Tonga, participated in the session.

The Tonga delegation was led by Chief Clerk Gloria Pole’o, with Deputy Clerk Sione Vikilani delivering the closing remarks from Tonga Parliament side. Dr. Vikilani highlighted the importance of budgets as a key function of the year for any parliament. He emphasized that Floating Budget Offices are crucial in supporting the work of Members of Parliaments.

"The best practices, challenges, and lessons learned from previous FBO missions hold the key to the successful implementation of future initiatives “ said Dr. Vikilani.

He explained that the term "Floating" symbolizes the mission's purpose, encouraging Pacific parliaments, including Tonga, to analyze their budgets’ and access its buoyancy and safety—keeping them afloat, free from debt and deficits. “Floating means we can share resources across our Pacific Ocean, remain flexible, and innovate in our FBO methods to tackle new challenges effectively,” he added.

Dr. Vikilani expressed optimism that FBO missions would expand to include other counterparts in the North Pacific. Earlier this year, a staff from Tonga's Parliament participated in a workshop in Pohnpei alongside other parliamentary teams, where she shared Tonga Parliament’s FBO tools for budget analysis.

Dr. Vikilani also called on other parliamentary jurisdictions to continue FBO missions and hold regular workshops like this one as part of preparations for future FBO initiatives. Participants from other countries also proposed for UNDP to host more workshops in preparation to FBO missions.

Ilaisaane Vaihu, Secretary of the Legislative Assembly’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts, reflected on the workshop as a valuable opportunity to exchange best practices, address challenges, and share lessons that will contribute to the success of future FBO missions. She noted that the feedback and lessons learned underscored the necessity of continuing the FBO initiative.

"The workshop fostered strong partnerships and collaboration, providing a community of practice where parliamentary staff could meet, work together, and share experiences on various parliamentary matters," said Mrs. Vaihu. She also expressed satisfaction with the progress local staff have made in building institutional capacity, ensuring they can conduct FBO missions independently when external researchers are unavailable.

Dr. Vikilani concluded by thanking participants from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu for their valuable contributions, which will aid in preparing for future FBO missions. He also acknowledged the unwavering support of UNDP and partner parliaments in advancing transparent, accountable, and sustainable national budgets across the Pacific.