“Thank You For Our Right To Information” – Tanna Island.

“Thank you for the Right To Information Law” are the words that are highlighting Transparency International Vanuatu’s (TIV) travels throughout the island of Tanna.

Informing people along the roads of South East Tanna.

“Thank you to the Government and the MP’s for passing the Right To Information Law,” expressed the Chief of Bethel community,”a lot has been said by politicians on what they plan to do, but so little has been done. This law will help know of their progress.”

At every village that the TIV Team visited there was a round of applause before further information on the implementation phases of the RTI Law was delivered to them.

Informing the Tribal Chiefs of Middle Bush, Tanna Island.

“This is different from other awarenesses” explains TIV Advocacy Officer Douglas Tamara.”They applaud our visit because they took part in the consultation process of the RTI Bill before it became law. They supported the RTI Bill, and they said that their MP’S must support the RTI Bill because that is what their people want. And now that the RTI Bill has moved to become Right To Information Law they are very grateful for having been involved in the law making process.”

Informing people along the roads we travel – Tanna Island.

This rider was informed on his way to the garden.
Kwamera Primary School.

Bethel Community.
Informing the community leaders of Isaka Village.

“Thank you for our right to information. On behalf of the mothers we are grateful, because  we would like to know how our fees at the Lenakel Market House is being used to develop the market” said a women leader at Lenakel.
The TIV Team is expected to visited several communities before returning to Port Vila this Saturday.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO.

Right  To Information Law Awareness On Tanna Island 

TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL VANUATU  (TIV) Officers have met with the Secretary General of TAFEA Province to inform him of TIV’s Community Awareness Program on the island of Tanna this week (20th to the 24th).

TAFEA Provincial Headquarters

In 2016 TIV Officers conducted extensive community consultations throughout the island of Tanna on the Right To Information (RTI) Bill. Immediately after the RTI Bill was passed by Parliament in December 2016 preparations for another round of community awarenesses was planned to inform the people on the implementation phases of the RTI LAW.

On Tuesday the 21st of March the TIV officers currently on the island will visit Bethel community before moving on the villages of Lamnatu, Kwaramanu, and Manuapen.

On Wednesday the 22nd an awareness will be held at the Lenakel Market House before the team will move out again to visit several more villages.

Lenakel Market House

TIV Conducts Right To Information Law Community Awareness Sessions – Tongoa Island 

Transparency International Vanuatu Officers are currently on the island of Tongoa to conduct community awarenesses on the Right To Information Law.Tongoa island is the largest island in the Shepherd islands with the highest population. Apart from the other islands in the Group Tongoa is the only island with a sole representative in Parliament. 

In February the Right To Information Law was passed with no opposition in Parliament.

“This is a powerful law”. 

– Morua Village  Elder, Tongoa Island.

The TIV officers met with the Provincial Officer to discuss the activities to be carried out on Tongoa during the 2 days of community awarenesses. 

Tanna island will be visited next week.

More updates will be published. 

Follow us at www.tivnews.wordpress 

The Declaration of Conflict of Interests of the Transparency International Vanuatu Board of Directors.

IN ACCORDANCE WITH regulations of the Transparency International Movement, each Transparency International Chapter is expected to publish a Declaration of their Conflict of Interests of its Board of Directors.

So here is it, the Transparency International Vanuatu Board of Directors Declaration of Conflict of Interests Forms:

  1. Dr. Willie Tokon – CLICK HERE to view his Declaration Conflict of Interest Form.
  2. Sandra Muloturala Garae – CLICK HERE to view her Declaration of Conflict of Interest Form.
  3. Joe Kalo – CLICK HERE to view his Declaration Conflict of Interest Form.
  4. Evelyn Toa – CLICK HERE to view her Declaration Conflict of Interest Form.

 

 

New Publication On Procurement and Corruption in Small Island Developing States

THE UNITED NATIONS Office of Drugs and Crime released a new publications  new publication titled “Procurement and Corruption in Small Island Developing States: Challenges and Emerging Practices”.

This publication is intended to serve as a reference guide to addressing corruption in procurement in SIDS for governments, the private sector, academia and civil society, as well as for development assistance providers that work with SIDS.

Some facts contained in this report:

  • A recent analysis by the World Bank determined that the performance of small Pacific Island States lags behind that of countries in other regions that have a similar level of income.
  • The scores on procurement, internal auditing and strategic budgeting were particularly low.
  • Population size is seen as an important limitation to performance. The impact of this factor is most strongly felt in areas where highly specialized resources are required and especially in cases where high-capacity functions have to be carried out by a number of staff and outside of central agencies at the line ministry level.
  • In Pacific Island States, some countries lack an established party system. Members of Parliament are often based exclusively in the capital with limited access to communities on outer islands. This can lead to a focus on the capital and to the most vocal constituents, limiting the opportunities of smaller communities to effectively influence the political process.
  • Some island States use highly decentralized systems of development in which rural development constituency funds are paid directly to members of parliament, who have discretionary use of these funds. This has its own set of challenges in relation to the control of discretionary powers and the fair allocation of constituency
    funds.
  • Loyalties are often local in Small Island Developing States and citizens feel that they are primarily accountable to their communities, families or churches and not to the central government.

CLICK HERE to download this report.

TIV Congratulates New MAV Executive

TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL VANUATU (TIV) congratulates the new Executive Members of the Media Association of Vanuatu (MAV) who were elected yesterday at the Vanuatu Broadcasting & Television Corporation headquarter in Port Vila.

TIV has a well-established working relationship with MAV that has grown stronger over the years. The highlights of this partnership are many, but the most significant one was the nation-wide community consultation and the lobbying of the Right To Information (RTI) Bill.

The RTI Bill was unanimously passed by the Parliament of Vanuatu in 2016.

TIV looks forward to continuing this relationship with the new MAV leaders.

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left to right: (top) Vice Secretary Heather Maraki from FM 107, Executive Member Witnol Benko from Nak Media, Executive Member Christopher Crowby from VBTC, Executive Member Moses Cakau from VBTC, (bottom) Jonas Cullwick from Daily Post, Vice President Kevin Valea from Transparency International Vanuatu, President Evelyn Toa from The Independent Newspaper, Secretary Harold Obed Manage of the Right To Information Unit, Vice Treasurer Loic Teilemb from the VBTC. 

 

Past Year Has Been Good For Politics

TRANSPARENCY VANUATU SAYS the past year has been a relatively settled one for the country’s politics, which could be a good omen.

It’s one year since the country went to the polls to vote in a snap election called after half the previous government was jailed for corruption.

The country has been plagued by regular motions of no confidence and changes of government since independence in 1980.

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Evelyn Toa 

A board member for Transparency Vanuatu, Evelyne Toa, said many people went to those elections with a sense of optimism that there could be change.

She said the new government had been pushing for large scale reforms to bring stability, some of which have proved controversial and would be challenging to implement.

However, Ms Toa said things do appear to be more settled, but the hard work for the government was yet to come.

“One year on, but that doesn’t mean that we are strong and stable,” she said.

“After one year we’re still, you know, trying our best to have this government going on for the next three years. So that’s their aim, they always talk [about] their commitment to political stability but that will depend on our elected members.”

Source: Radio New Zealand International (RNZ)