It prompts a $10.3 million assistance to Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

The Japanese government is providing about $10.3 million to six Pacific  island countries, including Fiji. This is under ‘The Project for Strengthening Legislatures’ Capacity in Pacific Island Countries.’

The other Pacific Islands include the Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

The Japanese government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) signed this exchange of notes on Monday in Parliament.

Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy of Japan, Tsuguyoshi Hada, said the project marked another milestone in the friendship that Japan shared with the Pacific Islands.

“Japan has been closely following the overwhelming success of Fiji’s Parliamentary Support Project that was initiated in 2014 through UNDP in collaboration with other Development partners,” he said.

“The results have prompted the Japanese government to continue its support.”

Country director and head of Pacific regional policy and programme in the UNDP office in Fiji, Bakhodir Burkhanov, said the occasion was to celebrate the strengthening of their partnership with the Japanese government.

“Japan has been a key supporter of governance work in the Pacific countries and in Fiji, particularly having supported the first phase of the Fiji Parliament Support Project, and currently supporting the Rights, Empowerment and Cohesion (REACH) project that helps provide access to government service for many Fijians across this country,” Mr Burkhanov said.

“Today’s agreement with the government of Japan will allow us to substantially scale up the support to six Pacific Parliaments, namely Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.”

He said it provided a welcoming opportunity to work on the exchange of good practices between parliaments in the Pacific.

“A key ethos of UNDP is to promote development through co-operation and knowledge-sharing between countries,” Mr Burkhanov said.

“We call it south-south cooperation, and this approach lies at the very heart of this project.”

The event was attended by the Speaker of Parliament, Dr Jiko Luveni.

Edited by Naisa Koroi

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