Good governance training for Solomon Islands officials

Some 50 cabinet ministers and permanent secretaries from Solomon Islands have just finished taking part in a workshop aimed at strengthening public sector management, in the country's capital Honiara.

The three-day programme, which started on 26 February 2007, was delivered by a team of Commonwealth experts through interactive discussions.

During the workshop, the officials examined development challenges in the local context and identified ways to build on good working relationships between ministers and other government stakeholders.

"The primary objective of the workshop was to promote good governance and effective public sector management as fundamental to achieving a stable political environment and conducive to economic and social development," said Jacqueline Wilson, Director of the Commonwealth Secretariat's Governance and Institutional Development Division, which managed the programme.

Solomon Islands has been experiencing a number of tensions and conflicts since the early-to-mid 1990s. The Commonwealth remained engaged with successive governments and representatives of civil society during this period, including through the engagement of a Special Envoy in 1999.

In October 2006, Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon visited Solomon Islands to discuss the Commonwealth's assistance in overcoming political tension and promoting democracy and development in the country. The Prime Minister of Solomon Islands, Manasseh Sogavare, recognising that government machinery must be empowered to operate more effectively and efficiently, requested the Commonwealth Secretariat to organise a workshop to help clarify the roles and responsibilities of cabinet ministers and permanent secretaries.

Following the workshop -- which was supported by the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation -- a report will be compiled detailing key issues and recommendations for enhancing public sector reform in Solomon Islands. The report will be submitted to the country's government through the Commowealth Secretary-General.

Such workshops have been organised by request in other Commonwealth member countries. They have been successful in avoiding overlaps and confusion, and in promoting improved public sector management at political and administrative levels.

Secretariat Links:

• Governance
• Country Profile: Solomon Islands
• Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation