Peer reviews add value to current processes

Peer reviews add value to current processes

Press Release (28/11)
29th April 2011

Peer reviews under the Cairns Compact on strengthening development coordination in the Pacific are an opportunity for peers from other Forum island countries (FICs) to add value to current processes established in the FIC that has volunteered to undertake a peer review of their national planning, budgeting, financial and aid management systems and processes.

“It is an opportunity to exchange information with our colleagues in Tuvalu and may be they will be able to come with some solutions to their challenges, some of which we in other FICs have encountered and have found some mechanism to address them,” said Ms Sinai Tuitahi, the Tongan government representative on the team currently undertaking the peer review in Tuvalu.

“Tuvalu already has processes in place which have been developed over the years and the peer review team is not here to discredit these processes but to add value to them,” said Ms Tuitahi.

“It is an opportunity for sharing of best practices from other FICs because it is not all bad news in our countries. From the sharing of these best practices our colleagues from Tuvalu hopefully will improve their systems and at the same we too will learn something from what our colleagues from Tuvalu are doing.”

Ms Tuitahi added: “Because of the voluntary nature of the peer review, it is highly likely that Tuvalu will feel it has ownership of the process and whatever comes out as a result of the exercise. It is not something that is forced onto Tuvalu.”

Mr Johnson Naviti, the representative of the Government of Vanuatu, who is the other FIC member of the Tuvalu peer review team, echoed the same sentiments as his colleague from Tonga saying, “Let us not re-invent the wheel here. We already have best practices in some of our countries and the onus is on Tuvalu to apply them at a level that suits the local situation.”

“We are not here to question the policy direction of the Tuvalu Government but the peer review is here to consider how the policy choices made by the country are supported through planning, budgeting and coordination of both national and overseas resources,” Mr Naviti explained.

Representing development partners on the Tuvalu peer review team, Mr David Smith of UNESCAP said: “Tuvalu, as with many other FICs, has a sound framework for planning, budgeting and aid management.”

“However, there are areas where these processes are not working as intended and this is creating problems in policy implementation. Development partners, through improving coordination among themselves and with the Tuvalu Government, can make a significant contribution to improving the rate of policy implementation,” Mr Smith said.

He added: “The key to success is making sure that the Tuvalu Government takes the lead role in identifying problems and implementing solutions. The benefits of hearing about problems and successes from other FICs is enormous.”

The peer review exercise aims to come up with simple and practical actions tailored to local capacity and based on regional experience which can be implemented in the short-term to medium-term to improve development coordination in country.

The peer review team will conclude its consultations in Funafuti next Tuesday.

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ENDS

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