Representatives of Tonga’s Civil Society Organisations have for the first time participated in a budget briefing organised by the Legislative Assembly of Tonga.
The briefing was held in recognition of the CSOs’ role as key players within the communities and the importance of their involvement in the national budget process.
The 2020-2021 budget, which includes the appropriation for the COVID-19 stimulus package, was tabled on Monday, 11 May.
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Lord Fakafanua said the budget briefings are not just important to the members of parliament, as they also contain information that are useful for members of CSOs and citizens.
“The budget is impacting the whole country, all sectors and institutions and all communities across the country. The more that is made available to citizens and CSOs to allow for their full participation in the process, the more open and transparent our governance systems become.”
The President of the Tonga CSO Forum, Drew Havea said he found it very useful to see the process and thinking behind the budget.
“The challenge now is to make this easier for the people to understand and participate in the process.”
The CSO workshop was supported by the UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji and the European Union funded ‘Strengthening Public Finance Management and Governance in the Pacific Project’ and the Pacific Parliamentary Effectiveness initiative funded by the New Zealand Government.
Photo source UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji/Twitter