A delegation from the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Headquarters met with the Parliament of Kiribati (Maneaba ni Maungatabu) this week as part of a CPA Benchmarks self-assessment.

The CPA’s Recommended Benchmarks for Democratic Legislatures provide a framework for excellence in Commonwealth parliamentary and legislative practice and were updated to include the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG16 on strong and sustainable democratic institutions.

As part of their visit, the CPA delegation met with the Speaker of the Kiribati Parliament, Hon. Tangariki Reete, the Clerk of Parliament, Eni Tekanene and Members of Parliament as well as parliamentary staff, Government officials, the judiciary, the media and civil society groups.

The CPA Benchmarks assessments were supported by Tom Duncan, Clerk of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly and Carly Maxwell, Deputy Clerk of the Legislative Assembly of New South Wales. There is a CPA twinning partnership between the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Legislative Assembly and the Maneaba ni Maungatabu (National Parliament) of Kiribati.

Speaking about the self-assessment, the Speaker of the Parliament of Kiribati, Hon. Tangariki Reete said:

“The Parliament of Kiribati welcomes the CPA Democratic Benchmarks self-assessment as a tool for us to compare our practices to standards developed by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and adopted by member Parliaments. This important exercise will help us to reflect on the Parliament’s strengths and create objectives and strategies to improve on its weaknesses. I am sure the outcomes of this CPA visit will motivate both Members and parliamentary staff to redouble their efforts to make the Parliament of Kiribati more effective for our citizens.”

At the conclusion of the process, the CPA Benchmarks report will be formulated with recommendations for reform to strengthen parliamentary institutions in Kiribati. The outcomes report will play an important role in developing the effectiveness of the Parliament and contribute to its implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The CPA Secretary-General, Stephen Twigg, said:

“Effective Parliaments are the cornerstone of good governance and the CPA works to ensure that Legislatures can function to their maximum potential. Self-assessment against the CPA Benchmarks ensures that Parliaments can vigorously scrutinise their practices and procedures to become better performing Legislatures. In addition, the CPA Benchmarks assessments have strengthened public outreach, engagement and confidence.”

The CPA supports Parliaments to fulfil the outcomes of the self-assessments through CPA Technical Assistance Programmes, which could involve updating the rules of procedures, training for Parliamentarians and parliamentary staff, or developing corporate policies. These project outputs will strengthen parliamentary institutions for improved good governance.

In recent years, 26 Commonwealth Parliaments have undertaken further assessments against the updated CPA Benchmarks.

To find out more about this project please email hq.sec@cpahq.org. The CPA’s Recommended Benchmarks for Democratic Legislatures are available to download on the CPA website.