The Speaker of Parliament Ajilon Nasiu presented a paper on Parliament self-development during the recent Presiding Officers and Clerks Conference (POCC) in early July 2018, Wellington, New Zealand.

The paper highlighted how the National Parliament of Solomon Islands had institutionalized ownership of its own development through the National Parliament strategic plan 2017 – 2021.

It focused on the internal processes setup to operationalize the strategy including challenges faced and lessons learnt.

“For me, one of my favorite aspects of our strategic process is the Management group meeting. The monthly meetings keep me informed on the activities happening at Parliament. This arrangement has brought together my Office, the Office of the Clerk and all departmental heads together on a monthly basis and I found these meetings meaningful, informative and strategic in its scope”, said Mr. Ajilon Nasiu.

Over 60 parliamentarians attended the one week conference, in which delegates presented conference papers on a range of topics including how parliaments can develop and change, the role of the Speaker; and security and stability.

Guest speakers at the conference included Former New Zealand (NZ) Prime Minister Rt. Hon Helen Clark, and Dr Gill Greer from the National Council of Women, NZ.

The annual conference is for Presiding Officers (Speakers) and Clerks from Parliaments from Australia and the Pacific region. The New Zealand House of Representatives hosted the 49th POCC from 8th to 13th July 2018. The National Parliament wishes to thank the Solomon Islands Government for enabling the Speaker and the Deputy Clerk to attend.