[ad_1]
By Marine Destrez, Public Financial Management Programme Manager, Fiji, UNDP Pacific
Koror (United Nations Development Programme) – It was 5am when we arrived at Palau’s Arai Airport, more than three hours late, exhausted adults and children alike. Yet the time and delays did not seem to dampen the enthusiasm of the entire customs and border office. Senior officers and customs officials at the border watched anxiously as we took turns to present our passports.
Palau is one of the first Pacific island countries to introduce a digital entry card system. With support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Integrated Border Management Project, the Palau Coordinated Border Management Working Group is working together to use digital tools to strengthen border security.
With technical guidance from the Japan Digital Agency, Palau is currently accelerating single window processes to consolidate data, thereby minimizing operational burdens and improving work efficiency.
But why are we here? This is a governance mission, at the request of North Pacific governments, with partners, to engage at the entry point of UNDP assistance to Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia.
Of course, the risk of a scoping mission is to stay on the surface and summarize only a few findings from a few perspectives. We were fortunate to be able to build on some of the long-standing work and partnerships that UNDP has established in the country. As meeting after meeting in Koror and Babeltuab, it began to emerge how the work UNDP was doing in the regional project could be combined at the national level.
Through this work and discussions over the past week, our scoping mission is developing three main proposals to focus our work in Palau:
* Modernize core governance systems: starting with legislative codification, accessibility, and openness at the national and state levels, then supporting core data management, planning, and results-driven systems;
* Forward-looking service delivery: Focus on designing a central and local governance system that combines the strength of traditional customs and values with public service delivery and modern governance systems that address the concerns of youth, women and remote communities.
* Community Safety and Access to Justice: Focusing on the safety of Palau’s citizens and visitors, engaging local communities, and ensuring access to justice services meets the real needs of individuals and protects their rights, with a particular focus on women and children.
* A key support request is the need for codification (setting up a central location at the central or state level where all laws are compiled and accessible to the majority)… PACNEWS
related
[ad_2]
Source link
