New momentum for Pacific partnership

30 March 2023

Nauru Parliament's Deputy Speaker Lionel Aingimea thanked the Victorian Parliament for its ongoing cooperation.
Nauru Parliament's Deputy Speaker Lionel Aingimea thanked the Victorian Parliament for its ongoing cooperation.

A visit to the Victorian Parliament by a delegation from the Nauru Parliament has heralded the next stage of relations between the two legislatures.

Led by Nauru’s Speaker Marcus Stephen, the delegation explored with Victorian parliamentary officials a range of possibilities for joint professional development activities under a twinning program.

Victorian Legislative Council President Shaun Leane welcomed the delegation to Melbourne, noting that the twinning partnership offered a valuable opportunity to learn together in the years ahead.

Legislative Council President Shaun Leane welcomed the Nauru delegation and United Nations Development Programme representatives to the Victorian Parliament.

The visit was facilitated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which is providing capacity building for the Nauru Parliament under a program supported by the Australian and New Zealand governments.

Discussions the delegation held with Victorian parliamentary officials focused on ways to enhance parliamentary procedural processes, strengthen administration of human and financial resources, and broaden community engagement.

Nauru Speaker Marcus Stephen and Deputy Speaker Lionel Aingimea canvassed the areas of professional development that Victoria and Nauru can work on together.

The Victorian Parliament is twinned with three Pacific Island Parliaments, Nauru, Fiji and Tuvalu, in an initiative that builds capacity and encourages cooperation among parliaments of the region.

UNDP representative Luisa Senibulu highlighted the benefits of the Pacific parliamentary twinning program.