A week after attending the 4th High Level Forum (HLF-4) on Aid Effectiveness in Busan, South Korea, the Government of Tuvalu met with its development partners in Suva, Fiji on 6th December to discuss its planned actions to encourage development partners to gradually move from projects to budget support for Tuvalu. Development partners such as Australia, New Zealand, the European Union, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations Development Programme and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat have commended Tuvalu’s leadership and willingness to have policy dialogue on its economic, public financial management and public sector reforms as well as its expectations of development partners. Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Tuiloma Neroni Slade said: “I wish to congratulate theTuvalu government for actively moving forward with their development partners taking charge of their own development agenda and calling on development partners to align and harmonise.” At the HLF-4 held on 29 November to 1 December, Tuvalu’s Finance Minister Hon. Metia presented Tuvalu and the Forum Island Countries’ perspective on aid fragmentation focusing on the impact of multiple missions and projects on Tuvalu’s capacity to lead and manage their own development and aid effectiveness agenda. “My government believes in true partnerships with our development partners that is based on mutual respect and proactive mutual actions and accountability,” said Minister Metia. He added: “Just as we know we have some issues around our capacity to manage the multiple and often fragmented support by our development partners, we also know that we are not helpless and we also have certain responsibilities and that we can take leadership and be proactive.” The Tuvalu Government has developed a Tuvalu Budget Support Action Matrix 2012 that outlines the types of actions that it will undertake with the support of its development partners to strengthen its economic and public financial and governance systems to encourage its development partners to move towards programme and budget support. The Matrix was presented to development partners for their consideration and feedback by January 2012. This meeting and development of the Tuvalu Budget Support Action Matrix 2012 is part of Tuvalu’s ongoing efforts to strengthen development cooperation and its public financial management systems. Earlier this year, Tuvalu undertook a Peer Review of its National Planning, Budgeting and Aid Coordination Systems in April/May under the Cairns Compact on Strengthening Development Coordination (Forum Compact). It also recently completed a Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability Assessment. The Government has started implementing key recommendations of the Peer Review process starting with the development of a Draft Aid Policy as a tool for mutual accountability with its development partners and now holding more regular policy dialogues like the recent one with its development partners. ENDS. For media enquiries, contact Mr Johnson Honimae, the Forum Secretariat’s Media Officer on phone 679 331 2600 or email: johnsonh@forumsec.org.fj
