PIANGO AND AFFILIATES COMPLETE REGIONAL POLICY TRAINING IN SUVA
Date: 12th August 2016
Suva – Officials from the Pacific Islands Association of NGOs (PIANGO) and a number of its regional affiliates have begun a yearlong training in regional policymaking processes and implementation.
The Non-State Actors (NSAs) Capacity Building Program begun last week in Suva and is being coordinated by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.
Approximately 10 participants from 15 Forum Island Countries were representatives from PIANGO and its national liaison units and lead agencies from the region completed the first phase of one week training.
PIANGO Executive Director, Emele Duituturaga welcomed the move by PIFs to build capacity in an area that was often neglected in civil society work.
“PIANGO is excited that a lot of its members from the region are participating in this training. Policy making and coalition building are just a few components of the yearlong training and are essential components of civil society work,” Duituturaga said.
“So this training has come at the right time for PIANGO and its partners in the region.”
Duituturaga said PIANGO had expressed interest in the training because it provided an opportunity for continuous learning and development on policy and budget analysis as well as coalition building.
“It also provides an opportunity for the dissemination to others of the newly learned knowledge. Over the course of the year, PIANGO’s representatives at the training will receive support from their nominated supervisor as well as receive ongoing mentoring,” she said.
She said the training also incorporates a practical component which will require participants to develop a one page concept for a project that they will work on over the course of the year.
Sushil Patel, PIANGO Communications Officer who attended said, “The training has helped me better understand the policy making processes, at local, national, regional and international levels. It has enhanced my skills on research and analysis on policies making connections from grass roots to international forums.”
This first training session ended this week, with the next training module expected to take place in February/March 2017.
ENDS