Ghana

Parliamentarians are content with the support from UNDP

The Deputy Country Director of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Shigeki Komatsubara, has underlined the crucial role parliaments play in consolidating democratic governance in any country in the world.

This, he said, is the basis of UNDP's interest and support to developing the institution of parliament across the globe, especially in its member states.

Mr. Komatsubara was opening a regional workshop in Accra today on Engaging Parliamentarians to Support the Implementation and Review of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC).

He said good governance, which is a prerequisite for peace, stability and development, is closely related to building capable states and goes beyond capability of the state or its institutions to their being effective in fulfilling their mandate.

Mr. Komatsubara added that UNDP is supporting the Global Organisation of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) to organise the workshop as part of their support to strengthen parliaments within the broader democratic governance agenda, to enable them fulfil their oversight role.

The two global programmes, being run by the UNDP, are Parliamentary strengthening and Anti-corruption and their support can be broadly categorised under Institutional Capacity Development and Public Engagement.

At the country level, UNDP has been working with the Ghanaian Parliament to strengthen its capacity to fulfil its constitutional mandate over the years, he concluded.