The Parliamentary Centre has been active in Asia since the early 1990s. Our experience is as multifaceted as the region itself and covers countries and national and sub-national legislatures dealing with a broad range of reform agendas and challenges. We have cooperated with and supported, among others, the National People’s Congress, provincial and municipal legislatures in China, civil society groups and local governments in Indonesia, and local capacity building organisations in Myanmar.
Our Programs
Asia
Programs
The project was successful in introducing members and staff of the country’s largest and most ethnically diverse sub-national parliament, the Shan State Hluttaw, to the value and methodology of gender-sensitive legislative research.
Moreover, we facilitated the process of the Shan State Hluttaw coming up with a five-year Operational Plan for Developing Research Capacity and presenting it to the international donor community: a first in Myanmar and a potential model for the rest of the country’s 14
sub-national parliaments.
An independent evaluation commissioned by the funder gave a high praise of the project, recommending to “replicate the Shan State success with other research institutions” and noting that “the proximity to government in this parliamentary training project is a key mechanism to influence policy and build relationships.”
Myanmar
November 2017 – June 2019
Focus: Parliamentary Institution; Parliaments and Gender; Parliamentary Research; Needs
Assessment and Project Design
Funders: Global Affairs Canada; International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
The Parliamentary Centre organized a week-long knowledge exchange visit to Ottawa by a delegation from Mongolia comprising two parliamentary staff and the Deputy Auditor General of Mongolia. The group were members of a working group on amending the political party law of the country. They were specifically interested in Canada’s political party and political finance regulations and enforcement.
In particular, our country’s regulations on political party registration, limits on donations, and financial reporting were seen as useful experiences to consider in finding ways to address challenges with corruption and transparency that have led to steady decline of public trust in political parties in Mongolia in recent years. The visit was also the Centre’s first activity aligned with our new mandate to support the strengthening of the governance of political parties.
Mongolia
November 2018
Focus: Legislative Drafting; Parliaments and Political Parties
Funder: Open Society Forum Mongolia
The project will identify in detail the current needs and capacity building gaps of the National Parliament of Timor Leste. Starting with a desk review, the needs assessment will involve the preparation and implementation of an assessment visit to Dili, Timor-Leste. A series of individual meetings and focus groups with parliamentarians, parliamentary staff, local government officials, local CSOs and international development organizations present in the area should be used to prepare an assessment report; and needs.
Timor Leste
Active
Focus: Parliamentary Institution; Parliamentary Development Organisations;
Funders: Global Affairs Canada
Participation of ordinary citizens in decision-making processes is low in Indonesia, in particular women’s voices that remain largely absent from public forums. The “Our Voice” project, which used innovative SMS-polling technology to empower women to participate in local
decision-making, broke down traditional barriers for women’s participation in decision-making, and brought tangible changes in the work of village authorities.
Developed in partnership with the Women and Youth Development Institute of Indonesia, the concept won the top prize at the Grand Challenge for Development, competing against over 240 proposals. Buoyed by its success, the pilot project was internalised and institutionalised by local village authorities to continue its use.
Indonesia
October 2015 – June 2016
Focus: Citizen Engagement; Online Consultation
Funder: Making All Voices Count