Solomon Islands
As a young parliament with limited resources, the Parliamentary leadership and staff are building their capabilities for the institution to be active in representing the needs of citizens and ensuring effective government oversight. The programme focuses on supporting the continuing professional development of the NPSI secretariat/staff and the members of the 12th Parliament. WFD’s activities are co-developed and built on established relationships of trust and ‘lean in’ to a reform-minded era for the NPSI, with 48% new MPs in the 12th Parliament. We work with the Parliamentary Secretariat, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), and the Office of the Auditor General in the Solomon Islands.
Political context
The Solomon Islands is a micro-island nation with a population of around 700,000 spread over six main islands and more than 900 smaller ones. The nation has been self-governing since 1976 and has a Westminster-style political system. One key feature of this system is that members of parliament from all parties form committees, which scrutinise government actions – from new laws to public debt management. This is one way in which accountability and transparency can be upheld in a democracy. In 2024, the Solomon Islands Electoral Commission introduced a joint election in which the National General election, the Provincial Election and the Honiara City Council Election were held on the same day. The new government and parliamentary composition have created an opportunity to reconfirm WFD’s engagement with returning and new MPs, reinforcing their parliamentary roles and Parliament’s responsibility in facilitating effective citizen representation and public accountability.
Key areas of work
Throughout a series of funded programming windows over three financial years to date, WFD has consciously structured and designed our partnership with a longer-term vision. This has been underpinned by underlying facilitative and transformative principles, ensuring interventions are evidenced-based, premised on partnership, and as co-designed / co-developed as possible.
WFD’s commitment to long-term programme design has been critical in fostering and maintaining trust with key stakeholders in the Solomon Islands. This sustained engagement has reinforced WFD's partnership-based approach, broadening stakeholder buy-in and ensuring consistency and continuity with the NPSI. The work has aimed to:
- contribute to increased representation and active participation of MPs, especially women MPs, in the Parliament;
- strengthen the capacity of the NPSI Secretariat to determine and manage regularised parliamentary business; and
- improve budget oversight processes and practices within the NPSI.
Current programmes
Solomon Islands-UK Parliamentary Strengthening Programme
The programme enhances organisational support services to foster more structured and collaborative parliamentary business, promoting the use of institutional tools, frameworks (including media engagement strategies), and systems, such as a parliamentary calendar and codes of conduct, as the foundation of an active parliament. It also strengthens budget oversight processes and practices within NPSI.
Completed programmes
Solomon Islands – UK Parliamentary Partnership Scoping Phase
The scoping phase of WFD’s programming established a shared understanding of opportunities to strengthen accountability and transparency systems in the Solomon Islands. This phase focused on developing a strong evidence base to inform programming priorities through ongoing consultations, a political economy analysis (PEA), and pilot activities. These efforts deepened understanding of accountability challenges and tested potential approaches.
Solomon Islands – UK Parliamentary Partnership Inception Phase
2023-2024 was designed as an inception phase in WFD programming, focused on relationship-building and laying the groundwork for more significant outcomes in subsequent years. Recognising the complexities of the Solomon Island context, particularly that MPs would prioritise campaign activities in an election year as well as the pressures of hosting the Pacific Games, the Inception Programme concentrated on supporting the professional development of the NPSI Secretariat and staff and strengthening relationships built since November 2022.
Solomon Islands – UK Parliamentary Partnership Implementation Launch Phase
The key step-change for WFD’s implementation launch phase of programming following the 2024 national elections was concretely starting to engage with new and returning NPSI Members towards contributing to a strengthened and more resilient Solomon Islands parliamentary profile,4 practice and procedures. This engagement built on the foundational relationship established with the NPSI secretariat and, as well as undertaking critical relationship-development activities with new programme partners, this programme phase focused on activity areas that targeted both key stakeholders (MPs and Staff) together.
Selected key results
Increased confidence and capacity among parliamentary staff who have participated in our programme
Better understanding among staff members of how a small parliament functions and the important roles they can play in supporting the MPs of the 12th Parliament, particularly in relation to committee work
Facilitation of a continually strengthening MoU partnership between the NPSI and the Tynwald, the parliament of the Isle of Man. Both parliaments have committed to monthly online learning exchange sessions, direct peer-to-peer communication between counterparts, particularly clerks, and ongoing active engagement with WFD programming
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Solomon Islands