THE Vaka Pasifika project is reaching its final phase, focusing on strengthening civil society participation in Fiji’s budget process through multi-stakeholder collaboration.
Funded by the European Union and implemented with the UNDP Pacific Office and Pacific Island Association for NGOs (PIANGO).
Local members like the Fiji Council of Social Services (FCOSS) actively support civil society engagement in budget oversight.
Collaboration involves Parliament, the Ministry of Finance, and the Central Planning to empower accountability institutions.
The project started in 2019 and is now in its second phase, aiming to finalise and enhance civil society roles in budget processes.
“The Purpose of policy dialogue established is to unite diverse stakeholders for a shared understanding of Fiji’s budget and national plan priorities,” said Emeline Siale Ilolahia, PIANGO, Executive Director.
She emphasises collective participation rather than isolated institutional efforts
“Goal to articulate current and future roles in budget oversight and influence, and this project is designed as a platform for experience sharing and joint planning.”
Recognition that setting budget priorities requires input from many organisations and institutions.
She said the dialogue aimed to clarify how different roles contribute to the budget cycle and to explore how these roles evolve over time and adapt to future challenges.
The two-day policy dialogue is structured to build understanding, share successes, and plan future engagement around Fiji’s budget and policy linkages.
“Flexible agenda to encourage participant-led discussion and expertise sharing, and the dialogue is open to adjustments based on participant input and emerging priorities.
“We encourage sharing of lived experiences and knowledge from community and ministry perspectives and aim to foster a collaborative atmosphere for shaping future budget oversight mechanisms.”
Strategic focus on policy-budget linkage
A key insight from the project is the need to ensure budget allocations reflect policy commitments to guarantee implementation.
Identified the gap between policy declarations and budget allocations.
Siale said Civil society often voices policy priorities without seeing matching budget resources, and there is a need to track how the national plan translates into actual budget commitments.
“This linkage is seen as crucial for ensuring policies are not just statements but lead to action, while focusing on aligning advocacy efforts with budget processes to strengthen impact.”
Sharing success stories to inform future changes and learn from past experiences since the project’s inception to identify effective approaches.
“Using successes to justify and design adjustments in engagement and budget advocacy, while encouraging participants to consider how to evolve strategies for better resource alignment.”
The February 16-17 dialogue aims to establish a more structured and timely engagement platform for civil society in budget processes, where they can contribute more effectively to budget oversight
The project envisions a future where civil society and government work in a coordinated, transparent, and proactive way on budget matters.
The Vaka Pasifika project (2022-2026) builds on the results of the “Strengthening Public Finance Management and Governance in the Pacific” (PFM) project, which was implemented between 2018 and 2022.