Verónica Macamo’s vision was corroborated by Ndolamb Ngokwey, resident representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), in Maputo yesterday, at the end of the signing of the annual plan for strengthening parliamentary supervision in Mozambique.

The first deputy chairperson explained that the project is also aimed at rendering the Assembly of the Republic more integrated in the processes of approval and fiscal supervision of major national development programs; creating a fiscal supervision team within the general secretariat of the Assembly of the Republic to provide quality support to MPs within the framework of budget supervision; upgrading the body on issues of supervision of the main national development programs; creating a structure of management, support, monitoring and evaluation of projects and reinforce the capacity of its communication with the public and civil society through a better use of the existing dialogue mechanisms.

Verónica Macamo said the main target group of the above mentioned project were MPs in general, the different working commissions, particularly the Planning and Budget Commission; the Economic Activity and Service Commission and the Commission of Agriculture, Public Administration and Local Governance; the parliamentary offices of women and prevention and fight against HIV/AIDS, the parliamentary press Office and civil servants from the general secretariat who deal with planning and budget issues.

On the occasion, Verónica Macamo stated that cooperation relations between the Assembly of the Republic and UNDP are governed by an agreement of international assistance conceived in 1996 and signed in January 1997. She noted that within the framework of these relations, in April 2001 a meeting on performance evaluation was held, attended by donors, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and UNDP, having been noted the need to extend the cooperation project between the Assembly of the Republic and UNDP for one more year, so as to permit the conclusion of the Strategic Plan of the Assembly of the Republic and the Organic Law for the functioning of the general secretariat.

There was also an extension of the project in the 2004-2005 period, having focused particularly in the upgrading of new MPs that emerged from the 2004 general elections, contributing positively to their integration, she stated. Macamo added that still within the framework of general cooperation between the Assembly of the Republic and UNDP, a document entitled Strengthening of Parliamentary Supervision in Mozambique was drafted, which describes various priorities, including the supervision of the government action, the strengthening of legislative function and work in the electoral constituencies.

In turn, Ndolamb Ngokwe, resident representative of the United Nations Development Program, said although some of the activities of this project were carried out in 2007, the 2008 work plan is aimed at stimulating and mobilizing the necessary resources for the achievement of the common objectives. The work plan was conceived and formulated with the total cooperation and consultation with Parliament, thereby permitting it to reflect the fundamental principles that govern the UNDP’s assistance in the reinforcement of democratic institutions, namely, the promotion of ownership of the development process; the creation of conditions for a sustainable closure of the supported initiatives, that is, a planned and phased out exit, taking into account the historical and cultural reality of each country.

Upon designing the project and following consultations with the sector and potential partners, UNDP identified key sectors where its contribution should focus, namely, the creation of conditions for Parliament to efficaciously supervise the State budget cycle; for Parliament to be more integrated in the process of approval and supervision of the main national development programs and for Parliament skills to be reinforced in terms of communication with the public and civil society through the use of the media and dialogue mechanisms with the civil society, he said.

The period of the program in general is 2007/2009 and the annual budget is estimated at slightly over one million US dollars, according to the annual plan.