Update: 4:54PM His Excellency the President Major-General (Ret’d) Jioji Konrote officiated at the closing of the Strengthening Citizen Engagement in Fiji Initiative (SCEFI) and launched the “Citizens Engagement in National Development” TV documentary this week.
The SCEFI project, supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the European Union (EU), was an initiative that targeted community and national development through engaging members of the community in decision making processes.
President Konrote said programmes like SCEFI promoted the engagement of citizens and civil society organizations in policy and law-making processes which was a vital pre-requisite for Government to respond promptly towards the evolving needs of society.
“The Fijian Government is committed towards this process. In fact, within the Pacific, the Fijian Government continues to push for the recognition of civil society organizations and business communities in the decision-making process, alongside the national government,” President Konrote said.
The SCEFI project also demonstrated that development partners like the UNDP and EU were well placed to support Government in reaching out to citizens and communities to engage in Fiji’s governance and democratic processes.
