| The
National Parliaments and Parliamentary Institutions
TAP-NET is
the African Capacity Building Foundation’s
(ACBF) global network of African and non-African
professionals with vast knowledge in issues relating
to capacity building for the strengthening of
policy analysis capacity of national parliaments
and parliamentary institutions in the management
of national development.
MEMBERSHIP OF PARLIANET
Members are drawn from social science and development
management disciplines and are accomplished parliamentarians,
public policy analysts and practitioners, and
researchers with extensive experience in the
operations of national parliaments and the building
of capacity of parliamentary institutions.
OBJECTIVES
The main objective of PARLIANET is
to help strengthen ACBF's internal capacity and
enhance its access
to a wider pool of experts in the strengthening
of policy analysis capacity of national parliaments
and parliamentary institutions. PARLIANET is
being established to support the activities of
the Secretariat in the core competence area of “Strengthening
of the Policy Analysis Capacity of National Parliaments
and Parliamentary Institutions”, and, where
possible, provide the Foundation’s other
knowledge networks an idea management tool through
which they can broaden consultation and seek
responses to specific issues and questions relating
to capacity building. PARLIANET is expected to
achieve other objectives. It is expected to serve
as:
- an institutional support for reviewing
aspects of the Foundation’s activities
and adding value to its operations;
- an idea management tool for ACBF Secretariat
to seek professional opinion on issues and discuss
ideas in greater depth; and
- a professional arm of the relevant
Annual Position Paper will be a regular feature
of the Annual Work Plan of the TAP-NET and will
be used as an instrumenthematic network or community
of practice that will be set up by the Foundation
with a focus on the strengthening of policy analysis
capacity of national parliaments and parliamentary
institutions.
ACTIVITIES
On an annual basis, PARLIANET will be expected
to undertake the activities listed below:
- ANNUAL POSITION PAPER
PARLIANET will be expected to prepare a position
paper on developments relating to the state
of policy analysis capacity of national parliaments
and parliamentary institutions on the African
continent. The A for systematically tracking
progress or lack thereof in the building of
policy analysis capacity of national parliaments
and parliamentary institutions in Africa.
- PARLIANET ISSUES AND LESSONS NOTES
PARLIANET will be expected to identify,
research and prepare a country or region’s
Lessons, Best Practice or an Avoidable Pitfall
Note
each year that could provide lessons to countries
in sub-Saharan Africa in any of the following
areas, among others:
- Participatory and Effective Budget Formulation
and Implementation Process.
- Strengthening of Parliamentary Committee
System.
- Enhancement of the Quality of Parliamentary
Debates.
- Strengthening of Linkages between National
Parliaments and Development Stakeholders
in Policy Formulation.
The Note will be disseminated on behalf of
the Network as a knowledge product to assist
in the building and strengthening of parliamentary
capacity.
- ACBF REGIONAL WORKSHOP RESOURCE PERSONS
Members of the Network will be expected to
serve as resource persons at ACBF Biennial Forum
for
Policymakers.
- SENIOR POLICYMAKERS AND DEVELOPMENT PRACTITIONERS
KNOWLEDGE SHARING PROGRAM.
PARLIANET will be
expected to propose a short list of prominent
senior
policymakers and development
practitioners who have made outstanding contributions
in parliamentary affairs or in the strengthening
of the policy
analysis capacity of national parliaments and
parliamentary institutions in Africa and/or any
of the developing regions. Members of the Network
will lead or participate in an interview panel
that will extract tacit knowledge from the selected
policymakers on issues relating to capacity of
national parliaments and parliamentary institutions.
- ACBF ANNUAL LECTURE SERIES
PARLIANET will
be expected to take turns with other ACBF TAP-NETs
to prepare and present a
lecture at ACBF Annual Lecture Series on Capacity
Building and Development Management. The lecture
will focus on capacity building or a substantive
development issue within its competence area.
The Annual Lectures will be held back to back
with the Annual Regular Meeting of ACBF Board
of Governors.
- REFLECTIONS BY PARLIANET MEMBERS
Members of the Network will be expected to contribute
a 3-5 page reflection on developments and issues
relating to policy analysis capacity of national
parliaments and parliamentary institutions in
Africa and/or other developing regions.
- DISCUSSIONS, INFORMATION EXCHANGE AND ADVICE
PARLIANET members will be expected to:
- Participate in the TAP-NETs’ discussions
and information sharing
activities, and assist to respond to request
for information and advice on
project and program operations by ACBF Secretariat.
- Inform members of the Network
regularly about web sites, portals and
other information sources that are links to data,
information and knowledge
materials on issues and practices in parliamentary
reforms and capacity
building in Africa and other developing. This
will also include information sources on major
international seminars, workshops, conferences,
symposia, colloquiums, training programs and
publications relating to parliaments and parliamentary
institutions in Africa.
- Peer review and add value to ACBF publications
and other knowledge-related materials that will
be posted from time to time on the Network’s
web site.
- CONTRIBUTIONS TO ACBF PUBLICATIONS
PARLIANET members will be welcome to make contributions
to any of the following publications by ACBF:
- ACBF Capacity Building Review.
- ACBF Occasional Papers.
- Africa’s Development Research
Abstracts.
- PERFORMANCE EVALUATION
The performance of PARLIANET will be evaluated
every year to determine the level of its effectiveness.
The evaluation will examine overall performance
and the contributions of individual members of
the Network.
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