Parliamentarian's Implementation Watch
"Government leaders go to international meetings, make beautiful speeches but sometimes forget about their promises. Parliamentarians can make a difference, and I commend PNoWB’s efforts to monitor and promote action to meet the MDGs."
Eveline Herfkens, UN Secretary General’s Executive Coordinator for the Millennium Development Goals Campaign
The Parliamentarians’ Implementation Watch (PIW) was launched on August 30t, 2002 during the UN Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg,, as part of the global effort to involve parliamentarians towards achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). PIW envisions that parliamentarians with their representation and oversight functions can promote and monitor governments’ efforts to put countries on track to meet the MDGs.
The objectives of PIW are to:
(1) help translate commitments into real action on the ground benefiting the poor;
(2) assess the role and increase the accountability of governments and multilateral organizations, such as the Word Bank, the IMF, the regional development banks and the UN.
The PIW four main tasks are to:
(1) produce and disseminate regular updates for parliamentarians on selected issues;
(2) connect parliamentarians with other parliamentary networks, civil society organisations, multilateral organisations, the private sector and the media;
(3) identify appropriate parliamentary action to support the MDGs;
(4) build parliamentarians’ capacities
Features:
- PIW identified trade an education as key priorities. Two intelligence briefs have been produced so far on trade and education and respectively address the post-Cancun situation and the campaign for universal primary education. Emphasis is made on how parliaments can expand their role in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
Please click here to download the PIW’s Intelligence Brief on Trade
- PNoWB made a key contribution to the Conference on “Mobilising Parliamentarians for Development”, held in Vienna on June 11-13, 2005 and organised by the World Bank. The conference brought together parliamentarians and secretariat staff from 26 parliamentary organisations, along with representatives from 10 thinks tanks and foundations, and 17 bilateral agencies and multilateral organisations. Participants agreed to create an informal alliance of parliamentarians for development to promote and coordinate action.
- PNoWB partnered with the World Bank, the Inter-European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development (IEPFPD) and Interact Worldwide to organise the “G8 International Parliamentarians’ Conference on Development in Africa” , hosted by the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh on June 6-7, 2005. The conference brought together 80 MPs from G8, Africa and European countries to urge G8 leaders to act on aid, trade and debt. Parliamentary delegates to the Conference addressed an open letter to President Bush and Prime Minister Blair, urging the G8 countries to take concrete actions to support the goals set froth by the Commission for Africa.
Please click here to download the Open Letter to President Bush and Prime Minster Blair
Please click here to download the Edinburgh Declaration
- On February 27-28, 2005, the High Level Donor Parliamentarians Conference in Naples organised by PNoWB and the World Bank attested the parliamentarians’ commitment to coordinating their efforts to advocate on the “2005 international development agenda”.
- In parallel to international efforts, PNoWB members strive to promote action on the MDGs at home. For example, on May 26, 2005 PNoWB member and US representative Betty McCollum introduced a non-binding resolution (H.Con.Res 172) articulating Congress' support of the MDGs. The resolution called for increased US leadership in aiding the international community to help achieve these goals.