Good Governance & Leadership
Facilitating Capacity Building on Leadership & Governance
Objectives
- To build the capacity of member churches on governance, leadership and management.
- To strengthen the member churches duty to be transparent and accountable.
- To provide opportunities to fostering ecumenical relations among member churches.
Activities (to achieve the Objectives)
- Initially conduct a 4 weeks training course on the biblical basis for governance, leadership and management. This will then become an annual event to strengthen the churches capacity in the leadership and governance roles they play, and in the management of their resources. The ultimate aim is to build a sustainable future for the churches.
- Conduct church leaders meetings on globalization and trade to strengthen the leadership role of the churches. The challenge is to create economies that would be sustainable and friendly to the environment, while allowing more participation and resource sharing among the people. This is a main point of contention these meetings will be addressing and seeking ways forward for.
- Conduct 4 national youth camps on governance and leadership. The camps will be in part training and part building ecumenical relations.
Programme Assessment
Performance
Most of the activities implemented focused on the importance of being good stewards of resources and good leaders from a biblical viewpoint. They were conducted in collaboration with activities run by the Human Rights programme that include women and children’s rights, employment rights, shelter and basic needs rights and land rights – and how these could be achieved through good governance and leadership.
The other major work was compiling four modules to be used as resource materials for the 4 weeks annual training workshops. The draft modules were completed by the end of March 2010.
Relevance
Participants from Tonga, Kiribati, Solomon Islands and Maohi that have attended workshops conducted so far agree that governance and leadership are vital ingredients for attaining human rights and political governance in their countries.
It is envisaged that upcoming activities in this regard would be both attractive and creative in the approach to create a greater awareness and education of good governance and leadership principles.
Outcomes
Education and awareness will continue to be the main thrust of the programmes aims of promoting governance and leadership as means of fulfilling people’s basic human rights.
However, the performance of political and religious leaders on how they govern and lead also needs to be looked at from an advocacy point.
Issues to consider in this stance would include the leader’s abilities to read the signs of the times we live in and where necessary, make relevant interventions for the benefit of the people.
Women and youth also need to be new target groups for the programme.
There is a definite link between good leadership and the environmental issues facing the Pacific today, in particular regarding to the resettlement of populations. This geo-political shift in the region should cause the churches to reflect on the type of governing leadership that demands a ‘rethinking of our Oceania’.
A good governing framework needs to be in place to move this issue forward and bring forth needed results.
Work Done Up to Date
- Workshop on Good Governance and Leadership in a Time of Political Transition: Tonga 6–9 October 2009
- Workshop on Human Rights, Governance and Leadership: Tahiti 19–22 October 2009
- Workshop on Leadership and Good Governance in a time of Social Change: Vanuatu 16–19 November 2009
Planned Activities
- 4 weeks training course on Good Governance & Leadership: Suva, May to June 2010
- Workshop on Good Governance: Vanuatu, June 2010
- Workshop on Good Governance: Samoa, July 2010
- Pacific Leaders Meeting: Auckland, NZ August 2010
- Workshop on Good Governance: PNG, October 2010
- Establish close networking with REO’S & NGO’S on information sharing on Governance & Leadership: Fiji, September 2010
- Youth workshop on Good Governance focusing on Biblical teaching: Fiji, November 2010