Permanent Secretaries and Senior Executive Officers in the Government Ministries and Integrity Agencies are undergoing a three day training on Integrity and Ethics Agency Improvement Framework this week.

Permanent Secretaries and Senior Executive Officers in the Government Ministries and Integrity Agencies are undergoing a three days training on Integrity and Ethics Agency Improvement Framework at the Heritage Park Hotel in Honiara from 24th May to 26th May 2023.

The training aims to help participants fully understand the “Integrity and Ethics Agency Improvement Framework,” the value of its application in building a culture of integrity within an organisation and to improve ethical standard of Public Servants in the Public Sector.

A central theme of the training is the recognition that integrity and ethics in the public sector are key for building and strengthening strong institutions and assuring citizens that the government is working in their interest, not just for the select few.Speaking during the opening of the training, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the Public Service Mr Nego Sisiolo emphasized the importance of improving and advancing good governance in the Public Sector.

“Senior Public officers held positions of trust with enormous responsibility, we are the stewardship of public trust and we are required to live up and committed to the Code of Conduct established by the Public Service,” said Sisiolo.

Sisiolo said the Public Service Code of Conduct centered around five key principles and they are:- respect for law, respect for people, integrity, diligence, and economy and efficiency.

He added that the training is important and timely because of the changing landscape within the Public Service“It is therefore important to remind ourselves of the Code of Conduct and General Orders to update and redirect ourselves in our positions of responsibilities,” he said.

Sisiolo also thanked the Governments of New Zealand and Japan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for support towards the training.

Also speaking during the opening, The Ambassador of Japan to Solomon Islands, His Excellency Miwa Yoshiyaki assured that the Government of Japan and Solomon Islands will continue to work hand in hand to bring into work place a conducive environment for employees both in public and private sector to see the end of unethical practices in work places.

New Zealand High Commissioner to Solomon Islands, His Excellency Johnathan Schwass also expressed his government’s support for Solomon Island Government’s development priorities and assistance to strengthen systems and processes.

Mr. Schwass, noted that all countries face the challenge of the ensuring the integrity of public servants and addressing corruption.

“In Solomon Islands there is a growing awareness of integrity and corruption issues and more importantly a belief that there are solutions.

“The people of Solomon Islands have a right to expect the best behaviour from their public servants,” he said.He concluded that people right across the Solomon Islands public sector are working to make a difference, and that New Zealand was proud to be supporting those efforts through this new training programme.

Berdi Berdiyev, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative & Country Manager said that the training, is part of UNDP’s support to Solomon Islands to improve integrity and ethics within the public service.

“Taken together, with other interventions we are supporting, this training forms part of a wider anti-corruption project of support that UNDP is currently implementing.

“UNDP looks forward to working with any public sector/Ministry interested in using the framework to assess the ethics and integrity gaps within their agencies and working together to develop initiatives that strengthen integrity and ethics,” he said.

The training is organized by Ministry of Public Service, the Anti-corruption Secretariat under the Office of the Prime Minister and UNDP under the United Nations Pacific Regional Anti-Corruption Programme (UN-PRAC), funded by the Government of New Zealand in cooperation with the Transparency and Accountability for the People of Solomon Islands – the Project for Strengthening the Capacities to Combat Corruption (TAPSCCC) funded by the Governments of Japan and Solomon Islands.

 

Source: Press Release, Government Communications Unit