7 July 2015
Councillor Tony Duncan (photo attached) has returned to St Helena having attended the 45th British Isles & Mediterranean Regional (BIMR) Conference in Limassol, Cyprus, from 24-27 May 2015.
The theme of the conference was “Parliaments in the Face of Contemporary Challenges” and it explored current regional and global developments, stimulating open discussions on the relevant challenges and opportunities facing parliamentarians.
Plenary sessions focused on Parliaments and Unemployment and Parliaments and Accountability. Councillor Duncan was able to take part in two of four workshops – Parliamentary Scrutiny of Government Employment Policies and the Responsibilities for MPs Regarding Professional Ethics.
Councillor Duncan found these workshops to be very beneficial to his role on St Helena, and commented:
“The workshop on the responsibilities for MPs regarding professional ethics was particularly useful as discussions focused on MPs being accountable and responsible for their individual areas. We are constantly building this on St Helena and it was useful to learn how professional and political ethics are different.”
Councillor Duncan was also able to network with other delegates, including Welsh MP Joyce Watson AM, and Tim Crookall from the Isle of Man. He added:
“People were very interested in St Helena and I was able to enlighten them about the opening of our Airport in 2016 and encourage them to come and visit our beautiful Island.
“During conversations with delegates I also found out that a lot of other countries had common issues to St Helena and I was able to learn how they are being dealt with.”
Councillor Duncan will compile a full report of his attendance at the BIMR conference which he will present to Legislative Council before making it available on the SHG website.
Councillor Duncan concluded:
“I was pleased that Members selected me to attend this conference which I found very useful, and I will apply everything I have learnt to my role here on St Helena.
“I encourage Councillors to take advantage of opportunities like this because they do highlight the fact that different Parliaments face similar challenges and that ultimately politicians are there to represent their constituents.”
SHG
7 July 2015