BY IRWIN ANGIKI

The country’s institute of accountants (ISIA) has added its voice to the growing call for government action to investigate the audit report findings on the economic stimulus package (ESP).

ISIA’s call joins that of the Leader of Opposition Matthew Wale, Transparency Solomon Islands (TSI), Solomon Islands Council of Trade Union (SICTU), and public for government and relevant authorities to act on the OAG report of the economic stimulus package (ESP) 2020-2021.

Chair of parliament’s public accounts committee Gordon Darcy Lilo, MP for Central Honiara, has told media that he intends on initiating a full hearing into the OAG’s ESP report.

In a statement themed ‘Drastic Reforms in Public Sector Financial Reporting Standards and Strengthening of Integrity Institutions is the way forward’, the Institute of Solomon Islands Accountants (ISIA) said:

“The seriousness of these breaches calls for immediate government action to further investigate based on the findings of the Auditor General to hold those responsible for these breaches to account.

“These investigations must be pursued with all the due process required, and with the assurance of the integrity and independence of the authorities concerned. 

“Any conflict of interest, or perceptions thereof, of those involved in these inquiries or investigations should be avoided.

“A credible mechanism including relevant central agencies of the Government and watchdog institutions should provide the necessary support and impetus to appropriate authorities like RSIPF and Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to take these matters further to conclusive outcomes.

“Effective deterrents and consequences are a necessary part of longer term structural and capacity improvements in public financial management in Government.”

Meanwhile, ISIA also recommends strengthening of integrity institutions such the Office of the Auditor General (OAG), Solomon Islands Commission Against Corruption (SICAC), the Leadership Code Commission (LCC), the Office of the Ombudsman, and Transparency Solomon Islands (TSI).

“This practically means that the Government should ensure that these organisations are fully resourced (and truly independent).

“This is how the Government can practically show their commitment to the fight against corruption – by ensuring high standards of transparency and accountability over the systems and processes through which public resources are being managed and allocated.”

The OAG released its audit of the ESP on Wednesday last week. The audit covered the ESP from 2020-2021.

The report’s findings revealed ‘major fraud risk, poor to non-existent administrative controls and almost zero transparency in the disbursement of $309 million in government funds’, an OAG statement this week described.

BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

The Solomon Islands has launched its first-ever Human Rights Defenders (HRD) Network working committee, marking a significant step in the country’s commitment to human rights advocacy.

The formation of the Network was announced during a workshop focused on developing a protection strategy for human rights, held from October 8th to 10th in Honiara.

The newly established HRD working committee consists of a chair and six members, who will tackle various human rights issues within the country. Participants at the workshop discussed both short- and long-term objectives for the Network, emphasizing the importance of collaboration with local and regional stakeholders.

The workshop, funded by the Swiss Embassy in Canberra, brought together human rights defenders from the Solomon Islands, students from the University of the South Pacific Solomon Islands and Solomon Islands National University, as well as civil society organizations and HRDs from Fiji and Vanuatu.

Organized by the Pacific Human Rights Defenders Network (PHRDN) in partnership with the United Nations Human Rights (OHCHR) office, the three-day event was a crucial step towards fostering a robust human rights framework in the Solomon Islands.

BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), a leading UN entity on human rights has globally documented at least 34 women human rights defenders killed in conflict-affected countries in 2022.

“But this is likely only a fraction of the real number,’’ said OHCHR Pacific Regional Office Regional Representative, Ms Heike Alefsen.

Heike said that according to data gathered by OHCHR Global in 2023, 320 human rights defenders, journalists and trade unionists in 40 countries were killed.

“Many of them while protecting nature and the environment,’’ she said.

She said that women human rights defenders from the Pacific have been demanding tailored support given the specific obstacles and threats they face.

“Such as violence from sorcery-related accusations, discriminatory customary laws and policies, restrictive legislation, gender-based violence, and sexualised online harassment and bullying,’’ said Heike.

She said that women human rights defenders face sorcery and witchcraft accusations while defending human rights.

She said that while sorcery accusations can be levelled at both men and women, most of the victims of violence have been women.

“With authoritarianism and repression increasing around the world, and in the context of the record the rights to freedom of expression, to assembly and association, in particular peaceful protest, are also under attack,’’ she said.

She said that human rights defenders are sometimes attacked or intimated for engaging with the UN on various issues.

“Each year the UN Secretary-General prepares and presents a report to the Human Rights Council titled “Cooperation with the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights”.

“These reports provide an update on the trends and subject of intimidation and reprisals for cooperation with the UN from 2015 to 2024 and you can find these reports on the OHCHR website. I urge you to use these UN mechanisms and have your say in shaping a shaper world for the human rights defenders,’’ she said.

BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

Human rights defenders see a better future for all and know how to make that future a reality said Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) for the Pacific, Ms. Heike Alefsen.

Heike said when delivering her key remarks during the Pacific Human Rights Defenders Network (PHRDN) workshop on Tuesday this week at the Heritage Park Hotel.

The Pacific Human Rights Defenders Network (PHRDN) organized the workshop with funding from the Swiss Embassy based in Canberra.

The three-day event aims to initiate discussions on developing National Action Plans (NAP) for HRD protection. This workshop will build on the knowledge from the Vanuatu workshop in February 2024.

“It is my pleasure to start my remarks for this important gathering with a quote from our United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Tuerk. 

“We all have the right – and the responsibility – to defend human rights. This was the simple yet powerful idea behind the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the General Assembly 50 years after that same body adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR),’’ said Heike.

She said that it is defenders who continue to make human rights a priority during these challenging times, with conflicts raging in various parts of the world and increasing inequalities in and between countries globally.

“But also, in situations closer to home in the Pacific where HRDs monitor and speak out about trends in backsliding on democratic freedoms and the rights of indigenous peoples, pressure on social protection funding, lack of equal distribution of resources to communities left most behind, distressing levels of violence against women and children, violations of human rights often despite limited resources or funds,’’ she said.

She said that Human Rights Defenders must be recognized for the value they bring to democracies and societies. 

She said that while some Governments may be taking a selective approach to human rights, Pacific HRDs face a multitude of risks from being targeted through online and offline hate speech.

“Constraints on freedom of assembly and difficulty in obtaining legal recognition for their associations, as well as in some cases, arbitrary arrest and detention, harassment, torture and worse.  Women human rights defenders in the Pacific are often seen as defying social or religious norms and threatening social and customary structures, and sometimes face attacks by both government and non-state actors, both offline and online,’’ she said.