For the past few years, the issue of parliamentary strengthening in the Pacific Islands has been growing in importance. Donors and local stakeholders alike have come to realise that most governance issues are highly dependent on the overarching political governance frameworks within which Executive decision-making, lawmaking and oversight take place. A growing body of evidence suggests that constituents across the Pacific are unable to articulate their needs and demands to national leaders, suggesting systemic failures in democratic governance. Pacific Islanders need legitimate state institutions of governance in which their deepest aspirations and needs can find voice. Since the drafting of the Millennium Declaration in 2000, these issues have been brought into greater focus with the need to develop proactive regulatory networks to allow for the conceptualization, consultation and drafting of enabling legislation to allow for the realization of the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs).