SUPPORTING PARLIAMENT’S DIALOGUE WITH CITIZENS AND MEDIA IN TANZANIA

In Tanzania, the Parliament has defined its vision to be an “effective and responsive People’s Parliament” and “to be the voice of the people”. The UN and EU worked with the National Assembly to help it realise its vision, by building public awareness of the roles and responsibilities of the parliament and to improve its public image.

Through a media forum, journalists were provided an opportunity to learn about parliamentary processes, ethics and standards. The forum dealt with issues such as ethical standards in reporting; relationships between media and parliament; media law; and freedom of the press. The forum agreed a way forward to improve the relationship between theparliament and media. It also provided the media with an opportunity to discuss strategies for fighting corruption and improving service delivery.

Several seminars increased opportunities for citizens to comment on performance of their representatives and encouraged dialogue between Members of Parliament and their constituents. Participants learned more about the role and functions of the Parliament and the responsibility of their representatives. Concretely, participants wanted the government at local level to increase public awareness about the Constitution, new laws, public policies, international protocols and conventions and other issues of national interest which impact their lives.