Afghanistan: Helping parliament strengthen democracy
The IPU and UNDP continue to work closely to implement the third phase of their joint project to support the parliament. Activities including advisory support and staff training in the recording of parliamentary proceedings and the workings of a multilingual parliament were completed in October 2006 with the assistance of a senior staff member of the Belgian Parliament. The recently trained staff now have the important task of recording parliamentary proceedings, with a view to preserving institutional memory and promoting transparency in the work of parliament.

Burundi: Improving the functioning of parliament
In November 2006, the IPU, in consultation with the Parliament of Burundi, UNDP and the United Nations Mission in Burundi, finalized a project document in support of the parliament. The project document has been drafted based on the recommendations of an IPU assessment team fielded to Bujumbura in February 2006. It will be presented at a donor conference in early 2007. The overall goal of the project is to contribute to the establishment of a fully operational and efficient parliament that is representative, accountable, transparent and promotes national reconciliation. The project will provide capacity building for members and parliamentary staff on topics such as the role and function of a bicameral parliament; the budget process, including from a gender perspective; oversight of the security sector; and parliament's role in human rights protection and in the promotion of reconciliation. The project will also specifically promote and help to streamline the flow of information and communication, and enhance the documentation facilities and technical capacities of both Houses of the Parliament.

Pakistan: A strategic approach to parliamentary development
In late 2006, the IPU and the Parliament of Pakistan expanded the scope of their 2005 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), under the framework of a joint IPU-UNDP assistance project. Under this MoU, the IPU fielded a resource person to Islamabad in November 2006 to assist in the design of a plan for the physical re-organization, refurbishment and management of the parliamentary library, research and information services, as well as to develop a proposal to streamline and consolidate the services of both Houses. The IPU will inter alia provide expert advice on an orientation/induction programme for members of both Houses and assist with the drafting of a parliamentary procedures handbook for members of the National Assembly.

Egypt: Enhancing parliamentary outreach
The IPU and UNDP Egypt are expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to work together on a project to strengthen the capacity of the Egyptian Parliament in the areas of legislation and oversight of WTO and other trade agreements. In particular, the IPU will provide assistance with a view to enhancing the parliamentary outreach of the People's Assembly. Activities include a review of committee hearing mechanisms and the elaboration of guidelines for the organization and management of public and expert hearings in the context of parliamentary committees. A workshop on comparative experiences in parliamentary outreach tools is also foreseen.

Sri Lanka: Modernizing the institution of parliament
The IPU Secretary General visited Colombo in October 2006 to review progress made in the implementation of the parliamentary modernization project developed following earlier IPU missions and to hold consultations with a view to reforming the parliamentary committee system. In November 2006, he returned to Colombo, accompanied by an expert from South Africa. During this second visit, they formulated a detailed proposal for the establishment of oversight committees within the Parliament of Sri Lanka. The proposal is currently under consideration by the Sri Lankan authorities and is expected to garner broad-based support. The IPU and UNDP will provide support for implementing the proposal.