The second and last bi-annual meeting for the year 2020 between the Vice-President of the Republic, Mr Vincent Meriton and the Citizens Engagement Platforms (CEPS), was held on Monday 31st August 2020 at State House. The aim of the meeting was to evaluate the status of the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two parties in 2018, and to update on key issues such as the development of the CEPS House project, budget and national grants.
It also discussed pertinent issues and budgetary constraints that CEPS is facing during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
The Vice-President took the opportunity to thank members of CEPS for the collaborative work with his office during the past four years and commended them for the excellent relations and fruitful discussions had, including the areas of actions. He avowed that “a lot has been accomplished despite the limitations faced, but the most important is that CEPS has worked tirelessly to keep the voice of the civil society heard.
” The chairman of CEPS, Mr Jude Fred also thanked the government for the working relationship and consultative groups established, “but also strongly believes there should be more collaboration and timely communication between the two.”
Following this meeting, the working group committee between government and CEPS, held their 11th meeting. This meeting is an opportunity for the government representatives and CEPS to discuss cross-cutting issues and strategise on the way forward for more collaboration.
