Tayebwa Pushes for Greater Financial Independence and Reforms in OACPS

Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa has urged parliamentarians from the Pacific region to support sweeping reforms aimed at bolstering the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) Parliamentary Assembly. Tayebwa, who serves as both President of the OACPS and Co-President of the OACPS-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, held high-level discussions in Brussels on Thursday, 05 November 2026.

A central focus of the consultations was achieving financial independence. Tayebwa highlighted that the assembly’s heavy reliance on external funding has historically complicated planning and restricted its capacity to execute key priorities. To counter this, a proposal has been put forward to establish a common fund backed by contributions from the African, Caribbean, and Pacific regions based on their respective capacities.

According to Tayebwa, members must take ownership of their operations rather than depending solely on outside donors. He emphasized that financial self-sufficiency is vital for translating parliamentary discussions into concrete actions, noting that without autonomous resources, the assembly risks remaining limited to making speeches.

Beyond financial reforms, the discussions covered enhancing regional representation in the assembly’s leadership, boosting the efficiency of committees, and broadening global partnerships. Tayebwa pointed out that Pacific lawmakers bring critical expertise in areas such as climate resilience, oceans, fisheries, and regional connectivity.

He further stressed the importance of formulating an independent agenda that reaches beyond traditional engagements with the European Parliament, fostering deeper cooperation with other international legislative bodies.

The Brussels engagement forms part of an ongoing series of consultations led by Tayebwa across the three OACPS regions. These talks precede the upcoming 65th session of the OACPS Parliamentary Assembly and the wider OACPS-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly meetings, which he is set to co-chair.

For more details on these developments, read the original report on the Parliament of Uganda.