Working to support and strengthen democracyaround the world through developing political

parties and parliamentary institutions

annualreview2009

contentsChair’s Welcome

CEO’s Foreword

Political Party DevelopmentThe Labour PartyThe Conservative PartyThe Liberal DemocratsThe smaller parties

Parliamentary StrengtheningAfricaEuropeMiddle East and North AfricaAsia

The Westminster Consortiumfor Parliaments and Democracy

Patrons, Governors and Heads of Teams

Financial Summary andIndependent Auditors’ Report

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Chair’s WelcomeI am delighted to introduce WestminsterFoundation for Democracy's Annual Review.

There is a growing recognition of theimportance of good governance as apre-requisite for tackling poverty, as well asbeing important in its own right. Over thepast year WFD has been engaged around theworld in strengthening democratic institutions,particularly national parliaments andpolitical parties.

We rely on core funding from the Foreign andCommonwealth Office, for which much thanks.Recently, we have embarked with our partnersin the Westminster Consortium on a project forthe Department for International Developmentto strengthen five developing democraciesaround the world. The Foundation’s expertisein supporting the development of politicalparties and parliaments is also being usedthrough a number of individual agreementsin specific countries.

I have now been Chair of WFD for a year andwant to express my thanks to WFD staff andGovernors for their hard work. During the yearwe have experienced a number of changes inGovernors. I want to pay tribute in particular tomy predecessor, Hugh Bayley MP, who ChairedWFD for three years. It is a testament to theimportance of WFD’s work that it attracts andretains the interest of a large number of MPsacross the political spectrum.

This year also saw the departure of DavidFrench after six years as Chief Executive. Weare delighted to welcome Linda Duffield asour new Chief Executive. She joins us from theForeign and Commonwealth Office, where shewas most recently Britain’s Ambassador to theCzech Republic.

I hope you will find this Annual Reviewinteresting and informative. It aims to presenta sample of the wide range of work we haveundertaken, and the many countries in whichwe have been involved. To illustrate the manyways we are helping, there are a number ofcase studies which bring the work to life.

Meg Munn MPChair

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SIERRA LEOnE

UkRAInE

GEORGIA

MACEDOnIA

“There is a growingrecognition of theimportance of goodgovernance as apre-requisite fortackling poverty”

“Our core parliamentarystrengthening programmes are

now multi-year, multi-project,multi-partner programmes and

all involve cross-party workwith the Westminster based

political parties”

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LEBAnOn

EGyPT

kEnyAUGAnDA

MOzAMBIqUE

CEO’s ForewordThe Westminster Foundation for Democracy(WFD) is the Uk’s primary democracydeliverer, specialising in parliamentarystrengthening and political party development.I was pleased to join WFD this year, at a time ofincreased growth – both wider and deeper – forthe organisation. WFD has had considerablesuccess in 2008-09, consolidating existingpolitical party and parliamentary strengtheningprogrammes as well as attracting new fundingfrom a range of sources to develop newpartnerships and programmes.

In particular, the geographical scope andthematic focus of our work has broadened.We now design, develop and implement majorparliamentary strengthening programmesaround the world. Whilst the majority of ourprogrammes continue to be in Central andEastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East,WFD is now also embarking on new programmesin Asia. Our core parliamentary strengtheningprogrammes are now multi-year, multi-project,multi-partner programmes and all involve cross-party work with the Westminster based politicalparties. In those countries where we have long-term programmes, we now have dedicated fieldoffices to ensure the effective delivery ofprogrammes and to maintain close contactwith local partners and stakeholders.

WFD also continues to run a number of party-to-party projects with and through the Ukpolitical parties. This work aims to build thecapacity of like-minded parties to developeffective policy based platforms, which givevoters a real choice; to build party structures

and enable elected representatives to engagemore effectively with their electorates; and tolearn new communications and campaigningtechniques. All of this work underpins ourparliamentary strengthening programmesand remains a crucial pillar of WFD’s work.

As WFD has earned a reputation as asuccessful provider of long-term, sustainabledemocracy strengthening programmes aroundthe world, we have also built close and effectivepartnerships with other Uk and internationalagencies working in similar fields. We hope todiversify and strengthen this collaboration inthe coming year.

I hope you enjoy reading our Annual Reviewand look forward to hearing from you in thenear future.

Linda Duffield CMGCEO

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The Labour Party organises projects in solidaritywith likeminded political parties around theworld in their struggle to achieve social justice,equality of opportunity and a fair society for all.

Our projects predominantly centre in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Balkans, and the Middle Eastalthough we are also active in the Caribbean,South East Asia and South America. We supportparties as they develop their party organisation,campaigning and policy making processes.

Working with women is a consistent themethroughout our work as we seek to tackleprejudice and equalise representation:

In Africa, we promoted the objectives of theAfrica Women’s Protocol. This was developedby Africans to improve the representationof women, including in political parties. Aprogramme of work was identified to betterequip women for political life and to betterengage in dialogue with men. This ran alongsidea separate programme which discussed issuessurrounding energy and the environment.

In the Balkans, we discussed the role of womenin the development of post-conflict society.Women do not always play a major role, despiterepresenting more than half of the population.

The 2009 parliamentary elections in Indonesiarequired 30 per cent of candidates to bewomen; some of whom were coming intoParliament for the first time. We trained aselection of candidates and their parties in howto transform campaign promises into policy.

Working with women remained a key focus in ourcross-party work in Ethiopia and Sierra Leone inrecognition of the importance of involvingwomen in a modern pluralist democracy.

“Our values of fairness,justice and equality ofopportunity are applicableworldwide. The LabourParty is committed toensuring that theseprinciples are central tothe work we do withpolitical parties andgovernments. We wishthe Foundation continuedsuccess in all its work topromote multi-partydemocracy and goodgovernance aroundthe world.”Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP, Prime Ministerand Leader of the Labour Party

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The Labour Party organised a regional workshop for its contacts and sister parties across Africawhich focused on improving the representation of women. This workshop was based on the Protocolto the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (the AfricaWomen’s Protocol) which came into force in Africa in 2005. The Protocol commits the signatorystates to adopt all measures necessary for women to enjoy their rights and to provide budgetary andother resources for the full and effective implementation of these rights. The Protocol is an Africaninitiative developed by Africans and reinforces the rights of women.

The workshop consisted of a series of meetings with key stakeholders involved in promoting therepresentation of women in the Labour Party. It discussed promoting equality across society, in theLabour Party and in Parliament. All of the speakers enjoyed the opportunity to meet with the groupand learnt as much from them as the participants did. As with all regional workshops, it was anexcellent opportunity for the participants to exchange experiences and contact details. It alsohelped the Labour Party better understand the position of women in Africa, and learn about whatsteps they have already taken to improve it.

On the basis of this workshop, funding was subsequently secured for further regional workshopsin Africa; one to involve men and one to provide media skills training.

Women's training in Africa, 2009

CASE STUDY Promoting the Participationof Women in Public Office

political party development

equalityfairnesssolidarity

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“The efforts that theLabour Party is taking

to develop a tool-kitaround the challenges ofenergy, the environment

and the economy ishighly appreciated by

Chama Cha Mapinduzias we work in solidarityto tackle these issues.”

Chama Cha Mapinduzi

The Conservative Party plays a key role in thestrengthening and spread of those values andinstitutions – including democracy, the rule oflaw, and individual liberty – which are at theheart of the Conservative tradition, in emergingdemocracies across the world.

Two key themes of our work during the lastyear have been:

Helping parties develop active structures, witha strong membership base, that communicateregularly with the local population; and

Strengthening understanding of theConservative values that underpin parties’political activities and make their organisationscohesive and durable.

Activities aimed at developing grassrootsorganisations have included:

Working with the Forum for DemocraticChange in Uganda to establish well-structuredand active local branches of its Women’sOrganisation.

Training young, newly-elected councillors fromG17 Plus in Serbia in how to organise andcampaign effectively in their local communities.

The work undertaken to strengthenunderstanding of the importance ofConservative principles and beliefshas included:

Seminars with women and youth from centre-right parties in Serbia to look at the role ofConservative values in the development andcommunication of policy.

Organising a conference for young Africanleaders of the Democratic Union of Africacentre-right network to examine the formulationof Conservative approaches to issues of tradeand economic development in Africa.

Holding a workshop for young leaders fromcentre-right parties in Latin America and theCaribbean looking at how free-market policiescan be used to solve the problems faced byemerging democracies.

“The WestminsterFoundation for Democracycontinues to perform avital task in spreadingdemocratic values andbuilding institutions at atime when hard wonfreedoms are under attackin many parts around theworld. The uniquestructure of theFoundation enables theBritish political parties toshare their expertise and totake a leading role inconsolidating democraticchange and goodgovernance.”Rt Hon David Cameron MP, ConservativeParty Leader and Leader of the Opposition

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Working with young politicians to develop both their policy and campaigning skills is a keycomponent of the Conservative Party WFD Programme. We organised a regional seminar for youngrepresentatives of centre-right political parties from the Balkans and Eastern Europe at kolasin inMontenegro from August 2008. The Summer School participants came from 11 parties and eightcountries across the Balkans and Eastern Europe: Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Bulgaria,Romania, Czech Republic, and Hungary.

The intensive seminar programme took the form of a simulated election campaign starting with pre-election planning and ending with the party strategies for the last 48 hours of the campaign. Using aseries of interactive exercises the participants were taken through all the key elements of an electioncampaign including: the development of policy, formulation of messages, planning the electioncampaign, designing campaign literature, and dealing with crises. At the end of the programme theteams of participants presented party manifestos and literature that they had developed during thecourse of the seminar.

This seminar introduced the participants to the latest campaign techniques being used by theConservative Party. In addition, it strengthened the regional centre-right network of parties, andbrought together young politicians from different countries to share their own experiences, helpingto develop enduring and sustainable contacts between them.

CASE STUDY Balkan youth Summer School

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political party development

individual libertydemocratic institutionsgood governance

The Liberal Democrats work to developdemocracy, based on the values of liberalism, inAfrica, Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

Our WFD projects aim to build capacity withinliberal, democratic political parties in thesepriority areas. We exchange skills with oursister parties in areas such as policy making,communications techniques, party organisation,promoting the role of youth and women inpolitics, and strengthening local government.Last year we were active in 17 countries rangingfrom Moldova to Malawi.

One good example of our work is thecooperation we have with the LiberalDemocratic Party (LDP) in Serbia. We havehelped the LDP develop their policy-makingskills with a series of in-country workshops led bypolicy specialists from the Lib Dems in London.This has been welcomed by the LDP because ithas helped them define new policies whichappeal to the voters. We also enabledrepresentatives of the LDP to observe the 2009European election effort of our sister party inSlovenia. This will help the LDP, one of themost pro-EU parties in Serbia, take part inthe important debate on EU accession inthat country.

We also work at a regional level to strengthencooperation between likeminded liberaldemocratic political parties. We thereforesupport the Africa Liberal network, based inLondon, and the network of Arab Liberals,based in Cairo, which bring together Liberalparties from these regions.

A recent example of our regional work is theworkshop we organized for the members of theAfrica Liberal network in Abidjan. This eventbought together ALn members from 15 Africancountries to formulate a new policy on the Roleof Women in African politics. The policydocument agreed at the end of the workshopwill be presented to the Executive of the ALnfor adoption by all 17 member parties. The aimis to have one agreed liberal policy on thisimportant issue agreed across the region.

“The work we in the LiberalDemocrats do with WFD isimportant – we have greatexperience within the Partyat both national and locallevels of working within ademocratic system and weare delighted to share thatexperience with our like-minded Liberal partnersin new and emergingdemocracies in Africa,Eastern Europe and theMiddle East. Our excellentcooperation with the WFDenables us to do this.”Rt Hon Nick Clegg MP, Leader of theLiberal Democrats

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The Liberal Democrats are working with the LDP on a cross-party Serbia programme as part of theFCO’s Strategic Programme Fund.

As the second of a series of seminars and training sessions for the Serbian LDP, Chris Saunders andSteve Lotinga travelled to Belgrade and Serbia’s third largest city, nis. Over the three day trip theLiberal Democrat trainers held a one day seminar with party activists and two days of workshopswith party staff helping the Serbian LDP create policy and develop a communications strategy toengage voters.

The LDP, although still a young party, has made great advances in recent years; through a systemof proportional representation they now have 14 MPs in the Serbian parliament. now that a stablecoalition has been formed in Serbia, the LDP see this as an ideal opportunity to develop a distinctand relevant set of policies.

Moving beyond issues of security the LDP is keen to find solutions to address people’s concernsabout their quality of life, the environment and entry into the European Union. The workshopsheld focussed specifically on campaigning on environmental issues and selling the positives ofthe European Union and the steps which need to be taken to join.

One further trip is planned to help the LDP complete a policy plan, and we hope a workingrelationship will go on long beyond this.

CASE STUDY Serbian Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)Policy Development Programme

cooperationcommunityqualityof life

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political party development

Communications between urban and rural areasis of great importance to the smaller parties.This can not be underestimated in Africa wherelarge countries combined with poverty and alack of infrastructure prevents effectivecommunications from taking place. To keepboth the grassroots and the leadership informed,the Scottish national Party (SnP) through itsWFD programme and with the Forum forDemocracy and Development (FDD) facilitateda number of seminars across eastern zambia inAugust 2008. This was a two-way process thatenabled the party grassroots to voice theirconcerns and the pressing issues of their regionand for the leadership to inform the grassrootson national events. The SnP continues to engagewith the FDD in these areas.

Democratic Unionist PartyIn 2008-09, the DUP began a new regionalfocus in namibia as elections were due totake place in november 2009. The DUP alsobegan tentatively exploring engagement inSouth Africa where a number of partiesshare similar ideologies.

Plaid CymruEastern Ukraine was where Plaid Cymrusupported its partners in 2008-09. Bringingyoung people together from throughout thecountry to share techniques on campaigningand branch organisation proved invaluable.Sharing skills and techniques gives youthfurther confidence in political engagement.

Scottish National PartyThe SnP continued to develop its relationshipsin Malawi and zambia. The SnP sharedexperiences of rural constituency engagement inboth countries with their partners. This allowedconstituents to raise directly their concerns.Both countries have strong connections withScotland that the SnP wants to strengthen.

Social Democratic and Labour PartyThe SDLP also developed its engagement withsocialist youth in Georgia. Future cooperationwill look at issues of conflict resolution and thepivotal role that youth plays in reconciliation.

Ulster Unionist PartyIn cooperation with the DUP and the SDLP, theUUP engaged politicians in Lebanon on conflictresolution. This happened prior to the electionsin 2009 and provided an opportunity for theLebanese politicians to discuss issues of buildingcross-community consensus.

CASE STUDYParty communicationsin zambia

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The smaller partiesDuring 2008-09, the smaller parties continued todevelop their WFD programmes on the engagementof women and youth, communications with ruralelectorates and conflict resolution. Working withsmaller political parties provides real choice to theelectorate and assists in consolidating multi-partydemocracy. The smaller parties also worked with theWestminster parties on the Ethiopia and Macedoniacross-party programmes.

“raising our handsfor democracy”

africaKenyaThe focus of the kenya programme in 2008-09has been on democratic engagement betweenconstituents and their elected representatives.The WFD programme has approached thisby working at both the parliamentary andconstituency level.

Encouraging parliament to be more transparentwas a key objective of this programme. One ofthe outcomes from the Speaker of the kenyanational Assembly’s (knA) study visit to theWestminster parliament, organised by WFDin April 2008, was a desire to develop theirParliamentary Broadcast Unit (PBU). WFD,supported by DfID and in partnership with theknA PBU, developed a tailored programme oftechnical and journalistic training for the PBU.These training sessions were delivered by theThomson Reuters Foundation in London andnairobi. The programme was successful inproviding professional training in the latestjournalistic techniques and methodologies.This contributed to the PBU’s capability inconnecting people with their parliament andSpeaker Marende has recently introduced livebroadcasting of parliamentary proceedings.

“The course will greatlyimprove the quality of myreports generated fromparliament – timely too!”Neelly Moraa – TV Reporter, KenyaNational Assembly

At the constituency level, WFD cooperatedwith civil society organisations to encouragea better understanding of the ConstituencyDevelopment Fund (CDF) and theopportunities that this provides for moreinclusive governance. Although the CDF wascreated to ensure equal development across allthe country’s constituencies, its political effecthas been adverse. Allegations that the funds arenot maximised have contributed to a negativeperception of MPs and a general disaffectionwith politics. This programme, targeting fourconstituencies in Central, Coast and nyanza,explored participatory methods of governancewith regards to the CDF. This programme helpedsupport civil society and politicians to worktogether and to foster inclusive governance.

UgandaIn Uganda, WFD worked with the Foundation forHuman Rights Initiative (FHRI) to strengthen thecapacity of local councils especially in the area ofparticipatory budgeting and planning, publicaccountability and awareness of human rights.One outcome of this focused support was a ‘GoodPractice Guide in Local Government’ in the fourdistricts of Mukono, nakasongola, Tororo andMayuge. This Guide was developed in conjunctionwith MPs and councillors and the project wastherefore able to engage directly with local leadersof authority. The success of this programme led tothe Guide being used by the Ugandan Ministry ofLocal Government. WFD is further extending theprogramme to another four districts, asdevelopment tools like the Guide are neededbefore the 2011 elections if local councillors andleaders are to be able to deliver effectively.

Sierra LeoneSince 1996 many institutional reforms havebeen carried out and structures put in place tostrengthen democracy in Sierra Leone. In a bid

to assess some of the challenges to this process,WFD in partnership with Conflict Managementand Development Associates (CMDA),conducted a baseline survey on civicparticipation in multi-party democracy in SierraLeone and an opinion poll on the presidentialand parliamentary elections in the country.

The results of these surveys, shared with theSierra Leonean political parties and civilsociety organisations, provided concreterecommendations to improve the parliamentarysystem. This work is now being taken forward toensure that the findings around the needs of theelectorate as well as the identified challengesfor constructive engagement between MPsand their constituencies are taken forwardand holistic solutions are found.

"Confronted with theresults of the baselinesurvey on MPs and theirengagement with theirconstituents in SierraLeone…these legislatorsfrom across all three politicalparties have become moreakin in improving theirrepresentativeresponsibilities totheir people."Momoh Taziff Koroma, Associate Director,Conflict Managementand DevelopmentAssociates (Sierra Leone)

parliamentarystrengthening

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Westminster Foundation for Democracy2009 annual review

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europeMacedoniaAs Macedonia prepares for negotiations forEuropean Union membership, many changeshave been taking place in the country,particularly in public administration. TheFoundation’s programme has been designedto assist the Assembly of the Republic ofMacedonia (ARM) build its capacity. The focusover the last 12 months has been on the work ofthe parliamentary parties, where WFD hasprovided a forum for cross-party dialogue andcooperation. Initiatives to increase theeffectiveness of the Parliament were discussedand developed during workshops and haveachieved broad agreement amongst MPs.A good example of this is the new ‘Law onParliament’, creating a cross-party oversightinstrument on parliamentary resources for thefirst time. Over the next year, an ambitiousprogramme of courses for parliamentary staffwill begin with the aim of improving theprofessional support given to MPs.

CASE STUDY: Financialscrutiny for parliamentary staffThirteen parliamentary staff from theParliamentary Audit Department, the financesector and committee staff attended athree-day module earlier this year focusingon financial oversight and scrutiny. The course,run by the Uk national Audit Office, theCenter for Economic Analysis and trainers fromthe Macedonian State Audit Office providedtraining to parliamentary staff to identify waysin which they can better support relevant

parliamentary committees, to identify sourcesof external expert advice and to understandmodern developments in public financialmanagement. Practical exercises helped staff tobetter understand: the budget-setting process;how committees scrutinise budget proposals;how to use departmental reports to preparebackground briefs for parliamentary committees;as well as the role of a Supreme Audit Institutionand how it can work effectively with parliament.

“By continually improvingthe skills of MPs andofficials, we shall be betterprepared… The Assemblyhighly values the practicalassistance offered by thisprogramme.”Trajko Veljanoski, Speaker of the Assembly ofthe Republic of Macedonia

“The partnership with theWestminster Foundationfor Democracy has provento be a strong and powerfulmechanism for developinginnovative and creativeconcepts for accomplishingthe objectives we have

jointly specified. Thecurricula developed forstrengthening the skills ofMPs, Parliament officesand of the journalistsis a unique and distinctiveapproach for thesustainable developmentof the expertise andproficiency of thesegroups. By fine-tuningthis concept to fit theneeds of our beneficiariesand the local context,we have boldly providedthe foundation for aguaranteed success.Therefore, theWestminster Foundationfor Democracy willcontinue to be one of thebest organizations we arestrongly committed towork with.”Zaneta Trajkoska Director of the School ofJournalism and Public Relations (local partner)

“We are extremely pleasedby the way the seminar wasorganised and by theexpertise we gained…I hope we will continuethese training programmestogether with theWestminster Foundationfor Democracy and CEA inorder to acquire new skillsand experiences which willbe needed in order to fulfilour everyday work tasks.”Djemaljedin Nedjipi, Head of Unit for InternalAudit, Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia.

UkraineIn Ukraine, there has been intensive debateabout the country’s future political structures.Two of the main political parties have beenarguing for a parliamentary system, as opposedto the current mixed presidential – parliamentarysystem. Whatever system the Ukrainianseventually choose, the Parliament will alwaysplay an important role in Ukraine’s democracy.WFD has developed a programme in the areasof parliamentary process, access to information,financial oversight and parliament – civil societyrelations, in partnership with the UkrainianParliament, Ukrainian experts and their Ukcounterparts. Training courses which aim toimprove working practices and encourage betterworking relationships between Parliament,journalists and civil society, are currently beingimplemented as part of the five year programme.

middleeast andnorthafricaDuring 2008/09, WFD’s work in the MiddleEast and north Africa (MEnA) has focusedon a number of specific issues related toparliamentary strengthening, mainly inEgypt and Lebanon, including enhancing theparliament’s financial oversight role, developinga stronger parliamentary ethics regime, trainingand building capacity for key players, andstrengthening access to information.

EgyptThe Egypt parliamentary programme, now inits third year, has engendered engagement andtrust between different political actors throughexchanging knowledge and experiences,bringing together MPs in the Uk and in Egypt.Our approach to parliamentary supportharnesses the power of dialogue and promotesthe exchange of best practice. In March 2009,a workshop on The Party Caucuses and theLower and Upper Chambers of Parliamentengaged Members of both houses from the Ukand Egypt in a successful roundtable discussionfor the first time.

Throughout the Middle East, WFD iscommitted to focusing on the key role of

women in the democratic process and tofacilitating their wider participation. Weapproach this issue through running specificprojects in Egypt and across the region; projectswhich explore women’s experiences in electionsand campaigning, and projects to train campaignmanagers in preparation for supporting womencandidates during elections.

LebanonWFD’s programme to develop the financialoversight role of the Lebanese Parliamentprogressed well in 2008/09. An advisoryunit made up of skilled specialists has beenlaunched, aimed at strengthening the Parliament’scapacity to hold the Executive to account and tomonitor government spending.

This year, WFD has pursued its efforts tocontribute to peace building and to reducingcommunal conflicts in Lebanon by exposing itsleaders to the experiences of northern Ireland.Ten trainers from the Lebanese Organisationfor Studies and Training (LOST) participated incivic youth work training in Belfast and exploredissues of conflict resolution. This training wasconducted by Public Achievements, northernIreland's leading youth-focused civiceducation organisation.

Regional programmesAs part of our commitment to strengtheningdemocracy across the region, WFD also ran anumber of regional programmes in the MiddleEast. They included a project with GlobalParliamentarians Against Corruption (GoPAC)and Arab Parliamentarians Against Corruption(ARPAC), which focused on parliamentaryethics systems as a way to strengthen the role ofparliament in anti-corruption strategies and toimprove public perceptions of parliament. Ahandbook on parliamentary ethics regimes hasbeen completed, the purpose of which is to

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Westminster Foundation for Democracy2009 annual review

describe and explain a system of ethics and toidentify the key issues for politicians in developing,implementing and enforcing such a system. Thispublication will serve as a useful resource and afocal point for parliaments and parliamentariansacross the region.

WFD has also been supporting the productionof an analytical framework for use by donors andreform-minded parliamentarians, in partnershipwith Global Partners. This tool will provide a wayof assessing the political and contextual factorsthat shape parliamentary performance and serveas the basis for a more strategic approach todesigning and implementing parliamentaryreform programmes.

WFD’s work in strengthening public fundscontrol took on a regional role through aproject delivered with the Arab AnticorruptionOrganisation which provided analysis andevaluation of the current state of fiscal controland monitoring mechanisms in five countries(Lebanon, Morocco, Egypt, yemen and Jordan)as well as producing concrete measures, policiesand guidance aimed at improving their publicexpenditure monitoring systems.

asiaHong KongIn February 2009, WFD hosted a cross-partydelegation from the three main Hong kongpolitical parties to visit the Uk Parliament andpolitical parties. Legislative Council membersand representatives of the Civic Party, DemocraticParty and Democratic Alliance for the Bettermentof Hong kong (DAB) attended. This visithighlighted certain areas for WFD support tobuild capacity in the Hong kong political parties,specifically around grassroots campaigning.

Following on from this, WFD conducted atraining workshop on planning and deliveringeffective election campaigns in Hong kong,facilitated by the British Consulate-General.The workshop was based on an interactivelearning approach and included sessions ondeveloping campaign strategy, planning forpolling day, communicating with voters andcampaigning year round.

“Westminster Foundationfor Democracy and theFCO are natural partners,working together in manyparts of the world. I recentlyvisited a democracybuilding project in HongKong which is just the kindof small-scale project theFCO should be funding.”Sir Peter Ricketts, Permanent Under SecretaryandformerHeadofHongKongDepartment,FCO

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As support to legislatures is now recognisedas a priority for donors and governance actors,The Westminster Consortium for Parliamentsand Democracy, a new collaboration ofinstitutions engaged in parliamentarystrengthening, led and managed by WFD,has begun to develop sustainable centresof learning in the parliaments with which itcurrently works. The Consortium consistsof WFD, International Bar Association,Commonwealth Parliamentary Association –Uk Branch, House of Commons OverseasOffice, Thomson Reuters Foundation,University of Essex – Centre for DemocraticGovernance and the national Audit Office.

The Consortium is developing and deliveringparliamentary strengthening programmes infive countries – Ukraine, Georgia, Lebanon,Uganda and Mozambique – over five yearsunder DfID’s Governance and TransparencyFund (GTF). The programmes centre onfour areas: financial oversight; parliamentaryreporting and access to information;parliamentary process and management;and parliament – civil society engagement.

WFD signed the £5m contract with DfID earlierthis year, making way for the recruitment of localstaff, the establishment of field offices and thelocalisation of course curriculum content to bedelivered by both local and Consortium partners.

The Consortium’s most significantachievements in 2008/09 were theidentification of local partners with whom wewill deliver programmes in all countries, thesigning of memoranda of understanding withall the participating parliaments, and thecompletion of baseline assessments ofparliamentary performance to informprogramme content. Development of curriculaand the roll out of training is now underwayand will continue through to 2013.

CASE STUDY: ParliamentaryStudies Centre, UgandaWFD established the Parliamentary StudiesCentre in Uganda in 2008/9 as a sustainablemodel for the professional development ofMembers of Parliament and staff, dovetailingplans for such a resource within the institution.As for many legislatures, institutionalisinglearning and development is a challenge for theUgandan Parliament as it continues its transitionto a multi-party system. Valuable experienceis often lost with outgoing staff after electionsand the relatively small number of staff makeexternally accredited courses specifically forthis group unviable.

In trying to address this common issue,the Westminster Consortium developed acurriculum incorporating international bestpractice in parliamentary strengthening inthree thematic areas, which has been adaptedby local partners to meet the Ugandan contextand needs. Training modules include, amongothers, parliamentary reporting techniquesfor journalists; financial scrutiny for MPs andparliamentary staff; and the role of parliamentsin upholding the rule of law and theimplementation of human rights obligations.

A training of trainers course, led by ThomsonReuters Editorial Learning Manager Jane Light,marked the launch of the collaboration betweenthe Ugandan partners in 2008/9; two schools ofMakerere University, PM Communications andthe Foundation for Human Rights Initiatives.Together with two staff based in Parliament, andwith regular guidance from the ParliamentaryCommission, the Studies Centre will role outcourses on (at least) annual cycles accordingto the need and will be well-placed to adapt andrespond to the evolving needs of parliamentarydemocracy practitioners in Uganda.

The Westminster Consortiumfor Parliaments and Democracy

Westminster Foundation for Democracy2009 annual review

patrons, governorsand heads of teamsPATRONSRt Hon John Bercow MP(The Speaker of the House of Commons)Rt Hon Gordon Brown MPRt Hon David Cameron MPRt Hon nick Clegg MPRt Hon Peter Robinson MP MLAIeuan Wyn Jones AC/AMRt Hon Alex Salmond MP MSPMark Durkan MP MLASir Reg Empey MLA

BOARD OF GOVERNORSChairMeg Munn MP

Vice ChairsDavid Lidington MPJo Swinson MPMyles Wickstead CBE

Audit CommitteeTina Fahm ChairPhilip Dunne MP Memberken Jones MemberChristine knights Member

Projects and Programmes CommitteeMyles Wickstead CBE ChairRt Hon Hilary Armstrong MP MemberPhilip Dunne MP MemberRt. Hon. Lord Foulkes ofCumnock MSP MemberHaji Saghir Alam OBE Memberken Jones MemberChristine knights MemberJames Bewsher Member

Terms and Conditions CommitteeJames Bewsher ChairChristine knights MemberSean Farren Member

HEADS OF TEAMSCorporateLinda Duffield CMG – Chief ExecutiveT +44 (0)20 7340 1881 (direct line)T +44 (0)20 7799 1311E Linda.Duffield@wfd.org

Paul naismith – Finance Directorand Company SecretaryT +44 (0)20 7340 1887E Paul.naismith@wfd.org

kathryn Haslam – HR Manager (interim)T +44 (0)20 7340 1896E kathryn.Haslam@wfd.org

Sian Dixon – Information andCommunications ManagerT +44 (0)20 7340 1883E Sian.Dixon@wfd.org

Africa and AsiaMarina narnor – Head of ProgrammesT +44 (0)20 7340 1886E Marina.narnor@wfd.org

EuropeAlex Romaniuc – Head of ProgrammesT +44 (0)20 7340 1888E Alex.Romaniuc@wfd.org

Middle East and North AfricaDina Melhem – Head of ProgrammesT +44 (0)20 7340 1894E Dina.Melhem@wfd.org

The WestminsterConsortium (TWC)George kunnath – Programme DirectorT +44 (0)20 7340 1880E George.kunnath@wfd.org

THE COnSERVATIVE PARTyPhilippa Broom - DirectorConservative Party WFD ProgrammeT +44 (0)20 7984 8153E Philippa.Broom@conservatives.com

THE LABOUR PARTynabila Sattar - International Projects ManagerT +44 (0)20 7783 1382E nabila_Sattar@new.labour.org.uk

THE LIBERAL DEMOCRATSPaul Speller - Head of International OfficeT +44 (0)20 7227 1328E Paul.Speller@libdems.org.uk

THE SMALLER PARTIEST +44 (0)20 7219 1511

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The following summary financial statementsare a précis of the information contained inthe Westminster Foundation for DemocracyLimited's Annual Report and Accounts forthe year ended 31 March 2009. They do notcontain sufficient information to allow a fullunderstanding of the results and state of affairsof the Foundation. For further information,the Annual Report and Accounts should beconsulted. They can be viewed or downloadedfrom our website at www.wfd.org and a freecopy obtained by writing to the CompanySecretary at WFD, Artillery House, 11/19Artillery Row, London, SW1P 1RT.

These summary financial statements havebeen prepared in accordance with theCompanies Act 1985 and applicableaccounting standards and were approvedby the Board of Governors on 15 July 2009and signed on its behalf by Meg Munn MP,Chairman, and by Paul naismith, ActingChief Executive and Accounting Officerof the Foundation.

The Independent Auditors' opinion on the fullfinancial statements and on the auditable partof the Remuneration Report was unqualifiedand did not contain statement under eitherSection 237 (2) or Section 237 (3) of theCompanies Act 1985.

Summary income & expenditure accountand cash movement for the year ended 31 March 2009

Total Total2009 2008

£ £Gross IncomeThird party funding 571,005 459,050

Direct ExpenditureProjects (3,378,566) (3,536,039)

(2,807,561) (3,076,989)

Other ExpenditureStaff costs (727,386) (722,590)Other operating charges (504,672) (275,944)Depreciation (15,452) (16,798)

(1,247,510) (1,015,332)

Net operating expenditure (4,055,071) (4,092,321)

Interest receivable 4,953 8,726

Net expenditure for the year (4,050,118) (4,083,595)

Opening funds balance 84,111 67,707Cash Funding fromFCO Grant in Aid 4,100,000 4,100,000

Funds balance at 31 March 133,993 84,111

Summary balance sheet as at 31 March 2009

2009 2008£ £

Fixed assetsTangible assets 17,590 32,433

Current assetsDebtors 219,395 155,544Cash at bank and in hand:Core 488,193 (46,658)Corporate (2,315) 65,144

705,273 174,030Creditors: amounts fallingdue within one year 472,515 102,909

Net Current Assets 232,758 71,121250,348 103,554

Provision for liabilitiesand charges (116,355) (19,443)

Total assets lesscurrent liabilities 133,993 84,111

FundsCore 65,051 (369)Corporate 68,942 84,480

133,993 84,111

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annual review financial summaryand independent auditors’ report

THE COMPTROLLERAND AUDITOR GENERAL’SSTATEMENT TO THEMEMBERS OF THEWESTMINSTER FOUNDATIONFOR DEMOCRACY LTD

I have examined the summary financialstatement which comprises the SummaryIncome and Expenditure Account andSummary Balance Sheet within thisAnnual Review.

RESPECTIVE RESPOnSIBILITIES OFDIRECTORS AnD AUDITORThe directors are responsible for preparingthe Annual Review in accordance with Unitedkingdom law.

My responsibility is to report to you my opinionon the consistency of the summary financialstatement within the Annual Review with the fullannual financial statements and the Governor’sReport and its compliance with the relevantrequirements of section 251 of the CompaniesAct 1985 and the regulations made thereunder.

I also read the other information contained inthe Annual Review and consider the implicationsfor my report if I become aware of any apparentmisstatements or material inconsistencies withthe summary financial statement.

BASIS OF OPInIOnI conducted my work in accordance withBulletin 1999/6 ‘The auditor’s statement onthe summary financial statement’ issued by theAuditing Practices Board. My report on thecompany’s full annual financial statementsdescribes the basis of my audit opinion onthose financial statements.

OPInIOnIn my opinion the summary financial statementis consistent with the full annual financialstatements and the Governor’s Report of theWestminster Foundation Democracy Ltd forthe year ended 31 March 2009, and complieswith the applicable requirements of section 251of the Companies Act 1985, and the regulationsmade thereunder. I have not considered theeffects of any events between the date on which Isigned my report on the annual financial statements(16th July 2009) and the date of this statement.

Amyas CE MorseComptroller and Auditor Generalnational Audit Office151 Buckingham Palace RoadVictoriaLondonSWIW 9SS

20th January 2010

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Programme &project spend

by regionFY 2009

Totalincome

FY 2009

Totalexpenditure

FY 2009

Westminster Foundation for Democracy

Artillery House11/19 Artillery RowLondon SW1P 1RT

T +44 (0) 20 7799 1311F +44 (0) 20 7799 1312E wfd@wfd.org Wwww.wfd.org