GIFT
at the Launch
of Argentina’s 3rd OGP
National Action Plan
On July 26, GIFT
participated in the
launching of Argentina’s 3rd
OGP National Action Plan.
Under the leadership of the
Ministry of Modernization
(Office of the President),
the Plan includes 44
commitments –33 national
level and 11
subnational—involving 28
government agencies from the
national Executive,
Legislative and Judicial
branches, as well as the
internal and external
control bodies. The Plan,
which was co-created along
with 54 civil society
organizations, contains
significant fiscal
transparency commitments,
such as generating budget
and national accounts
analysis capacities among
specific audiences, by using
dissemination channels and
creating education
materials. The National
Action Plan
refers to the GIFT
Principles in two ambitious
fiscal transparency
commitments. One is related
to an accessible and
friendly budget transparency
portal and the second one
refers to engaging different
communities in understanding
and using budget
information.
Mexico’s Sustainable
Development Goals
Specialized Technical
Committee, led by the
Office of the Presidency
and the National Institute
of Statistics and
Geography is innovating in
the effort to budget for
sustainable development.
The Committee developed a
framework aimed at
integrating planning,
public finance management,
policymaking, and
oversight to achieve the
SDGs. Using a
Results-based Management
perspective, specific
budget items that
contribute to progress on
the SDGs are identified
and steamed down to
specific investments. Find
out more in this IBP’s
blog post by
Transparencia
Presupuestaria of the
Mexican Treasury, a GIFT
Steward.
The
Treasury of the UK
implements new financial
transparency measures
We are happy to
announce that GIFT
will start working more
closely with the HM
Treasury of the United
Kingdom. The HM Treasury
has been one of the first
countries to undergo a
Fiscal Transparency
Evaluation (FTE) as
practiced by the
International Monetary
Fund. The report assesses
fiscal transparency
practices in the United
Kingdom in relation to the
requirements of the IMF’s
new Fiscal Transparency
Code (FTC). Reading the
report allows to get
acquainted with the FTE
methodology, while
learning about the state
of public finances in the
assessed country. Across
all pillars evaluated in
the Code, the UK scores
very highly. Of the 48
principles in the Code,
the UK meets 9 principles
at the basic level, 10
principles at the good
level, and an
unprecedented 23
principles at the advanced
level. Fiscal transparency
practices are strongest in
the area of fiscal
reporting and resource
revenue management, while,
on a relative basis, the
UK also scores strongly on
fiscal risks. In four
principles, the UK’s
transparency practices do
not currently meet basic
practice. The report
identifies the areas where
further improvement of the
level of transparency
should be made in the UK.
Fiscal
transparency innovations
at France’s Department of
Modernization
GIFT
will also start
collaborating more closely
to the French government
in areas of fiscal
transparency. The General
Secretariat for the
Modernization of Public
Action, attached to the
Prime Minister, has been
innovating in fiscal
transparency, in areas
where other countries have
also been exploring and
testing. An area
addressed with an
innovative approach refers
to the evaluations
of public services. For
instance, they have
developed a methodology of
open citizen participation
to evaluate the quality of
health services. An
example of citizens
surveys regarding data on
health is here: https://suivi-gouvernement-ouvert.etalab.gouv.fr/fr/Engagement13.html
The GIFT
network has invested
strongly in peer-to-peer
learning activities since
2014, facilitating the
exchange of experiences and
technical expertise, mainly
in the framework of the
Fiscal Openness Working
Group (FOWG) of
the Open Government
Partnership (OGP). The
network constantly organizes
workshops and meetings, in
which budget officials and
follow-the-money civil
society organizations
interact, and exchange
practical methods. Since
2014, the network has been
working with more than 40
countries to establish
ambitious fiscal
transparency commitments, as
well as to improve
implementation efforts. You
can learn more about the
main activities focused on
this stream work of the
network here
https://fiscaltransparency.net/fowg/
Don’t
forget to #ShareYourStory
on Public Participation in
Fiscal Policy!
GIFT is
looking for experiences that
can tell a compelling story
of viable approaches of how
governments around the world
are integrating the voice of
citizens in the way public
resources are raised and
spent. Submit your
story by August 25th! Find
information on the Public
Participation in Fiscal
Policy and Budget Making
GIFT Awardhere.
If your
practice is selected, you
will be invited to present
it at the Fiscal Openness
Working Group panel during
the Open Government
Partnership
Regional Summit, Buenos
Aires, Argentina, November
21 & 22, 2017!
(GIFT will
cover expenses, including
airfare, lodging, meals and
local transportation) for
the person responsible for
presenting the submission).
Your piece will also be included as
a mechanism of the Guide
on Public Participation
in Fiscal Policy
Principles and
Mechanisms (GIFT team
will adjust or complete
drafting to comply with the
Guide’s format and
standard); and it will be documented,
including video interview
and communication materials,
to be disseminated
worldwide through the GIFT
network and network
alliances.
¿Qué
está sucediendo alrededor
del mundo en materia de
participación púbica?
Javier
Garduño Coordinador
del programa de Justicia
Fiscal FUNDAR – Centro de
Análisis e investigación
(GIFT’s Steward)
