We Attended the Third International Conference on Financing for Development

CEF joined the country delegation of the Republic of Slovenia at the Third International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa on July 13-16. The conference provided a foundation for implementing the global development agenda expected to be adopted in September in New York, centered on the proposed 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Domestic resource mobilization was at the heart of discussions in Addis Ababa. Countries agreed to an array of measures aimed at widening the revenue base, improving tax collection and combating tax evasion and avoidance. Slovenia teamed up with other 30 countries and international organizations to launch the Addis Tax Initiative aimed at strengthening international cooperation in support of capacity development of revenue administrations.

This is key to the CEF's work as one of the implementing channels of Slovenia's international development cooperation. The Addis Tax Initiative's focus on the need for more technical assistance and other capacity development initiatives aimed at revenue administrations as well as the need for peer-to-peer learning fully resonates with CEF's work with revenue administrations.

This year we launched a two year program in close cooperation with the IMF's Fiscal Department: Supporting Capacity Development of Tax Administrations in South East Europe, financed by the Ministry of Finance of the Netherlands and Assistance Technique France - Adetef. The program is designed to help revenue administrations to deal with the challenges they face in their attempts of achieving effective and efficient application of modern risk management approaches.

As countries and organizations meeting in Addis Ababa agreed on the need to strengthen the capacities of revenue administrations around the world, they also committed to continue providing support to governments' efforts to strengthen the management of expenditures. This is in line with recognition that effective public expenditure management importantly contributes to strategic allocation of resources and efficient service delivery.

The EU prepared a list of key contributions to the post-2015 agenda and how it will finance for sustainable development. Slovenia committed to continue supporting capacity development of public financial management systems of partner countries in line with the focus of the CEF work and extensive experience since the establishment in 2001.