Oct 28, 2020

PEFA Secretariat and CEF Jointly Achieve Success in 2020

Together with the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) Secretariat we successfully delivered a set of learning initiatives planned for 2020. Learning initiatives addressed topics that corresponded to the regional capacity development needs and attracted a large number of public sector officials and Public Financial Management (PFM) professionals. Delivered initiatives also revealed that PEFA diagnostic tool together with recently developed supplementary frameworks and guidelines is increasingly being recognized and leveraged in South East Europe.

We collaborated in delivering the following learning package covering four webinars:

  • On March 4, 2020, we discussed how gender-responsive PFM responds to differing needs of men and women and subgroups of these categories—e.g., youth, elderly, people with disabilities, etc.— and promotes gender equality.
  • After the summer holidays on September 24, 2020, we met at the CEF Online Learning Campus to discuss how PEFA assessments and reports can be used in the SEE region to support improvements in the PFM, and also help consider the readiness of PFM systems during the crisis which is very relevant in the context of Covid-19 implications on PFM systems.
  • In our next online encounter on October 20, 2020, we examined the specific roles of parliament in the entire budget process through the prism of PEFA indicators that assess and report on the PFM strengths and weaknesses. 
  • We rounded up our online discussions by looking into the specifics of carrying out PEFA assessments on a subnational level, as well as the prospects for using PEFA findings in streamlining, prioritizing, and monitoring reform actions at subnational level. At this webinar, participants also had an opportunity to share their views and recommendations on the revised Guidance for the Subnational governments' (SNG) PEFA assessments which is being pilot tested in a range of SNGs around the world.This webinar was delivered on October 27, 2020.

All delivered learning initiatives met the purpose of extending awareness and knowledge of the PEFA Assessment rationale and methodology to the CEF constituency, and introduction of a blend of diagnostic-based learning materials of PEFA with the CEF’s capacity development mission. Participants expressed high appreciation and satisfaction with discussed contents and showed interest in new learning events on PEFA assessment-related topics in the future. CEF and PEFA Secretariat will consider meeting these needs in the future.