ICGFM Washington 2008 Conference Agenda

COUNTRY PERSPECTIVES ON ADVANCING PUBLIC FINANCIAL

MANAGEMENT REFORM—WHAT REALLY WORKS

December 1- 3, 2008

Enrique Iglesias Conference Center

Inter-American Development Bank

1330 New York Ave., NW

Washington, DC 20577

AGENDA

Monday, Dec. 1, 2008 - Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008 Registration

Location: IDB Conference Center Foyer

Monday – 11:30am to 5:00pm

Tuesday – 8:00am to 5:00pm

Monday, Dec. 1, 2008

9:00 – 10:00 am Annual Membership Meeting Location: CR201

10:00 – 11:00 am Board of Directors Meeting Location: CR201

1:00 – 1:30 pm Welcome and Conference Opening Location: IDB Auditorium

• Beatriz Casals, President, ICGFM
  
• David Nummy, Executive Director, Grant Thornton LLP

1:30 – 2:30 pm Opening Session Keynote Address The Landscape of PFM Reform

Anita Angelovska-Bezoska, Chief Economist, Central Bank of Macedonia

Ms. Angelovska-Bezoska will present her observations on the objectives of PFM

reforms, as well as her specific experiences implementing PFM reforms and

requirements for their successful execution.

2:30 – 3:00 pm Break

3:00 – 3:30 pm PFM Reform Basics

William Dorotinsky, Lead Public Sector Specialist, World Bank

During this session Mr. Dorotinsky will talk about popular PFM reform themes and

trends. He will also offer personal observations on challenges nations face in

implementing PFM reforms.

3:30 – 4:30 pm Country Case Study 1 Georgia

• Timothy Grewe, Resident Advisor to the Ministry of Finance, Georgia, US Department of the Treasury – moderator
• Papuna Petriashvili, Deputy Minister of Finance, Government of Georgia
  
• Liana Skhirtladze, Advisor and Coordinator of PFMR Program, Ministry of Finance, Government of Georgia

This session will cover Public Finance Management Reform (PFMR) initiatives

undertaken by the Government of Georgia. The attendees will be able to learn and

participate in discussion on implementation of PFMR with its various components,

lessons learned and strategies to move forward.

4:30 – 5:00 pm Wrap-Up Day 1 David Nummy, Executive Director, Grant Thornton LLP

5:00pm Welcome Reception Location: The Terrace 1300 New York Ave., 7th Floor

Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008

8:00 – 8:55 am Continental Breakfast Location: Foyer – A3

9:00 – 10:00 am Country Case Study 2 South Africa Location: IDB Auditorium

• Jim Brumby, Lead Public Sector Specialist, World Bank – moderator
  
• Freeman Nomvalo, Accountant General, National Treasury, Government of South Africa
  

Mr. Nomvalo will introduce the Financial Management Improvement Project in South

Africa and critical factors that contributed to its success. The presentation will cover

enabling legislative framework, budget and accounting reform as well as the role of

the Accountant General’s Office.

10:00 – 11:00 am Country Case Study 3 Costa Rica

• Jason Orlando, Resident Budget Advisor, U.S. Department of the Treasury – moderator
• Fabian Quiros Alvarez, Deputy Budget Director, Ministry of Finance
  

Mr. Quiros Alvarez will discuss the budget process, major innovations and

developments in Costa Rica's financial administration. He will present the new

results-oriented programming and evaluation methodology of budget management.

The objectives of the National Public Investment System will be introduced followed

by a discussion of the multi-year budget and budget baseline.

11:00 – 11:30 am Break

11:30am – 12:15 pm Presentation: The Challenge of Reforming Budgetary Institutions in

Developing Countries

Richard Allen, Deputy Division Chief, International Monetary Fund

Reforming budgetary institutions in developing countries is a very slow process. In

many of these countries, budgetary systems remain 100-150 years behind those in

advanced countries. Mr. Allen will present his paper, which argues that some

rethinking and retooling of existing approaches to reform, and the technical

assistance provided to support that process - is required. It sketches out a new

approach to reform that recognizes the institutional constraints, and seeks to focus

on a few key reforms that, if possible, impede or facilitate further change, while

holding reformers to account for their decisions.

12:15 – 2:00 pm Lunch Location: Las Americas 1300 New York Ave., 7th Floor

2:00 – 3:00 pm Country Case Studies 4 Brazil

• Ambassador Addor Neto, Secretary for Multidimensional Security, Organization of American States – moderator
• Doris de Miranda Coutinho, President of Audit Court of the State of Tocantins – Brazil

During this session Mrs. Coutinho will introduce the control system for performance

audit implemented by the State of Tocantins. The presentation will focus on existing

programs to enhance financial management capacity and the role of public officials

as well as citizens in enhancing transparency of government services.

3:00 – 3:30 pm Break

3:30 – 5:30 pm Panel Summary: Development Partner Perspectives

Philip Joyce, Professor of Public Policy and Public Administration, The George Washington University – moderator

Panelists:

• Sanjay Vani, Lead Financial Management Specialist, World Bank
  
• Laura Trimble, Associate Director of Budget and Financial Accountability, Office of Technical Assistance, U.S. Department of the Treasury
• Deborah Sprietzer, Financial Management Specialist, Inter-American Development Bank
• Marco Cangiano, Division Chief, International Monetary Fund
  

5:30 – 5:40pm Wrap-Up Day 2 David Nummy, Executive Director, Grant Thornton LLP

Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008

8:00 – 8:55 am Continental Breakfast

9:00 – 10:00 am Closing Day Keynote Address Location: IDB Auditorium

The Fallacy of "Best" Practice

Michael Ruffner Director, Office of Technical Assistance, Department of the Treasury

It is a victory that Public Financial Management Reform is at the top of the

international agenda. The question is now, how do we create real change? Mr.

Ruffner will present his thoughts on crafting successful reform strategies and other

lessons learned from Treasury's technical assistance program.

10:00 – 10:30 am Break

10:30 am – 12:00 pm Participant Workshop

Participants will break out into three separate workshops to be facilitated by the following:

• Jim Brumby, Lead Public Sector Specialist, World Bank – English Location: IDB Auditorium
• Laura Trimble, Associate Director of Budget and Financial Accountability, Office of Technical Assistance, U.S. Department of the Treasury – English Location: CR200
• Martin Guozden, Senior Auditor, Inter-American Development Bank – Spanish Location: CR201

12:00 – 2:00 pm Lunch Location: Las Americas 1300 New York Ave., 7th Floor

2:00 – 3:00pm Workshop Report Out David Nummy, Executive Director, Grant Thornton LLP – moderator

A representative from each workshop will present the group’s findings to the

audience. This will be an interactive session.

3:00 – 4:00p m Conference Wrap-Up David Nummy, Executive Director, Grant Thornton LLP

4:00 pm CPE Certificates Issued