Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Friday, December 13, 2013
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
The Transparency Portal of Brazil
Mr. Spinelli described the preventative actions taken by the CGU unit including:
- Increased Transparency
- Incentive to Social Control
- Management Strengthening
- Implementation of International Conventions
- Improved Legal Framework
- Studies and research on corruption
- Education for Ethics and Citizenship
Mr. Spinelli described the timeline for the creation of the Brazil Transparency Portal. Procurement and budget execution information is available on the portal. Companies found to have engaged in corrupt practices are listed on the portal. Brazil is now moving to support IFRS and IPSAS standards. Full information about public servants are provided on the portal. Full information on the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic games contracts and expenditures are provided.
Mr. Spinelli described how the transparency portal provides easy access without passwords and accessible information. He emphasized that the information and navigation needs to be simple.
The Brazil Transparency Portal has disclosed $4.4T in total amounts since 2005, with over 1 Billion in registered payments with almost 250,000 monthly accesses and over 30,000 paid subscribers to push services.
The Brazil Transparency Portal has won numerous international awards. It takes approximately 4 1/2 hours for daily document updates.
The Transparency Portal in Brazil is compliant with many international standards:
- International Public Sector Accounting Standards
- XBRL
- IMF Good Practices on Fiscal Transparency Code
- OECD Best Transparency Budget Practices
- Open Government;
Mr. Spinelli described the Three Laws of Open Government Data
- If it can’t be spidered or indexed, it doesn’t exist
- If it isn’t available in open and machine readable format, it can’t
engage - If a legal framework doesn’t allow it to be repurposed, it doesn’t empower
- 95% agree that transparency required for social participation and preventing transparency
- 67% agree that citizens have interest in social control and transparency
- 86% agree that citizens can be encouraged to participate in social control transparency
- 74% agree that Transparency portal best way for public sector transparency
According to the web site:
“The Transparency Portal was created in November 2004 for the purpose of making it possible for public managers and citizens at large to follow up on the financial execution of all programs and actions of the Federal Government more easily. The information available in it includes: funds transferred by the Federal Government to states, municipalities and the Federal District; funds directly transferred to citizens; direct spending of the Federal Government with procurement or contracts for projects and services, including the spending of each agency with per diems, office supplies, equipment, projects and services; as well as spending through Payment Cards of the Federal Government.
The Portal shows all data on the SIAFI's (Federal Government Integrated System for Financial Management) financial execution, as well as data provided by the National Health Fund, by Caixa Econômica Federal ( Brazil 's federal savings bank), by the National Treasury Secretariat and by Banco do Brasil . Apart from publishing all these data and information, the Transparency Portal makes a communication channel available: the Talk to Us link. Through this channel, users of the Portal can clear any doubts regarding accessibility or its contents, as well as post congratulations or suggestions.”
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Transparency and Accountability Most Important PFM Reform
50% of attendees at the 24th Annual ICGFM Conference agreed that transparency and accountability improvement is the most important government reform necessary after the financial crisis.ICGFM, the International Consortium on Governmental Financial Management, attracts members from around the world. The Public Financial Management (PFM) experts at the conference in Miami Florida come from over 35 countries.
ICGFM uses audience voting to ask questions about PFM reform. The top votes for the most important reform initiative in wake of the financial crisis was:
- Transparency and accountability 50%
- Budget planning and analysis 18%
- Cash and debt management 16%
- Audit 13%
- Procurement reform 8%
Monday, May 17, 2010
New Methods of Delivering Development Assistance
David Ostermeyer, Chief Financial Officer, US Agency for International Development (USAID), described new methods of delivering development assistance. He objected, somewhat, to the subject of his presentation. Mr. Ostermeyer pointed out that USAID has been looking back to the past to learn what has worked.
Mr. Ostermeyer described that peak in staffing during the Vietnam War, with a gradual reduction since. Budgets peaked in the late 90s. The United States government changed strategy after 2001 recognizing the need for development to create government stability. He pointed out that the United States Congress has become very supportive of international aid. He described the importance of funding countries with high corruption to increase stability.
Mr. Ostermeyer described the efforts to gain unqualified audits and to increase transparency. Transparency has become increasingly important for USAID. He described the changes under the Obama administration, such as procurement reform.
The first priority for USAID is to strengthen country systems. Mr. Ostermeyer pointed out that 56% of USAID funds were implementing through country contract systems. This dropped to 3%. There has been concern about the weakness of host country public financial management (PFM) accountability and the reduction of staff levels. Dictators, in the past, were able to pocket US funds directly. USAID learned that direct contracts for specific purposes had faster results than going through government systems. Auditors found that much of the aid did not reach the intended targets. Hence, USAID became very risk adverse.
Mr. Ostermeyer advocates the Accra Agenda for Action (AAA). He believes that USAID needs to do better in using country systems to improve capacity, reduce transaction costs and enhance participation. USAID is building a strategy for sustainable development. He believes that this requires building institutional capacity and encouraging accountability and transparency. He says that Paragraph 15 of the AAA is the key to USAID. Mr. Ostermeyer suggests that donors have the responsibility to assist countries to improve country systems if those systems do not meet quality and accountability standards. He advocated the PEFA framework but cautioned that some donors believes that these assessments are too high level.
Many country systems are being evaluated by donors and USAID. Mr. Ostermeyer described the process of evaluating Ministries in Pakistan. Rwanda undergoing a PEFA assessment. The number one pilot will be Liberia. DFID has been invited to participate. Mr. Ostermeyer sees USAID doing direct Ministry support, not direct budgetary support in the near future.
David Ostermeyer is Chief Financial Officer at the U. S. Agency for International Development (USAID), a position he was appointed to in October 2007. USAID has been the principal U.S. agency to extend assistance to countries recovering from disaster, trying to escape poverty, and engaging in democratic reforms. Mr. Ostermeyer has worked at USAID for more than 32 years in various financial management capacities.
ICGFM David Ostermeyer Les Nouvelles Methods de Pre Station d'Aide Au Developpement
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