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Cooperation for a better economic and financial governance

Public sector efficiency, economic growth and social cohesion
Shared perspectives of the economic and finance administrations

CONFERENCE DRAFT (Updated18/03/2011)

Opening Address: Ms. Christine Lagarde, Minister for the Economy, Finances and Industry, France
Welcome: Ms. Agnès ARCIER, Chairwoman of ADETEF, France

Introductory session

How does technical cooperation contribute to supporting partner countries in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)?

How can institutional technical assistance contribute to improving the governance of partner countries?

Institutional governance in the economic and financial fields is more than ever at the core of the international relations agenda, as it is reflected by the issues tackled by the G20 for the past two years.

The financial crisis and its consequences in the real economy, including its social effects, vary according to the country in question. The paths envisaged for recovery are themselves characterised by regional or national differences.

But in an economically globalised world, achieving the conditions for long term and inclusive development involve, in particular, dealing with institutional governance issues. Indeed, the decisions made by some and their implementation impact the context in which others find themselves.

Therefore, more than ever, international institutional cooperation can be a crucial tool for improving economic and financial governance in promoting improved social cohesion and long-term economic development.

This second edition of “Shared perspectives of the economic and financial ministries" is therefore devoted to the present challenges of institutional governance. In particular, our discussions must enable us to identify more precisely the role of technical cooperation and of exchanges between beneficiary countries when they decide on public policies and implement them.

Moderator: Mr Denis BAUCHARD, Former Ambassador, Special Adviser at IFRI

Speakers (subject to confirmation)

Mr Carlos BRAGA, World Bank Special Representative for Europe
Mr Nkosana MOYO, Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of the African Development Bank
Mr Benoît COEURE, Deputy Director General, General Directorate of Treasury, France

Roundtable 1: Governance and Public Efficiency

The conditions for long-lasting economic development imply that public authorities base their decisions on reliable information, backed by a competent public administration, which enable them to achieve their objectives.

The quality of the public information systems upstream of decision-making

The ability to analyse the information on which decisions of public policy are based is a major challenge for long-lasting development. The understanding of economic mechanisms, in tandem with objectives of social cohesion, is improved by support from high-quality public statistical information systems. They are part of all the information to be taken into account when analysing the issues. Receiving feedback in sufficient time is also a way of deciding what changes are necessary for achieving objectives.
What contribution can be expected from international public expertise in developing the required know-how for decision-making and for the implementation of essential public policies?

Modernising the capacities of public administration

Public administration is changing to match the missions it has to conduct. Adapting the skills of civil servants is a major challenge for public policies in order to have achieve their objectives.
International cooperation enables transfer and appropriation of other countries experience. How should the skills and know-how be adapted to national conditions?

Accountability of public action

The budgetary and accounting reforms aimed in particular at modernising the control of expenditure, usually introduce transparency in the procedures for drawing up and executing the budget and public reporting on the accounts. Information and the association of the Parliament and citizens may be included in inclusive and open policies.
How does international cooperation provide technical support to the countries working in this direction? Can it contribute to establishing these objectives in the long term?

Moderator of the round table: Ms Danièle LAJOUMARD, Inspecteur général des Finances, France

Speakers (subject to confirmation)

Mr Amadou BA, Director General of Taxes and Domain, Ministry of the Economy and Finance, Senegal
Ms Lamia MOUBAYED BISSAT, Head of the Institute of FinanceBasil Fuleihan, Lebanon
Ms. Yolande NYONDA, Secretary General, Ministry of the Budget, Public Accounts and the Civil Service responsible for the reform of the State, Gabon
Professor Mark ORKIN, previously Director General of the South African Management Development Institute and of Statistics, South Africa

Lunch Break - Buffet offered to participants

Presentation by Mr Pierre LELLOUCHE, Secretary of State for Foreign Trade to the Minister for the Economy, Finances and Industry, France

Roundtable 2: Governance and sustainable economic growth

While trade and financial exchanges are growing along with growth dynamics, the needs for interoperability of the markets and economic and financial regulations are increasing. Technical cooperation projects on these issues are highly topical and constitute a real support to the policies that generate growth.

High-quality infrastructure

The development of high-quality infrastructure and the respect of standards, backed by metrology and certification policies, are key challenges for proper integration into the international economy. The development of economic areas that seek to develop in an integrated way also implies that convergences are brought about. The Mediterranean area is an example of this challenge to which administrative cooperation can provide some elements of a response.

Balance-driven economic regulations

The economy needs a juridical stability that supports growth. Several fields are crucial to that matter: security of trade, competition law, consumer protection, a strict national practice in public procurement.

Moderator of the round table: Mr Alan BRYDEN, Ingénieur général des Mines, France

Speakers (subject to confirmation)

Ms. Mounia BOUCETTA, Secretary General of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and New Technologies, Morocco
Mr Aymen MEKKI, Director General of INNORPI (Institute of standardisation and intellectual property), Tunisia
Mr Borisac KNEZEVIC, Senior advisor, Public Procurement Office, Ministry of Finance, Serbia
Mr WANG Dong Hong, Director General of Education and Training Center, General Directorate of Customs, China

Roundtable 3: Governance and social cohesion

The concept of social cohesion is currently central to the debates over the strategies to fight poverty, to reduce inequalities and to promote inclusive economic and social development. Dialogue and discussions over public policies and tools contributing to economic and financial governance occupy a central role in this context. Thus a growing number of cooperation programmes refer to them, either expressly, such as certain programmes directed at Latin America on the contribution of public finances to social cohesion, or in a less direct way.

To achieve their objectives of social cohesion, public policies adopt targeted measures on people's needs and measures intended to reduce inequalities between regions. Budgetary management itself is changing with procedures providing greater transparency for citizens.

Public finances and policies of redistribution

The relation between public revenue and expenditures is contingent on a social and fiscal pact that has to be legitimated by high quality services that are part of basic rights such as access to education and healthcare by all, or general or targeted welfare provisions. But, as discussed in the EUROsociAL programme, this link between revenues and expenditures is a point of issue within Latin American societies. With the exchanges in a cooperation framework, the countries of this area benefit from European experience and have the opportunity of comparing their own diverse experiences.

Territorial development: local, national and regional approaches.

Regional inequalities are a challenge for public policies. They use cohesion tools targeted towards the regions. Institutional, economic and financial governance must be coordinated at the central and local levels, since a combined performance at the different levels of public policies is required.

For these subjects, international cooperation engages players from the various levels of government. Work by the UNCDF in West Africa has assisted many of the least developed countries in this field.

Moderator of the round table: Mr Yvon OLLIVIER, Préfet honoraire and former Inspecteur général des Finances, France

Speakers (subject to confirmation)