Press Release No. 15/96
March 6, 2015

The International Monetary Fund’s Middle East Center for Economics and Finance (CEF) and the Middle East Regional Technical Assistance Center (METAC) organized a regional workshop on “Fiscal Reporting and Transparency,” in Kuwait City, Kuwait from March 2-5, 2015.

The workshop focused on the techniques and processes required for enhancing fiscal reporting and transparency among ministries of finance and planning and statistics agencies. It discussed the priorities for and approaches to improve the coverage, frequency, timeliness, and relevance of public fiscal reporting.

A highly participative approach was adopted. Participants shared experiences and challenges from their countries and discussed critical technical, institutional and political risks that need to be addressed. The workshop was designed to establish a basis for continued knowledge sharing throughout the region. In a final wrap-up session, participants identified potential areas for future METAC technical assistance on Fiscal Reporting, Fiscal Transparency and related topics.

The workshop was attended by senior representatives of Finance and Planning Ministries from the Middle East and North Africa region. In total, 32 officials attended the workshop from the following 15 countries: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mauritania, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia, Yemen, and West Bank and Gaza.