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FORUM ON ENSURING ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR

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DRAFT AGENDA

5 December - MORNING SESSION

8:00-9:30

Registration

Participants receive basic orientation information and documentation (hand-outs and background papers on presentations, case studies, list of participants, etc.)

9:30-13:00

Plenary

SESSION 1

Ensuring Accountability and Transparency in the Public Sector

 

The first plenary session enables participants to take stock of the challenges countries are facing in OAS America and their recent efforts in designing and implementing transparency measures. It aims to begin the exchange of experiences on managing reform in both OECD and OAS countries.

9:30-10:30 Opening Remarks

Martus Tavares, Minister of Planning, Budget and Management, Brazil

Seiichi Kondo, Deputy Secretary-General of the OECD

César Gaviria, Secretary General of the OAS

Dileep Nair, Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight of the UN

10:30-13:00 Keynote Address

Jules Muis, Director-General, Internal Audit Service of the European Commission

Panel discussion

Humberto De la Calle, former Vice-President of Colombia

Stuart Gilman, Director, Office of the Inspector General, Treasury Department of the US

 

 

General discussion

The keynote address will highlight the main issues of the forum, while a panel of discussants will launch the general discussion with an overview of the challenges faced by OECD and OAS countries.

Experiences of OECD countries show that effective implementation of important policy measures requires strategic management of reforms. Presentations will outline recent efforts in core policy areas and review the key factors for success and reasons for failure. These examples will encourage participants to share their views and own experiences on

  • analysing strengths and weaknesses in the preparation of decisions,
  • combining a comprehensive strategy with a realistic but "selective radical" action plan,
  • adequate sequencing to seize opportunities,
  • developing ownership of reform-measures.

13:00-14:30

Lunch

5 December - AFTERNOON SESSION

14:30-17:30

SESSION 2

Workshops on Preventive Measures for Fighting Corruption by Increasing Transparency and Accountability

 

Three parallel workshops will discuss lessons learned from the design and management of reform measures in three key administrative areas: preventing conflicts of interest; establishing transparent and efficient budget management; and providing access to information to facilitate public scrutiny.

Focus Group 1 – Managing Conflicts of Interest

14:30 - 17:30

Facilitator: Hélène Gadriot-Renard, Head of Governance and the Role of State Division, OECD Public Management Service

Presentations:

Putting into Effect the Conflict of Interest and Post-Employment Code: Canada’s Principles-Based Approach

Howie Wilson, Ethics Counsellor to the Prime Minister in Canada

The Brazilian experience of applying the Code of Conduct for the Federal Administration

João Geraldo Piquet Carneiro, President of the Public Ethics Commission, Office of the President, Brazil

 

General discussion

Growing concern among the public has forced governments to ensure that the integrity of official decision-making is not influenced by the private interests of public officials. This session aims to review the main sources of potential conflicts and the possible approaches to prevent conflicts of interest.

The first presentation will describe how the principles-based approach fits into the national political-administrative-cultural milieu in an OECD country. A second presentation will summarise the concrete steps that have been taken to put into practice the code of conduct in the host country.

Discussants will also share the experiences of other countries participating in the respective OECD and UN surveys in order to provide further information on a range of potential solutions for the general discussion.

Focus Group 2 – Establishing Transparent and Efficient Budget Management

14:30-17:30

Facilitator: OAS

Presentations:

Presentation of a case study by Canada and review of OECD Best Practices for Budget Transparency

Department of Finance, Canada

Presentation of a case study by Chile

Mario Marcel, Director of the Budget, Ministry of Finance, Chile

General discussion

One of the first steps to an efficient and accountable government is the transparency of government’s finances. Accountability regimes between government, parliament and civil society are rooted in reviewing complete, accurate and timely reports.

This session will lay out policy options for transparency and provide a discussion of the newly released OECD Best Practices for Budget Transparency. Two country presentations will examine how these options are put into practice, looking at the strengths and limitations of various ways of creating openness in budget creation and execution. The session will then look at future reporting needs as governments move towards budgeting for results.

Focus Group 3 – Accompanying Mechanisms for Public Scrutiny and Access to Information

14:30 - 17:30 Facilitator: Claudio Weber Abramo, Secretary General of Transparency Brazil

Presentations:

Access to information in Finland: lessons from experience

Katju Holkeri, Counsellor, Ministry of Finance, Finland

From diagnosis to model law: access to public information in five Central American countries

Alfredo Chirino, Costa Rica

 

General discussion

Transparency in the public administration is enhanced by strong public scrutiny based on solid legal provisions for access to information. The session intends to examine the role of laws, institutions and tools for information in ensuring open government decision-making.

A presentation by an OECD country will describe how government defines and guarantees citizens' rights to information. A second presentation will summarise a recent study of access to information in five Central American countries and their experience in the implementation of a model law.

 

6 December - MORNING SESSION

9:00-13:00

SESSION 3

Workshops on Preventive Measures for Fighting Corruption by Increasing Transparency and Accountability

 

Discussions in the three parallel workshops aim to develop policy guidelines that provide tools for decision-makers in the design and implementation of preventive measures. The proposal for policy guidelines contains principles of good practices that take into consideration the particularities of OAS countries. There will also be a discussion on the application of the policy guidelines and on how to take into account the differing situations in each country.

 

Focus Group 1 – Managing Conflicts of Interest

9:00 - 13:00

Facilitator: Mr. Shabbir Cheema, Principal Adviser and Programme Director for Governance Institutions, United Nations

Presentations:

From design to operation: implementing a code of conduct

Office of Government Ethics, USA

Using new technologies in the collection and processing of information on financial interests

Nicolás Raigorodsky, Senior Manager for Legal Affairs, Anti-Corruption Office, Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, Argentina

General Discussion

Managing conflicts of interest requires a comprehensive system that clearly defines situations conflicting significantly with the public interest. When these conflicts occur, the system should ensure that public officials disclose and manage them appropriately, in order to resolve them or to minimise their potential impact.

The presentations will highlight practical measures that enforce expected standards in a compliance-based system. The ensuing discussion will focus on risks and key factors for success in achieving a coherent and manageable system. The capacity to manage the system and new opportunities provided by new technologies would also be addressed.

 

Focus Group 2 – Establishing Transparent and Efficient Budget Management

9:00-13:00 Facilitator: Michael Ruffner, Administrator, OECD

Presentations:

Implementing the Fiscal Responsibility Law

Paulo Rubens Fontenelle Albuquerque, Secretary for Planning, Ministry of Planning, Budget and Management, Brazil

Accountability at the Front Line: the Bratislava Principles on Agency Governance and Management

Elsa Pilichowski, Administrator, OECD

 

General discussion

This session will focus on new efforts to promote transparent and accountable budget practices. The first presentation will look at the new fiscal responsibility law recently passed in Brazil. This law takes a new and innovative approach to transparency and accountability for the national government, as well as a framework of accountability for sub-national governments.

The second presentation will address issues in budgeting, control and management of independent or semi-autonomous agencies. The session will focus on the inherent need for information and governmental control balanced by giving policy and programme freedom to managers.

 

Focus Group 3 – Accompanying Mechanisms for Public Scrutiny and Access to Information

9:00-13:00 Facilitator: Joanne Caddy, Administrator, OECD

Presentations:

Building open government: public consultation and participation in Mexico

Bernardo Avalos, Alianza Ciudadana

Office of the President, Mexico

Guarantees in the Multi-Annual Planning

José Paulo da Silveira, Secretary for Planning and Strategic Investments, Ministry of Planning, Budget and Management, Brazil

Building mechanisms to encourage participation of civil society in preventing corruption

Enrique Groisman, Argentina (to be confirmed)

 

General discussion

Public participation and awareness-raising among citizens and public officials are key elements in fostering a culture of open government. This session will examine practical measures for consultation and participation in order to agree a common framework that allows individual citizens and civil society organisations to play an active role in policy-making.

A presentation by an OECD country will examine how public participation can contribute to achieving greater accountability and transparency. Other presentations will review how citizens and civil society may be engaged in the policy development at the national level.

13:00-14:30 Lunch

6 December - AFTERNOON SESSION

14:30-17:00

Plenary

SESSION 4

Framework for Action: Policy Guidelines

14:30-16:00 Co-chair: OECD-OAS

Presentations:

Presentation of the results prepared by the three Focus Groups

Rapporteur: Evelyn Levy, Secretary for Management, Ministry of Planning, Budget and Public Management, Brazil

Designing procedures for follow-up

OECD

OAS follow-up mechanisms

OAS

General discussion

The closing plenary session is devoted to reviewing the proposals from the Focus Groups and elaborating a set of policy guidelines for the implementation of the preventive measures of the Convention. In addition, this session will also start a debate on possible follow-up measures to review efforts and progress.

First, participants will be briefed on the conclusions of the three Focus Groups, on which they will be invited to comment and discuss. The ensuing discussion will focus on management principles for improving transparency and accountability in the public and private sectors, as well as procedures for reviewing their implementation. A special focus will be on how the agreed policy guidelines can be applied to take into consideration the conditions in the national environment.

16:00 - 17:00 Conference Conclusions

General discussion

Closing Remarks
Representative of OAS
Seiichi Kondo, Deputy Secretary-General, OECD
Martus Tavares, Minister of Planning, Budget and Management, Brazil

17.30-18:00

PRESS CONFERENCE

 

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