The CIPFA Conference took place at Bournemouth over 13‑14 June 2007. The Conference included an international seminar on “How the UK can help in improving developing and transition economy country public sector performance”. Speakers included Caroline Rickatson, DFID; Ed Hedger, ODI; and the Mongolian Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Papers and presentations will be made available through the CIPFA International Web site www.cipfa.org.uk/international.
CIPFA’s International Strategy Panel held its third meeting on 3 May 2007. The Panel, which is chaired by Dr Clive Grace reviewed the arrangements for putting into effect the Strategic Partnership Framework Agreement between CIPFA and the DFID and was updated on the developments in CIPFA’s international capacity building and training activity, that is the delivery of the International Certificate and Diploma in Public Sector Accounting and Audit and the specialist public sector qualifications in Internal Audit and in External Audit. The Panel is particularly concerned to establish the best means of applying in an international context the expertise and advice that CIPFA has available and which until now has been largely focussed on the United Kingdom public sector. Examples include the public financial management model, the publications on internal audit (including the internal audit manual, when internal audit manuals are being re-invented on a regular basis in many developing and transition economy countries) and the codes of practice on corporate governance. Any views from experts working in the field about what might be the most useful ‘technology’ to adapt would be very helpful. The panel’s next meeting is scheduled for 25 June 2007.
CIPFA has been engaged through Noel Hepworth and Gordon Ferrier to manage a study for the World Bank on transport infrastructure investment in 8 European countries (4 older member states and 4 new entrants to the EU). This study will look at how investment decisions are made and how the investment process is managed. Experts from each country have been appointed to undertake the investigations in that country.
An increasing concern of international aid organisations is the assessment of fiduciary risk. This concern becomes greater as aid is switched into direct budgetary support arrangements and away from project finance. Various measures of fiduciary risk have been developed and the most attention is currently now being paid to the Public Expenditure Framework Assessment (PEFA) process. As a key measure of the effectiveness of the public financial management system in country, the results of the PEFA assessment process make an important contribution to the overall assessment of fiduciary risk. Country assessment is increasingly an international activity of CIPFA and it has recently been asked to conduct two studies in Bangladesh.
CIPFA has also been asked by the World Bank to assist with the recruitment of staff. Full details are available on the PF web site. There are positions available in:
Washington www.pfjobs.co.uk/jobdetails.asp?JOB_ID=11203
Kyrgyz Republic/Kazakhstan www.pfjobs.co.uk/jobdetails.asp?JOB_ID=11202
Baku, Azerbaijan www.pfjobs.co.uk/jobdetails.asp?JOB_ID=10808
In summary the jobs are for postings in: Almaty, Kazakhstan or Bishkek, Kyrgyz: Baku, Azerbaijan: and in Washington. Do look at the web site for more details and please contact Noel Hepworth or Gordon Ferrier either by phone on 00 44 208 667 1144, or email Noel.hepworth@CIPFA.org or Gordon.Ferrier@CIPFA.org.
The CIPFA/PMPA conference at the end of March on "Internationalizing the Accountability profession" involved senior auditors from the UK and USA, and also discussed the changing role of the public audit profession and its contribution to improving public services. A key note speaker was David Walker, Comptroller General of the United States, who identified the growing maturity of the public audit function moving from preventing fraud and mismanagement, through enhancing efficiency, economy and effectiveness and now on to “facilitating foresight” – looking around, across and ahead. This event gathered together the Auditors General of the UK, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as the Chief Executive of the Audit Commission. Drawing on their wide-ranging perspectives the speakers provided a compelling account of how the modern public audit profession is both holding government and public bodies to account and helping them to improve. Examples ranged from the recent report from the Wales Audit Office into Ambulance Services in Wales to the relationship between Departments and ‘arms length bodies’ in Northern Ireland. But the debate really got lively as the delegates from across the private and public sector questioned the role of audit in ‘facilitating foresight’. What was the evidence base? Did looking ahead bring audit into the political realm?
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) held an important conference in Lagos in the middle of May on the theme of “Financial Reporting Council and the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards”. This conference included speakers from IFAC, the World Bank and CIPFA. More details about the conference can be obtained from ICAN, email info.ican@ican.org.ngr.
DFID has recently published an important study entitled “Governance, Development and Democratic Politics”. The publication aims to deepen understanding of the policy framework set out in the 2006 White Paper by “Illustrating why we believe governance matters and how we support countries to improve their governance. Setting out extensive evidence of the impact of better governance on the lives of poor people. Tackling a number of current governance issues such as the relationship between governance and growth, governance and democracy, and how we put into practice an increased emphasis on human rights. Putting our work on separate aspects of governance (such as supporting parliaments) in the broader context of improving governance across a wide range of systems at the local, national and international level.”
Another new publication of DFID is “Working together for better health” This sets out DFID's strategy to support developing countries in improving the health of their people and reaching the Millennium Development Goals.
A new independent committee is to be set up to help DFID evaluate the impact of UK aid, Hilary Benn, International Development Secretary told parliament today.
The Independent Advisory Committee on Development Impact (IACDI) will:
“Determine which programmes and areas of UK development assistance will be evaluated and when. It will do this by approving the evaluation programme and priorities for evaluation identified by DFID’s Evaluation Department;
Identify any gaps in the planned programme of evaluations and make proposals for new areas or other priorities as required;
Determine whether relevant standards (for example of the OECD Development Assistance Committee) are being applied; and comment on the overall quality of the programme of evaluation work carried out against these.”
The IAASB has made significant progress on its clarity of auditing standards project. It has issued four final ISAs drafted in accordance with the new conventions. The IAASB has now issued 15 exposure drafts (including those listed above) of proposed redrafted ISAs and plans to issue a further 15 exposure drafts this year, with a goal of redrafting all 34 ISAs as final standards by the end of 2008. For more information, see the IAASB Clarity Status Report online at www.ifac.org/IAASB/downloads/IAASB_Clarity_Status_Report.pdf.
IFAC International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board: Meeting Highlights and Decisions from the IPSASB's recent meeting in Accra, Ghana on 20-23 March. At the meeting, the IPSASB:
- Agreed to key aspects of its Strategic Plan 2007-2009;
- Affirmed its approach to social benefits and will develop an exposure draft on disclosure only, which is planned to be approved in July 2007;
- Approved project proposals on financial instruments and improvements to International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSASs); and
- Requested additional information to assist in deciding the next steps in dealing with heritage assets and entity combinations.
More information on the IPSASB's work program is available on its website: www.ipsasb.org.
IPSASB Chair Speaks at Public-Private Partnerships Conference
IPSASB Chair Mike Hathorn recently spoke at an international seminar in Budapest, Hungary that sought to address key issues related to strengthening public investment and managing fiscal risks from public-private partnerships. Presentations made by many of the speakers as well as discussion papers from the seminar are available online at www.imf.org/external/np/seminars/eng/2007/ppp/index.htm.
www.ifac.org
Recent important publications of the World Bank impacting on public financial management include:
Global Development Finance (GDF), which is the World Bank's annual review of recent trends in and prospects for financial flows to developing countries. It is an indispensable resource for governments, economists, investors, financial consultants, academics, bankers, and the entire development community.
World Development Indicators is the World Bank's premier annual compilation of data about development. This indispensable statistical reference allows you to consult over 900 indicators for some 150 economies and 14 country groups in more than 80 tables.
Global Monitoring Report 2007 which reviews key developments of the past year, emerging priorities, and provides a detailed region-by-region picture of performance in the developing regions of the world, drawing on indicators for poverty, education, gender equality, health, and other goals.
Performance Accountability and Combating Corruption which provides an analytical framework and operational approaches needed for the implementation of results-based accountability. The volume makes a major contribution to the literature on public management and evaluation. Major subject areas covered in this book include: performance based accountability, e-government, legal and institutional framework to hold government to account; fighting corruption; external accountability and the role of supreme audit institutions on detecting fraud and corruption.
Local Public financial Management which provides practical guidance to local governments interested in establishing sound financial management systems. Leading international experts have contributed to all relevant aspects of local public financial management - cash management, internal controls, accounts, audits, and debt management.
All these publications are available from the World Bank.
The World Bank and the African Development Bank sponsored a conference in Dar es Salaam at the end of May to discuss financial management, education, training and the accreditation of financial management staffs throughout the developing countries of Africa. CIPFA and the Institute for Public Finance and Auditing based in South Africa (which is supported by CIPFA) were represented and gave presentations. Both organisations explained their approaches to education and training in African countries and the qualifications that are available.
www.worldbank.org
A study has been published by the OECD on the regulatory management capacities of new EU member states “Regulatory Management Capacities of Member States of the European Union that Joined the Union on 1 May 2004”.
The European Commission requested Sigma to carry out a study on the regulatory management capacities of the ten countries that joined the EU on 1 May 2004 to learn more about their Better Regulation practices, exchange good practices and make suggestions for further improvements. The topics examined included: the origins of EU Better Regulation policy, regulatory management processes, the tools used in these processes (impact assessment, consultation, simplification, alternatives and accessibility), enactment processes and the enforcement and compliance of laws in the NMS, with reference to intellectual property law and environmental laws.
www.oecd.org
On Tuesday, 27 November 2007, the European Federation of Accountants (FEE) will organise its second high level conference in Brussels to address the key issues in audit regulation in the EU, including the EU-US cooperation on audit oversight and regulation, the principles and objectives of an audit and other aspects of the implementation of the EU Statutory Audit Directive.
A FEE survey finds partial or full adoption of accrual accounting principles in 80% of countries surveyed. FEE monitors the progress made by European countries concerning the implementation of accrual accounting in the public sector.
www.fee/be
The next INTOSAI Congress, the XIX INCOSAI, will be held in Mexico City, Mexico from 5-10 November 2007.
INTOSAI has announced the launch of the new Website for the International Journal of Government Auditing. This site - www.intosaijournal.org - is designed to make the Journal more useful to INTOSAI members, more accessible to the global readership, and more user-friendly.
www.intosai.org
| 26-29 June 2007 |
7th Global Forum on Reinventing Government, United Nations Headquarters, Vienna. This conference will examine best practices and alternative strategies for strengthening public confidence and also aims to promote better international and regional cooperation, while giving government officials an opportunity to exchange good practices and experiences. |
| 26-29 June 2007 |
Building Trust in Government, United Nations Headquarters, Vienna. A conference examining trust in terms of its relationship with public sector capacities and the costs of its absence. |
| 3-6 July 2007 |
IFAC IPSASB. The next meeting of the IPSASB will be held in Montreal, Canada on 3-6 July 2007. IPSASB meetings are also scheduled for 27-30 November 2007 in Beijing, China and March 2008 in Wellington, New Zealand. These meetings are open to public observers. For more information and to register to attend, visit http://www.ifac.org/PublicSector/#Meetings. |
| 9-14 July 2007 |
Global Competitiveness and Public Administration: Implications for Education and Training, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. This conference will consider how the forces of globalisation, which are driven mainly by the precepts of the private sector and the tenets of market economy, engage and at times collide with international, national, regional and local systems of governments. |
| 3‑4 September 2007 |
Supporting Success and Productivity, Practical Tools for Making Your University a Great Place to Work, “What Works” Conference 2007, Paris. Conference organised by the OECD Programme on Institutional Management in Higher Education (IMHE). |
| 3-14 September 2007 |
Planning and Administering Good Governance, Asian Institute of Technology, Klong Luang, Thailand. Training enabling participants to plan and implement the principles of good governance, identify critical success and failure factors of good governance and develop strategies for operational transparency.
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"The many faces of corruption: tracking vulnerabilities at the sectoral level" edited by J. Edgar Campos and Sanjay Pradhan ISBN 0-8213-6725-0
“Close up on Nigeria’s Corruption Fighter”
“Governance Reform: Bridging, Monitoring, and Action” by Brian Levy
"Mango helping NGOs strengthen financial management"
"World Bank update of Africa Action Plan"
"DFID Annual Report 2007: Development on the Record"
"G8 2 years on", DFID
IFAC IPSASB
2007 Public Sector Handbooks Available Free-of-Charge
The 2007 Handbook of International Public Sector Accounting Pronouncements, which contains all IPSASB pronouncements issued as of December 31, 2006, is now available in print and in electronic PDF format. Both the print and electronic versions are available free-of-charge, except for a US$15 shipping charge for the printed handbook. To order the 2007 handbook, visit the IFAC online bookstore or call +1 (212) 471-8722.
IFAC and IAASB 2006 Annual Reports
IFAC 2006 annual report
The IAASB annual report
IAASB Seeks Comments on Redrafted ISAs
As part of its project to enhance the clarity of its International Standards on Auditing (ISAs), the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) has recently released the exposure drafts, which may be viewed at http://www.ifac.org/EDs
Click on the link below to access previous editions of the International Development E-newsletter:
2007 - Q2
2007 - Q1
2006 - Q4
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