The PEFA Framework: 5 Years of Implementation, A Stocktaking

by Frans Ronsholt[1] and Charles Seibert[2]

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Last month, the PEFA program, which this blog has already referenced on various occasions, celebrated Five Years of Successful Implementation of the PEFA Framework by hosting a reception in Washington DC, timed to coincide with the World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings to allow delegates to participate. Part of the celebration included the roll out of a new brochure available on the PEFA website. Apart from an overview of some of our activities, it contains some success stories on PEFA applications (Zambia, Norway, India, and Mozambique).

At the reception, the key speakers were:

Here are some of the main elements from their interventions:

Otaviano Canuto highlighted a recently reactivated interest and increasing focus on PFM. It’s probably fair to say that public finance issues were not central to the origins of the global financial crisis. But they are certainly playing a central role in the aftermath of the crisis and the attempts to foster a durable recovery.

Then, the balance of five years of implementation of the PEFA Framework appears clearly as positive:

Mr. Canuto concluded his speech by stating that PEFA assessments are now being used by all its partners for a diverse set of purposes and therefore that PEFA assessments are truly becoming the common information pool they were intended to be.

Whilst much has been achieved, much also remains to be done. Michel Mordasini emphasized some of the important challenges for the future:

The PEFA Secretariat is already tackling some of these questions through studies and working groups, but addressing other challenges will require major new initiatives to be implemented in the medium term. An external evaluation of the PEFA Program has been initiated and is expected to provide a basis for decisions of the future of the Program beyond the end of the current phase III i.e. for 2012 onwards.

However, every contribution is welcome. Please check www.pefa.org for new developments and send us your views on how the PEFA Program could improve its effectiveness to pefa@worldbank.org. And don’t hesitate to contact the PEFA Secretariat for any methodological or practical questions, especially relating to planning, managing and implementing PEFA assessments!



[1] Head of the PEFA Secretariat.

[2] Senior Public sector Specialist, PEFA Secretariat.

Note: The posts on the IMF PFM Blog should not be reported as representing the views of the IMF. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the IMF or IMF policy.

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