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ASIAN REGIONAL SEMINAR: PROMOTING FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY

Through Improving the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Public Spending

BERJAYA TIMESSQUARE HOTEL

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

February 28 – March 2, 2011

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Japanese Ministry of Finance for this seminar.

Day 1: MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2011
8.30 – 9.00 / Registration and Administrative Matters
Opening Remarks / 9.00 – 9.25 / Dr. Sundaran Annamalai,Undersecretary, Economics and International Division, Ministry of Finance, Malaysia
Mr. Michel Lazare, Assistant Director of the Fiscal Affairs Department, International Monetary Fund
Opening Session / 9.25 – 10.25 / Promoting Fiscal Sustainability Through Improved Budget Institutions
Chair / Mr. Ray Shostak, former Head of the UK Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit
Presenter / Professor Allen Schick, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland, United States (40 minutes)
Open Discussion (20 minutes)
10.25 – 10.45 / Coffee Break
Session 1 / 10.45 – 11.30 / Budgeting for the Medium Term
This session will provide an overview of different approaches to designing and implementing medium-term frameworks. It will address the international trends in developing these reforms and the key issues and challenges encountered in introducing these frameworks. It will examine what have been the results in terms of improving budgetary reallocations and fiscal sustainability and what are the outstanding issues.
Chair / Mr. Jon Blondal, Head of the Budgeting and Public Expenditure Division, Public Governance Directorate, OECD
Presenter /

Mr. Holger Van Eden, Deputy Division Chief, Public Financial Management Division II, Fiscal Affairs Department, International Monetary Fund(20 minutes)

Open Discussion (25 minutes)

Session 2 / 11.30 – 13.00 / Country Case Studies
In this session individual countries will present their experiences of developing medium-term frameworks. Country presentations will discuss: how they designed and implemented their frameworks; what roles and responsibilities are played by key actors; what are the key challenges and issues they have encountered; and the solutions they have adopted. In sum, countries will present what has worked and what has not worked and what they see as the unresolved current issues and challenges.
Chair / Mr. Michel Lazare
Presenter / Mr. John Janssen, Principal Advisor on Macro Fiscal Policy, Treasury Department, New Zealand (20 minutes)
Open Discussion (25 Minutes)
Presenter / Datuk Dr. Rahamat Bivi Yusoff, Director Budget Management Division, Ministry of Finance, Malaysia (20 Minutes)
Open Discussion (25 Minutes)
13.00 – 14.30 / Lunchhosted by the Malaysian Ministry of Finance
Session 2 Continued / 14.30 – 16.00
Presenter / Mr. Choong-Mo Yang, Director of Fiscal Policy Division, Fiscal Policy Bureau, Ministry of Strategy and Finance, Korea (20 Minutes)
Open Discussion (25 Minutes)
Presenter / Dr. Thanapat Reungsri, Budget Analyst, Budget Strategic Unit, Bureau of the Budget, Thailand(20 Minutes)
Open Discussion (25 Minutes)
16.00 – 16.20 / Coffee Break
Session 3 / 16.20 – 17.30 / Round Table Discussion: General Lessons Learned
This session will discuss the key issues and lessons that have emerged from the country presentations and the discussions at the meeting. The speakers in Sessions 1 and 2 will be part of the round table. This round table provides an opportunity for participants to ask additional and follow up questions to the presenters and to discuss their own country experiences of medium term frameworks.
Chair / Professor Allen Schick
17.30 – 18.00 / Welcome Address by Secretary General of the Treasury for Malaysia, Tan Sri Dr. Wan Abdul Aziz Wan Abdullah
Followed by group photo session
20.00 – 22.00 / Dinner hosted by the Malaysian Ministry of Finance at Restoran Seri Melayu (all participants are invited)
Day 2: TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2011
Session 4 / 9.30 – 10.15 / Budgetary Tools for Improving Efficiency and Effectiveness: Performance Budgeting and Spending Reviews
This session will provide an overview of international trends and different approaches to designing and implementing performance budgeting systems and spending reviews in advanced countries. It will also address the challenges, myths, and opportunities presented by these initiatives.
Chair / Mr. Peter Saunders, First Assistant Secretary, Department of Finance, Australia
Presenter / Dr. Teresa Curristine, Senior Economist, Fiscal Affairs Department, International Monetary Fund (25 Minutes)
Open Discussion (20 minutes)
10.15 – 10.45 / Coffee Break
Session 5 / 10.45 – 12.30 / Country Experience of Implementing Performance Budgeting
In this session individual countries will present their experiences of implementing performance budgeting initiatives. The presentations will describe the major initiatives in performance budgeting and management and challenges encountered with implementing these reforms and how countries sought to address these issues.
Chair / Ms. Emilia Pires, Minister of Finance, Timor-Leste
Presenter / Dr. Prajapati Trivedi, Secretary Performance Management, Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India (25 minutes)
Open Discussion(25 minutes)
Presenter / Mr. Koshy Thomas, Head of OBB Unit, Ministry of Finance, Malaysia (25 minutes)
Open Discussion (25 minutes)
12.30 – 14.00 / Lunch hosted by the Malaysian Ministry of Finance
Session 5 Continued / 14.00 – 15.00
Presenter / Mr. Ray Shostak(25 minutes)
Open Discussion (35 minutes)
15.00 – 15.30 / Coffee Break
Session 6 / 15.30 – 17.00 / Country Experience of Implementing Strategic Reviews and Expenditure Reviews
In this session individual countries will present their experiences of implementing strategic and expenditure reviews.
Chair / Dr. Arunaselam Rasappan, Senior Adviser, Center for Development & Research in Evaluation (CeDRE) International, Malaysia
Presenter / Mr. Peter Saunders (25 minutes)
Open Discussion (20 minutes)
Presenter / Mr. Dustin Brown, Deputy Assistant Director for Management, Office of Management and Budgeting, USA (25 minutes)
Open Discussion (20 minutes)
18.30 / Dinnerhosted by IMF at Bronx V, Berjaya Times Square Hotel(All participants are invited)
Day 3: WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2011
Session 6 Continued / 9.00 – 10.30
Chair / Dr. Arunaselam Rasappan
Presenter / Mr. Bruce Stacey, Associate Chief of Defence Transformation, Government of Canada(20 minutes)
Open Discussion (25 minutes)
Presenter / Dr. Nowook Park, KPIF, Korea (20 minutes)
Open Discussion (25 minutes)
10.30 – 11.00 / Coffee Break
Session 7 / 11.00 – 13.00 / Round Table Discussion: General Lessons Learned
This session will discuss lessons that have emerged from the country presentations and the discussions over the two days. The speakers in Sessions 5 and 6 have been invited to be part of the round table. This round table provides an opportunity for participants to ask additional and follow up questions to the presenters and to discuss their own country experiences.
Chair / Mr. Ray Shostak
13.00 – 13.30 / Closing Remarks
13.30 – 14.30 / Lunch hosted by the Malaysian Ministry of Finance