New Frontiers of Openness

Advancing Budget Transparency and Accountability in the Middle East and North Africa Region

October 14, 2023
1:30 pm – 3:00 pm

Virtual Event

Sidelines of the 2023 Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund Marrakech – Morocco

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has historically performed below worldwide averages on governance and fiscal transparency indicators – particularly reflected by the Open Budget Survey (OBS) of the International Budget Partnership (IBP)—an independent, comparative, and regular measure of budget transparency and accountability. The region exhibits significant diversity: although some countries have made progress in recent years, a considerable number continues to struggle to move forward their agenda on fiscal transparency; this also includes backsliding in some key indicators, for instance related to budget transparency. According to the OBS in 11 selected MENA countries, IBP highlights that very limited information on the budget is publicly available and does not suffice to hold governments accountable for their spending. It is therefore critical that governments step up their efforts to strengthen and institutionalize open budget practices.

As part of the 2023 Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the IMF’s Middle East and Central Asia Department, Fiscal Affairs Department and Middle East Regional Technical Assistance Center (METAC) and the International Budget Partnership are convening a high-level dialogue on fiscal transparency and accountability. The event comes at a time when policymakers need to implement measures to build a more resilient future by, among other things, improving governance and accountability and strengthening policy frameworks.

The objective of the high-level event is to demonstrate the benefits of greater budget transparency and to highlight reforms and opportunities for progress. To this end, the event brings together representatives from government and civil society from countries in the region, the International Monetary Fund, the International Budget Partnership and the European Union to showcase successful models of reform and stimulate debate on fiscal transparency from different angles.

The event will be held in Arabic, French and English. We will be serving light refreshments.

For further information, please contact Claire Schouten.

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Moderators

Ana Patricia Muñoz

Executive Director, International Budget Parnership

Ana Patricia Muñoz joined the International Budget Partnership as Executive Director in 2023. Previously, she was the Executive Director of FARO, non-partisan Ecuadorian think tank that generates research and implements initiatives to influence public policy and build a more equitable, just, and sustainable society.

As a trilingual economist that has lived in three countries, Ana Patricia brings strong technical knowledge to work on budgets and fiscal accountability. Her work has mainly focused on reducing inequality.

She spent a decade at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, where she rose through the ranks to become Assistant Vice President. She was one of the youngest people— and the second Latina— in this position. During this time, she spearheaded ground-breaking research and produced a seminal report on the racial wealth gap, which has had huge impact. She also played a pivotal role in bringing diverse sectors together—from local housing advocates to private banks—to reduce the number of foreclosures in the city during the 2008 financial crisis.

Ana Patricia has written more than 20 research reports, book chapters, and articles published in academic journals. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Affairs from Brown University, a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Montreal and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador.

Speakers

Mathieu Bousquet

Acting Director, European Commission Directorate General for the Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (NEAR), European Commission

Mathieu Bousquet is Head of Unit of the thematic Unit A3 “An economy that works for people, green, digital and connected.” He has also been appointed Acting Director NEAR A, “Thematic Support, Coordination of Policy and Financial Instruments”. He is responsible for the coordination and provision of thematic expertise and support to all geographical and horizontal Units in DG NEAR in the areas of economic development (including macroeconomics, trade, competitiveness, private sector development, education, human capital development and health), and connectivity (including environment and climate change, energy, transport and digital). He has been leading the unit in charge of Georgia, Moldova and regional programmes in the field of governance, economy and digital between 2015-2021. Mathieu has experience in many East-European, African and Asian countries where he managed development assistance, under French and UN agencies and since 2002 for the EU institutions. He also led on a programme combining governance and international trade. He holds a Msc of Agronomic sciences and a Msc of Water Engineering.

Ahmed Kouchouk

Vice Minister of Finance, Egyptian Government

Mr. Ahmed Kouchouk is Egypt’s Vice Minister of Finance for Fiscal Policies and Institutional Reform. He plays a leading role in designing and implementing Egypt’s macroeconomic policies and reforms, especially its fiscal and debt policies. He served as the government’s lead negotiator and focal point in discussions with the International Monetary Fund. Mr. Kouchouk supervises and oversees the work of various policy related units and departments at the Ministry of Finance including the Macro Fiscal unit, Debt Management unit, Public Private Partnership unit, Transparency and Citizen Engagement unit, Public Financial Management unit, and Institutional reform unit. He also leads Egypt’s inter-ministerial task force that manages the annual economic dialogue with the European Union. Furthermore, he leads and supervises several work streams at the Ministry of Finance, including engagement with international financial institutions and organizations, rating agencies, investment banks, and portfolio investors. He is currently a board member of the Arab African Investment Bank, Egypt National Academy for Training, and Egypt Air Holding Company.

Mr. Kouchouk is a professional economist and policy advisor with more than 18 years of applied experience. He served as a board member of the Central Bank of Egypt from 2016-2018. He was also a senior economist for the World Bank from 2013- 2016, Economic Advisor to the Minister of Finance and Director of the Macro Fiscal Unit from 2012‐2013, and Executive Manager of the Macro Fiscal Policy Unit at the Ministry of Finance from 2007‐2008 and 2010‐2012. He has an MA in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, an MA in economics from the University of York in the United Kingdom, and a BS in economics from the American University in Cairo.

Yassin Naciri

President of the Finance Chamber, Supreme Audit Institution Morocco

M. Yassin NACIRI est à l’origine ingénieur et titulaire d’un diplôme supérieur en gestion et d’une licence en droit public. Il dispose d’une expérience de quatre années en gestion publique au niveau du ministère de l’agriculture et une longue expérience de 24 ans dans les juridictions financières. Il a exercé pendant 15 ans dans la chambre financière de la Cour des comptes du Maroc où il a commencé en tant que conseiller puis président de section pendant 12 ans. Il est Président de cette chambre financière depuis mars 2022.
Au cours de ce parcours, il a participé, conduit et encadré de nombreuses missions et travaux se rapportant aux thèmes budgétaires et financiers. Il a également participé et contribué à plusieurs évènements relatifs à ces thèmes au niveau national et international notamment au sein de l’INTOSAI.

Katherine Baer

Deputy Director, Fiscal Affairs Department, International Monetary Fund

Ms. Baer is Deputy Director in the IMF’s Fiscal Affairs Department. She has worked in the tax field for 34 years. Currently she manages the division in FAD which provides technical assistance in tax and customs administration to more than 80 IMF member countries in the Western Hemisphere and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Karim Trabelsi

Economic Expert, General Labour Union of Tunisia

Karim Trabelsi is an Economic Expert at the General Labour Union of Tunisia (UGTT). The Tunisian General Labour Union is a national trade union center in Tunisia. It has a membership of more than one million and was founded January 20, 1946. The UGTT is affiliated with the International Trade Union Confederation and the Arab Trade Union Confederation.