According to the most recent Open Budget Survey 2021 carried out by the International Budget Partnership, the Ministry of Finance reported that the Dominican Republic managed to place itself among the top 10 countries in the world in terms of budget transparency.
“It is an honor and a proud moment for the Dominican Republic to have achieved this score,” said Finance Minister Jochi Vicente during his participation in the event “Pathways to progress in the Open Budget Survey 2021”, organized by the International Budget Partnership.
In the Open Budget Survey, this association evaluates the achievements and setbacks that countries register in terms of budget transparency, citizen participation in the design processes of national budgets, as well as the institutional capacity of governments to monitor.
Vicente said that the elements that led to an improvement in the result were political will, institutional growth and technological improvements, along with the use of social networks to democratize budget information. “Without political will it is very difficult to show progress on an issue as complex and delicate as this,” said the finance minister.
He added that COVID-19 was a very important test because the entire focus of governments was on the pandemic, but that this did not prevent reports from being quickly applied in the Dominican Republic to show how public spending was executed during the health emergency.
Vicente said that another element that favored the result in the Open Budget Survey 2021 was the increase in the frequency of budget reports, an action that was accompanied by a greater effort to encourage citizens to be part of the design and formulation of the General State Budget.
Additionally, the Minister of Finance said that the Dominican Government has made an effort to strengthen the link with the population through periodic meetings with citizens on social networks held by the Deputy Minister of Budget, José Rijo Presbot, to keep people informed.
The event was also attended by the Ministers of Finance and/or Economy of Nigeria, Benin, Moldova and Georgia, as well as the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark, and the director of the Open Budget Survey, Anjali Garg.
The International Budget Partnership is a global non-profit organization made up of budget analysts, social planners and lawyers working to improve public budget systems, with the aim of benefiting the lives of citizens.
The next steps
Vicente said that the focus of the Dominican Government to continue advancing in terms of transparency is on strengthening the participation of the population in the budget formulation processes.
As an example, he cited the consultation carried out in conjunction with the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development (MEPyD) on the needs of the regions, and stressed that this year 95% of the investment projects of the General State Budget 2022 were based on territorial prioritization.
The Minister of Finance explained that budget reports with a gender focus will also be produced, and that the mechanisms for disseminating budgetary results will be deepened with the relaunch of the Fiscal Transparency Website.
The activity was aimed at showcasing the advances in transparency and citizen participation that have been achieved by the countries participating in the Open Budget Survey, including the Dominican Republic.
Source:
Diario Libre
