More than 65 participants including representatives from civil society, the media and government agencies, have gathered at the Godavari Village Resort to participate the program that will mainly focus on budget analysis and how it is directly related to the development specific communities and the country as a whole. [break]
Jeff Thindwa, the Practice Manager of the World Bank Institute, while inaugurating the event, said, "Because of its centrality to any country’s governance and how it prioritizes its diverse needs, the national budget is understandably, the focus of contestation by diverse interests and stakeholders. For that reason, there is a need to actively trace the money and untangle the impact of pro-poor programs on poverty reduction."
Participants of the workshop attending the inaugural session. (Photo Courtesy: The World Bank Nepal)
Over 15 financial experts from Nepal, India, the Philippines and the US are scheduled to address various sessions at the workshop, while Nepal’s PEFA Secretariat Coordinator Rajendra Bajracharya will make a presentation on national budget cycle. Over thirty civil society organizations are the recent recipients of sub-grants under the World Bank´s Program for Accountability (PRAN).
"We are pleased to organize this workshop as there has never been a more appropriate time to hold an intensive training for civil society on the national budget," said Keith D Leslie, PRAN Coordinator. "In the absence of an elected government at either the local or national levels, the use of social accountability tools, like social audits and project expenditure tracking, by each community are effective ways to bring about change."
Narayan Belbase, the team leader of National Capacity Development Institute, highlighting the significance of the workshop, said, "We have more than 30 civil society organizations from various districts who have the opportunity to participate and implement these lessons in the field-based projects they will implement over the next ten months. This workshop will further develop their skills on budget analysis, public expenditure tracking and public procurement monitoring which are the tools they will be applying in their own villages."
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