Officials of Government here present: - Ministry of Health; Ministry of Gender, Children & Social Protection; - Ministry of Education; Ministry of Agriculture; - Financial Intelligence Unit; General Auditing Commission and the - Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission Mr. Harold Aidoo & Members of Integrity Watch My Distinguished Stakeholders from CSOs Invited Guests Members of the 4th Estate Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen

I would firstly like to thank Mr. Harold M. Aidoo, Sr., Executive Director of Integrity Watch Liberia and members of his team for inviting me to serve as Chief Launcher on such an auspicious occasion for the Launch of this unique project that is geared to enhancing fiscal transparency. The project titled: “Promoting Citizens’ Participation in Budget Process”, funded by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is a highly welcoming initiative and I am therefore very pleased to serve as Chief Launcher toward this transparency initiative that is so critical right now in Liberia.

Transparency in the budget process is one of the key pillars of good governance. Globally, the budget processes have scored a lot of successes in terms of greater participation and scrutiny; however, there is no single recipe in order to create a successful initiative to enhance transparency and accountability in the budget process. Nevertheless, there is a consistent set of factors across transparency and accountability initiatives that are classified as successful in various dimensions. These require building horizontal and vertical alliances with stakeholders like Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Youth Groups, Religious Groups, Students Groups, etc. But more so, the need to produce legitimate information, legal empowerment, and support from everyone including the government and our donor/international partners cannot be overemphasized.

Given the ongoing momentum to support budget-related transparency and accountability initiatives, it is very cardinal to take stock and determine whether such initiatives are likely to achieve their stated goals. Therefore, initiatives like these seek to promote transparency, accountability, and public participation in the budget process. Again, thanks to the organizer and sponsors of today’s program.

May I hasten to inform you that Civil Society Organizations have played a pivotal role in these initiatives. As efforts for greater openness in public budget processes come from “above”, in terms of global best practices – most notably pressures for us are from the IMF, World Bank and other Development Partners; it is also a well-known fact that greater openness in public budget processes advocacy comes also from “below”, with the increasing number of Civil Society “Budget Groups” who too, are passionate for the involvement of citizens in the budget processes.

Civil society’s interest in publicizing and analyzing government budgets aligns with fiscal transparency norms that are linked to broader developments in economic policies that emphasize fiscal discipline and a renewed focus on reforms that promote good governance. While the international development community’s interest is in improving transparency and accountability in the budget process also stems from concerns about aid effectiveness – or more generally, about the (in)effectiveness of government spending. Globally there are concerns that governments expenditures usually do not produce the necessary desired effect for example in Health, Education, Agriculture, and Gender outcomes. These are key government priorities for which this project’s objective is to increase citizens’ awareness and advocacy.

The most well-known civil society actors that promote engagement in public budget processes is the International Budget Partnership (IBP) and its subsidiary, the Global Initiative for Fiscal Transparency (GIFT). I am happy to announce to you that Liberia is currently in partnership with these institutions to enhance public participation in the budget process. There is a pilot project currently ongoing called the Fiscal Openness Accelerator (FOA) project that is geared towards fiscal transparency for public participation for better use of public resources.

In order to support the local activities necessary to implement this public participation mechanisms I am pleased to inform you that under the Fiscal Openness Accelerator (FOA) Project, the International Budget Partnership (IBP) and the Global Initiative for Fiscal Transparency (GIFT) have recruited an Expert on public participation and a Local Administrator to work closely with the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, the Advisory Group and the GIFT Coordination Team to provide technical assistance, facilitate peer-learning activities, research for and develop the support documentation needed for the implementation of the public participation pilots in fiscal policies, formulate timely and comprehensive reports on activities, amongst many other tasks for the promotion of public participation in the budget process.

Importantly, on tomorrow, I will meet with these newly recruited Consultants on how we can work to constructively approach this process to ensure public participation. It will be a good thing to have inputs from all of you here today on how transparent and accountable our budget process can be. That’s why the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning is working with well-meaning stakeholders both internationally and locally to improve this process. It is one of the reasons why Integrity Watch as a Civil Society Organization is a key partner in these areas to reinforce the drivers of accountability and improve decision making in the budget process. Their aim to strengthen the capacity of Civil Society Organizations to participate in the FY2023 budget formulation process is welcoming and we are excited about initiatives like these that will be proffered in engagements with leadership and partners that share our general objectives. We use this opportunity to assure the Integrity Watch Team and other CSOs of our continued commitment to partner with them in service to our people. Hence, we are happy that the Launch of this project, “Promoting Citizens’ Participation in the Budget Process”, will be part of many efforts toward such improvement in accountability. The Government welcomes this project. Generally, budget support has become a preferred instrument for many foreign aid donors, who may now take a greater interest in transparency to ensure that the funds they put into general government coffers are spent appropriately. And this, we shall work to ensure.

Additionally, we can attribute increased interest in open budgets to political momentum around participatory budgeting. Participatory budgeting fits in with a broader range of initiatives that aim to strengthen citizens’ participation in government’s accountability. This notion of inviting citizens to participate in the core activities of the state is at the heart of many of the Transparency and Accountability Initiatives around the World. That’s why under our leadership as Deputy Minister for Budget and Development Planning, we have continuously ensured that Liberia published a citizens’ version of the proposed budget. In the past, the citizens’ budget was only done after the budget was approved by the National Legislature. I will end by stating that the Government of Liberia through the Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Hon. Samuel D. Tweah, Jr. is on transparency and accountability in the public arena. Thus, on his behalf, I again assure you of the Government’s reassurance on its commitment to continuously support opportunities for citizens to contribute to decision making processes around the budget issues which affect their livelihood.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s therefore the Government’s hope that with the Launch of this Fiscal Transparency Project Titled: “Promoting Citizens’ Participation in the Budget Process” will achieve the full appreciation of the progress, challenges, and opportunities for strengthening fiscal transparency in Liberia as we chart a new course.

Now and henceforth, as the Chief Launcher of this Project, I hereby declare this Project officially Launched for the betterment of MAMA Liberia - I THANK YOU.