Entrenching financial transparency (TN0052)

Description of the commitment: Financial and tax transparency is an important pillar for promoting the principles of open government. It is also a mechanism for enhancing integrity and accountability and streamlining the management of public finances. This requires the use of a set of mechanisms and procedures to further entrench transparency in the management of the State's financial resources. In this context, this commitment aims to achieve transparency in the management of the State's financial resources through - publishing aggregate data on subsidies granted by the state budget to associations and societies, and ensuring that all details are shared and updated. This will be carried out by the Ministry in charge of Finance. - developing a new version of the open budget portal (Our Budget) in line with the new Organic Law of Budget no. 15 of 2019, which provides for a program-based approach for the preparation and execution of the state and local government budget. - preparing the simplified State budget for citizens and people with special needs. - preparing the simplified municipal budget for citizens and people with special needs at the level of a set of municipalities. The several activities planned within the framework of this commitment will further reinforce the participation of civil society components active in this field by organizing workshops and consultative forums on the formulas and methodology that will be adopted; In addition to establishing mechanisms for participation and interaction with the users' needs and demands and those interested in reusing the available public financial data and improving its quality.

Problem/Background: Although the financial system is consistent with the international standards regarding fiscal transparency and access to and sharing of information, the mechanisms put in place at the practical level still fall short of the aspirations of the various stakeholders and citizens. Indeed, they do not take into account the needs of all those interested in public and local finances, in addition to the limited effectiveness of the tools put in place to enhance financial transparency.

Identification of commitment objectives/expected results: Ensure financial transparency through : - Greater transparency and improved access to information on the management of public financial resources, including allocations from the State and local government budgets for the benefit of associations and societies. - Developing the current version of the open budget portal in accordance with the strategic orientations and vision of the Ministry. Facilitating access to public data on public finances and the execution of the State and local government budgets, making them available to the public in an open format, which allows users to reuse and exploit them more effectively.

How will the commitment contribute to solve the public problem: - Strengthen financial transparency and fight against corruption and the embezzlement of public funds, - Improve access to and reuse of public data on public finances, - Establish practical and streamlined mechanisms that citizens can use to gain knowledge of and follow the process of preparing and implementing the State and municipal budgets

Relevance with OGP values: - Entrenching transparency by facilitating access to information on the management of financial resources - Strengthening accountability by establishing effective mechanisms to monitor the proper use of public financial resources

Source of funding /Relation with other programs and policies:

Stages and implementation timeline: Developing a new version of the open budget portal (Mizaniatouna) - Appointment of a steering committee to monitor the project implementation December 2021; Drafting the terms of reference of the portal and selecting the studies office in charge of its development June 2022; Design, development, testing, and put online of the portal September 2023; Strengthen the opening of the public finance data - Publishing aggregate data on subsidies granted by the state budget to associations and societies June 2022; Preparing the simplified State budget for citizens and people with special needs December 2023; Preparing the simplified municipal budgets for citizens and people with special needs December 2023

Action Plan Review

4. Entrenching financial transparency