MATRA-South programme for Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia Public Finance Management Training 10-18 September 2013 in The Hague, the Netherlands 10-14 November 2013 in Amman, Jordan 1
National Academy for Finance and Economics Visiting address: Zeestraat 86 90, 2518 AD the Hague, the Netherlands Postal address: P.O. Box 20201, 2500 EE The Hague, the Netherlands Website: www.rijksacademie.nl Contact: Mrs. Suzan Ouwerkerk E-mail: s.a.j.ouwerkerk@minfin.nl Centre for Professional Development and Communication Visiting address: Herman Gorterstraat 75, 3511 EW Utrecht, the Netherlands Postal address: P.O. Box 20201, 2500 EE The Hague, the Netherlands Website: www.government.nl/ministries/fin Contact: Mrs. Caresse Mercalina E-mail: cf.mercalina@belastingdienst.nl NL Agency Visiting address: Prinses Beatrixlaan 2, 2595 AL The Hague, the Netherlands Postal address: P.O. Box 93144, 2509 AC The Hague, the Netherlands Website: www.agentschapnl.nl Contact: Mrs. Corine de Jongh E-mail: corine.dejongh@agentschapnl.nl 2
Who can apply? The training is designed for government officials working 5 10 years in the field of the Public Expenditure Management or policy officials in de field of Taxation, who are eager to learn about the Dutch practice in Public Finance Management and who are willing to share their own experiences. Objectives: Eligible countries: 1. Acquiring practical knowledge about Public Finance Management in the Netherlands. 2. Creating a long lasting network between participants. Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia. Application deadline: 25 June 2013. Programme costs: Language: Information: The Netherlands government pays for all relevant costs. English with simultaneous interpretation Arabic. http://www.matra-south.nl Part 1 in the Netherlands Training period: Training venue: Hotel accommodation: 10-18 September 2013, excluding travelling. National Academy for Finance and Economics. The Carlton Ambassador Hotel The Hague. Part 2 in Jordan Training period: Training venue: Hotel accommodation: 10-14 November 2013, excluding travelling. Amman (to be decided). Amman (to be decided). Matra-South training programme The training Public Finance Management 2013 will be organized as part of the Matra- South programme for Arab Countries. The Matra-South programme is an initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. The unit International Co-operation and Matchmaking of NL Agency carries out the Matra-South Training Programme. The National Academy for Finance and Economics and the Centre for Professional Development and Communication will be organizing the training Public Finance Management in 2013. Agency NL is an agency of the Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Netherlands. The organization implements programmes, regulations and laws for 11 departments and 17 clients outside the government. Focusing on sustainability, innovation, international business and cooperation, NL Agency is the number one contact point for businesses, knowledge institutions and government bodies. Matra-South is a Dutch bilateral effort dedicated to contributing to the recent political developments in the Arabic region. The programme intends to support a sustainable 3
transition to pluralistic and democratic societies governed by the rule of law in the Arabic region. The intent of the Matra-South programme is to support: Economic growth through furthering economic infrastructure, stimulation of entrepreneurship and employment. Democratisation, in particular transparent and free elections. Construction of the constitutional state and protection of human rights, with particular attention for gender equality, press freedom including digital rights, religious freedom, protection of minorities and Lesbian, Gay, Transgender, Bisexual-rights. Another objective is to create long lasting networks between the participants in these programmes. Public Finance Management training The objective of the course is to acquaint relevant staff of the mentioned countries of the management of public finances in the Netherlands. The Dutch Public Finance Management is regarded as an internationally acknowledged best practice (OECD 2001; IMF 2006). Therefore, the training programme elaborates on Public Finance Management in the Netherlands as a point of reference. Of course, Public Finance Management concepts successfully implemented in the Dutch context may not be applicable in another country s context given its specific historical path and formal and informal institutions. In addition, skills training and study visits will be organized. The training will distinguish between the expenditure side and the income side resulting in the following dichotomy: the training will consist of two modules, one on public expenditure management and the other on taxation. Application is only possible for one module. The group to be trained will be divided into two subgroups in order to create an atmosphere which permits an interactive approach. The training will cover 10 working days in total and will be split over two separate periods. Participants are obliged to attend both parts, you cannot have one without the other. The first part will be from 10-18 September in the Netherlands where the focus is on The Netherlands as a best practice. What elements contribute together to become a best practice? The second part will be from 10-14 November in Jordan where we will reflect on the first part of training in The Hague. Also, we will share experiences focusing on learning from different good practices in the region, presented by the participants. Programme The programme is built on three balanced, mutually supportive and integrated components. Namely: theory, practical skills, skill training, study visits and social events. Each day the morning programme lasts 9.30-12.30 hours (AM), whereas the afternoon programme lasts 13.30-16.30 hours (PM). Lunch time is in between. The following elements together integrally make the programme: Key elements theory and practical skills Topics likely to be covered during the Public Expenditure Management module: organization financial and audit function in the Netherlands, budgetary policy, budgetary infrastructure, programme budgeting, and risk management. Topics likely to be covered during the Taxation module: Taxation policy in the Netherlands: general overview, Compliance risk management and Horizontal Monitoring, 4
communication policy and influencing behavior of tax payers, tax payer services, mediation, discretion/ means of tax relief/ mediation, tax plan, pro-active influencing the national legislation in relation to taxation. Skill training Theory is most valuable for participants when being able to put it into practice. The training will contain practical examples. You are responsible for this translation to your own work environment. The individual skills are important in the process of listening, learning and reflecting. Study visits The central training venue in The Hague is The National Academy for Finance and Economics which is part of the Ministry of Finance, with an separate building outside the ministry. For both groups a study visit to the Ministry of Finance is part of the programme. Social events To stimulate the network function of the training, several social events will be organized: A welcome dinner, joint lunches, a network occasion with representatives of Embassies concerned, a closing ceremony and a social programme to Amsterdam on Sunday. Your training needs and learning goals are an important guide in the design of the training programme. The objectives of this training and the overall objectives of the Matra-South programme are leading in the design. The organization shall ask you to formulate your learning goals and training needs as concrete as possible. We expect you to take an active part in the programme because the success of the training also depends on your contribution. Another element for success are the lecturers. All lecturers from the Dutch side are carefully selected. They are your peers, since they are senior staff members who work on a daily basis with the topic concerned. In general per subject there will be one speaker and in a few cases two. The training course will be evaluated both verbally as well as digitally. During the closing ceremony, all participants who have completed the entire course will receive a certificate and a handbook summary of the training. Training organization The programme will be executed by a consortium of the National Academy for Finance and Economics (Public Expenditure Management) on one hand and the Centre for Professional Development and Communications (Taxation) on the other hand. These two training institutes are part of the Ministry of Finance of the Netherlands. The National Academy is a training institute with more than 20 years of experience in the field of Public Finance, Audit and Economics. The trainings offered by the National Academy for Finance and Economics are up-to-date and practice orientated. Nearly all lecturers have a full time job in the field of public finance within central government. They are familiar with the course material on the basis of their daily work. The Centre for Professional Development and Communication is an independent institute working for the Tax and Customs Administration of the Netherlands and exists for more than 25 years. It offers programs and seminars to all the employees of the Tax and Customs Administration of the Netherlands, roughly 30.000 employees. 5
The project team consists of: Mrs Suzan Ouwerkerk Mrs Caresse Mercalina Mrs Anne van Amerongen Public Expenditure Management project leader and overall project coordinator Taxation project leader Project member and logistics Training costs The Dutch government will take care of all relevant costs. For each selected participant, the costs of international travel (economy), board and lodging, visa and insurance, tuition fee for the training, lecture materials and social programme will be taken care of. Applicants are responsible for the organization and costs of travelling to the airport in their own country. Applicants who have been awarded a place are expected to fully attend both part 1 and 2 of the training programme. In case of no-shows or cancellations within four weeks before the start of the first part of the training, the organizer has the right to claim all costs incurred from the participants employer. How to apply? Online applications should be made through the website www.matra-south.nl. To apply you have to create an account which will enable you to fill out the online application form. Go to Downloads, select Application Form for the relevant training programme, select your country and you can then download the application form. Online applications should be submitted ultimately 25 June 2013. Please note that the application instructions on the website need to be followed carefully. Failure to do so may result in your application not being taken into consideration. Selection After reception of your application, the selection procedure will start. Important points on which the selection of applicants will be based: 1. Administrative check of the application. Only fully documented applications received before the deadline will be considered. 2. Match of job position, learning goals with the topics of the respective module and motivation. The applicant should clearly demonstrate an immediate need for training in the field of Public Expenditure Management or Taxation. A balanced number of participants per module is aimed at. Ideally 12/13 participants per module. The applicant should be highly motivated and enthusiastic. The organization could verify your motivation. 3. Competitive bases per country. Admission will be on a competitive basis. A balanced number of participants from each country is aimed at, 5 for each country. The organization is looking forward to receiving your application. 6