82946 Newsletter Volume 2 Issue 8 October 2013 In this Issue PRAN’s Announcements The festive season of October also brought those working in the field of Public Financial Management PETS: Supporting Accountability in Nepal (PFM) a reason to celebrate. OAG Commits to work with Civil Society At a workshop organized by PRAN, OAG and the World Bank Institute, Mr. Bhanu Prasad Acharya, SA in the Region Nepal’s Auditor General, spoke of the importance of civil society in the auditing process. The workshop, Recent Publications on SA held on 6 and 7 October saw engaging participation from high ranking officials from OAG and representa- tives from PRAN’s civil society Organizations. More below: A Paradigm Shift in Auditing in Nepal For the first time in the history of Nepal, an agenda is being brought forward that promises to maximize the efficiency and impact of government auditing through engagement with other stakeholders. At a workshop that took place on 6 and 7 October at the OAG, Nepal’s Auditor General, Mr. Bhanu Prasad Acharya said: “ I feel the participation and perspective of the civil society organizations (CSOs) will assist us to improve the current system of auditing in Nepal.” The workshop on “Advancing Public Participation in the Audit Process in Nepal” has given a paradigm shift towards the The World Bank staff and officials from the OAG listening to Dr. Prithvi Raj Ligal approach to the Nepalese auditing process. Organized by the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) Nepal in collaboration with the World Bank Nepal Country Office, the Program for Accountability in Nepal (PRAN), and The World Bank Institute (WBI), the workshop’s major objective was to facilitate the engagement between OAG (supply side) and civil societies (demand side) towards exploring challenges and opportunities for implementing various participatory audit mechanisms in Nepal. Mr. Bigyan Pradhan, Sr. Operations Officer, of the World Bank stressed the need for improved accountability and transparency which can happen by linking the supply and demand side of PFM. More from: http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/ feature/2013/10/11/a-paradigm-shift-in-auditing-in-nepal Finding Answers to Social Accountability through PETS It’s interesting to see how Public Expenditure Tracking Surveys (PETS) have become an essential tool for social accountabilit y in Nepal. At a workshop organized by the World Bank’s Program for Accountability in Nepal (PRAN) and the World Bank Institute (WBI), more than 50 social accountability practitioners gathered to share a practical, hands-on experience on PETS from 30th September until 3rd October in Kavre, Nepal. PETS is a social accountability tool by which citizens track the amount of government’s budget allocated to activities implemented by the local bodies (VDCs, DDCs and Municipalities). “In the current scenario with the absence of elected representatives throughout the country, we need a tool that would hold the administration accountable and PETs meets all the criteria,” said one Maya Tamang responds to one of our SA Practitioners of the participants, Mahendra Prasad Pandey, PRAN’s Social Accountability Photo Courtesy: Hari Ghimire Practitioner in Kapilbastu. The workshop brought together national, as well as international experts to share their experiences on implementing the PETS methodology. The participants were not just taught the specifics of PETS, but were given opportunities to field-test the survey questionnaires on old age, widow and disabled social security entitlements in the VDCs and municipalities of Kavre district. “The field–based training gave us an excellent overview of what we could expect when we take these surveys out in the village. The workshop was highly effective as it gave us a better sense of the practical implications of asking detailed questions on who received these entitlements, from whom, for how much and when,” says Neelu Thapa, another participant from SAWTEE. Through the use of PETS, people can find out whether the local government’s specific plans, programs and resources have reached their intended targets, whether the money was spent for the approved purpose and, if not, what ways can be identified to ensure that the budget is spent as per the approved purposes. “Our partners felt the need for such PETS training as most village communities lack proper knowledge on budget transparency and accountability issues. We believe that citizens can more effectively hold their government accountable through such commu- nity-led, demand-driven tools as PETS. Through the Program for Accountability in Nepal-PRAN, we are able to provide practical training to develop the capacity of civil society in partnership with their government to promote social accountability in Nepal,” says Keith D. Leslie, PRAN’s Coordinator. More from: http://blogs.worldbank.org/publicsphere/finding-answers-social-accountability-nepal-through-pets SA SAin in the Region the Region Publications Budget Work Rethinking social accountability in Africa: lessons from the Mwananchi Programme An online module on budget review tool By Fletcher Tembo Budgets are at the very core of how a government plans to provide This report draws on five years' of lessons and case for its citizens. By looking at a public budget, we can get an initial studies from implementing the Mwananchi Governance understanding of a government's priorities and plans how it plans to and Transparency Programme in six African countries: spend its money, and on whom. Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Zambia. For this reason, it is of the utmost importance that ordinary citizens It argues that there are three major problems with the and civil society organizations are equipped with the skills to way social accountability initiatives are designed and understand, analyze, and act upon information contained in public implemented. More from: budgets. http://www.odi.org.uk/publications/7669-mwananchi-social- This module will outline "budget work" or independent accountability-africa budget review and analysis as a social accountability tool, covering For further information please contact: the theoretical aspects of the approach as well as the practical aspects necessary for effective implementation. It will go beyond basic budg- Deepa Rai etary review and analysis to also discuss budget literacy programs Social Development Communications and Outreach Officer and related budget review tools. PRAN (Program for Accountability in Nepal) The World Bank Click here for details: drai1@worldbank.org Tel office: 4226792 (Ext. 6158) http://ansa-sar.org/2012/index.php? http://www.worldbank.org/np/pran option=com_content&view=article&id=702&Itemid=122 Program activities under PRAN are funded by SPBF (State and Peacebuilding Fund) and MDTF (Multi Donor Trust Fund)