The International Consortium on Governmental Financial Management (ICGFM) Winter Conference took place at the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC from December 10 - 12th, 2012. The conference theme was "Good Public Financial Management Practices in a Period of Global Adjustment." More than 160 attendees from over 30 countries participated in the event. Conference highlights included presentations on fiscal transparency and accountability, public expenditure management, tax and non-tax revenue generation, budget planning and executing, and e-governance. Case studies from the Philippines, Brazil, Bangladesh, and Ethiopia were featured.
Crown Agents' Kojo Oduro and Getachew Negera Sona, Director of the Treasury Directorate of the Government of Ethiopia, presented "How to Develop a Cash Forecasting System: the Case of the Federal Government of Ethiopia." The presentation described Ethiopia's experience with the Treasury Single Account and Zero Balance Account approaches to building a cash management system and was very well received by the attendees. Copies of the presentation are available in English, Spanish, and French on the conference website, http://www.icgfm.org/
Crown Agents USA also hosted a networking event for the ICGFM attendees on December 11th. Among the guests of the networking event were a number of Crown Agents clients, including representatives of Ministries of Finance, World Bank Country Offices, and USAID as well as participants in public financial management, procurement, tax administration, trade facilitation, public-private partnerships, and capacity development courses provided by Crown Agents Training around the world.
We were pleased to demonstrate our support and commitment to the mission of ICGFM and its dedicated work with governments and public financial management experts to strengthen financial management systems. Crown Agents' participation further enhanced the reputation the company enjoys for its valued public financial management expertise, deep local roots, and relationships of trust with national governments, partners, and clients.