Day: November 19, 2021

Budget highlights achievements in integrity and transparency management

International Dialogue on Transparency and Integrity of the Public Network: President Abinader Reaffirms Government's Commitment to Principles, Ethics, and Integrity. In an event led by the President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, the 5th International Dialogue on Transparency and Integrity of the Public Integrity Network of Latin America and the Caribbean took place. This year, the Dominican Republic hosted this event, which, together with the General Directorate of Ethics and Governmental Integrity (DIGEIG), is organized by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). This series of meetings provided a platform to highlight and publicize the tools and reforms implemented by the Dominican government to consolidate transparency and integrity and promote citizen participation. In this regard, President Abinader stated that, “there is no transformative action without principles, ethics, and integrity in the exercise of power.” During his address, the president also highlighted the various projects and ten-point codes of best practices that link all levels of his government. “A good example of this is our transparency portal, where anyone can access information on public contracts, tenders, salaries, and plans. Everything is there because there is nothing to hide,” the head of state emphasized in his speech. Meanwhile, the Director General of the Budget, José Rijo Presbot, joined the second day of public sessions with the topic “Modernizing the Integrity and Transparency System of the Dominican Republic.” Also participating were Catalino Correa, Comptroller General of the Republic; Milagros Ortíz Bosch, Director General of Ethics and Governmental Integrity; and Carlos Pimentel, Director General of Procurement and Contracting. Rijo Presbot stated that the General Directorate of Budget (DIGEPRES) has implemented significant budget controls aimed at controlling public spending, ensuring transparency, and aligning the plan and the budget to achieve positive results. “For the first time, we have drafted a Budget Bill for 2022 that links the National Development Strategy 2030 with the strategic axes for producing the General State Budget.” As a fundamental aspect of the Budget reforms, Rijo Presbot highlighted the consolidation of the process for preparing medium-term fiscal frameworks through a methodological guide and the improvements introduced in the State Financial Management Information System (SIGEF), which now allows institutions to formulate their budgets on a multi-year basis. “In 2017, only 831% of institutions based their budgets on service targets. Today, we can say that 991% of institutions do so,” added the Budget Director. Greater Spending Control and Reduction of Accounts Payable Regarding spending control, Rijo Presbot spoke about improvements to the Budget programming module and highlighted as a significant achievement the prohibition of transactional agreements by incumbents and institutions, which, according to Rijo, represented one of the most corrupt mechanisms in the Dominican Republic. “Accounts payable were reduced by 174 million pesos in 2010. Last year, from January to August 14, 62 billion pesos were paid, of which approximately 32 billion did not go through the regular channels, not even through the Comptroller General's Office, and we have eliminated this,” stated the Budget Director. He affirmed that an article has been added to the Budget Law prohibiting this practice and stipulating that any official who incurs administrative debt due to a lack of resources will be liable for it with their personal assets. Updated and Available Budget Execution: Rijo Presbot pointed out that never before has the execution of state resources been made so readily and up-to-date to the public through this information. “We have positioned ourselves at the forefront of international best practices and now publish the Budget execution report weekly on the institutional website,” he affirmed. He stated that DIGEPRES has encouraged citizen participation and social oversight with initiatives such as Citizen Budget, which offers a more streamlined explanation of the General State Budget (PGE), and Citizen Encounters, which facilitate engagement with organized civil society. Regarding the event: The International Dialogue on Transparency and Integrity of the OECD-IDB Public Network of Latin America and the Caribbean is an annual meeting held to share best practices in transparency, ethics, and integrity. The forum brings together high-level international experts who seek to promote better public policies, economic growth, and the prevention and control of corruption.