Day: March 21, 2025

Digepres presents a new initiative for the external evaluation of two results-oriented budget programs

The evaluation, which will be carried out by an external consultant, will measure the results and implementation effectiveness of the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention and Elderly Protection programs. The initiative has the support of the German Cooperation Agency GIZ and COSEFIN. With the presence of authorities from the General Directorate of Budget (Digepres), the Financial Governance Program of the German Cooperation Agency GIZ, the Council of Ministers of Finance of Central America, Panama, and the Dominican Republic (COSEFIN), along with representatives of institutions and implementing units, the new external evaluation initiative for the Results-Oriented Budget Programs for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention and Elderly Protection in the Dominican Republic was presented. For both projects, the evaluation will aim to define conceptual and strategic guidelines that strengthen their design, implementation, and management. The event was led by the Director General of Budget, José Rijo Presbot. Sandra Stelzner, director of the Good Financial Governance Program at the German Cooperation Agency (GIZ), and Federico Rivera Romero, executive secretary of the Council of Ministers of Finance of Central America, Panama, and the Dominican Republic (COSEFIN), were present. In his welcoming remarks, Rijo Presbot, on behalf of the Dominican government and Finance Minister Jochi Vicente, expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to share the experience of this new evaluation process, which serves to strengthen the allocation of public resources. He praised the work carried out and the methodology presented. Rijo Presbot also indicated that, as the governing body of the Dominican budgetary system, they will continue to promote Results-Oriented Budget Programs (PPoR) and reaffirmed the government's political will to ensure that entities working on sectoral policies continue to strengthen their capacities in strategic planning to further improve the quality of life for the people, which is the fundamental guiding principle of President Luis Abinader's public policies. “We are grateful to the international community for sharing experiences and international best practices that allow us to ensure our institutions properly optimize public resources in this ongoing fight for transparency and the fight against corruption,” said Rijo Presbot in closing. For her part, Sandra Stelzner, director of the Financial Governance Program of the German Cooperation Agency (GIZ), explained that the objective of the cooperation with the Dominican Republic is to promote the country's sustainable development to build more just and equitable societies. Federico Rivera Romero, executive secretary of the National Finance Council (COSEFIN), indicated that working under the Results-Based Budgeting (RBB) methodology facilitates more efficient public management by establishing indicators that measure the performance, objectives, concrete achievements, and progress of each initiative. Ana Miguelina Terrero, head of the Budget Performance Evaluation Department, explained the project in general terms, discussed the objective of the evaluation and the programs, and provided a history of the process among the stakeholders involved. Regarding the selection of the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention and Elderly Protection programs, it was emphasized that they were chosen because they are of social interest, seek to address relevant conditions within public policy, and have reached the minimum level of maturity in their implementation to allow for evaluation. “DIGEPRES reaffirms its commitment to the sustainability of these initiatives, and we hope to have the collaboration and support of the participating Implementing Units, who are the true protagonists of the process,” he stated. Methodology for the external evaluation of the programs: approach and application. Rafael Gómez, the project's evaluation consultant, presented the methodology to be used in the external evaluation of the programs during the meeting, highlighting qualitative analysis. The methodology includes conducting field interviews, reviewing documentation, and analyzing best practices, in order to make recommendations based on this input aimed at strengthening the program and contributing to its effective implementation. The activity also included the participation of the implementing units of the Ministry of Planning and Development (MEPyD); the National Council for Children and Adolescents (CONANI); Ministry of Women; Supérate Program; National Council for the Elderly Person (CONAPE) and technical team of the General Directorate of Budget.