Representatives of Tajik governmental agencies have skipped a conference organized by the Tajik Branch of Open Society Institute/Assistance Foundation (OSI/AF-Tajikistan).

Recall, organized by OSI/AF-Tajikistan, the first national conference “Public Finance Analytics in Tajikistan” took place at Sheraton Hotel in Dushanbe today in the framework of the “Support to Public Finance Management Reforms in Tajikistan” program funded by DFID.

According to OSI/AF-Tajikistan, the main partners of the conference were the Ministry of Finance of Tajikistan, the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower house of parliament) and DFID.

The conference participants were supposed to include government officials, public and academic representatives.

Representatives of Tajikistan’s governmental agencies, however, skipped the conference.

Deputy Minister of Finance Jamshed Nourmahmadiyon and Deputy Minister of Economic Development Trade Umed Davlatzoda were expected to attend the event.

Tajik officials justified their absence at the conference by saying that they are participating in preparations for first ever bilateral business forum of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

According to OSI/AF-Tajikistan,  the goal of the conference was to discuss the issues of transparency and accountability in public finance management, along with the role of analytics in this sphere. 

Conference participants reportedly reviewed and discussed analytical papers which were written by young researchers in the framework of the “Support to Public Finance Management Reforms in Tajikistan” program.  All studies conducted within the analytical component of the program, were conducted in the field of public finance management and cover the following subjects: projection of revenues of the state budget and remittances during 2015-2025 years; participation of private sector in the process of budget preparation; impact of foreign financial flows to budget policy of Tajikistan; computerization issues of budget system in Tajikistan; improving of budgetary services in Tajikistan, and an analysis of expenditures of Khovaling area budget in a healthcare sector.      

Conference participants were informed about the outcomes of the research Assessment of Needs, Interests and Concerns of the Population of Tajikistan Related to Public Finance Management and Budget Process and preliminary results of the Open Local Budget Survey, along with results of monitoring of publications in mass media made about economic issues.

OSI/AF-Tajikistan is a part of international network of the Foundation, one of the National Foundations, which are in Open Society Institute network.  Strategic mission of the Foundation is a support for development and promotion of democratic processes in Tajikistan, evolvement and development of democratic society.