DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

2020 REPORT TO CONGRESS

Section 129 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, authorizes the 

establishment of a Department of the Treasury program to provide technical assistance to 

governments and central banks of developing or transitional countries. This legislation 

also requires Treasury to prepare and submit this report on the conduct of the Treasury 

International Affairs Technical Assistance (TIATA) program by Treasury’s Office of 

Technical Assistance (OTA).
TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Introduction and Executive Summary 1

II. Program Organization and Principles 3

III. Project Allocation and Funding 4

IV. Project Selection and Assistance Delivery 6

V. Program Evaluation and Monitoring 8

VI. Achievements 10

Annex 1: U.S. Treasury Strategic Plan 2018-2022 (Strategic Objective 2.3: 

 Foreign Technical Assistance) 15

Annex 2: OTA Strategic Plan 2016-2020 17

Table A - 2020 TIATA Budget Execution Plan 19

Table B - 2020 Non-TIATA Sources of Funding 23
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I. Introduction and Executive Summary

This report provides an overview of the activities of the Treasury Department’s Office of 

Technical Assistance (OTA) for calendar year 2020. The report covers program 

organization, funding, and the process for selecting and implementing projects, describes 

changes in the program’s global footprint, and summarizes project-specific highlights.

For over 30 years, OTA has helped finance ministries and central banks of developing 

and transitional countries strengthen their ability to manage public finances effectively 

and safeguard their financial sectors. Such assistance is in the U.S. national interest. 

Strong economic governance regimes support financial sector stability, growth, and the 

achievement of broader U.S. foreign policy and national security goals. Developing 

countries that generate more domestic revenue and manage their resources effectively are 

less dependent on foreign aid. Additionally, governments that develop effective financial 

sector oversight regimes are valuable partners in the global effort to combat money 

laundering and terrorist financing. 

OTA’s work supports Treasury’s strategic goal of promoting financial stability globally. 

As described in Treasury’s Strategic Plan for 2018-2022, OTA provides “technical 

assistance to enable foreign partner countries to better raise and manage financial 

resources and protect their financial sectors.” This work entails focusing on OTA’s five 

core program disciplines (revenue policy and administration; budget and financial 

accountability; government debt issuance and infrastructure financing; banking and 

financial services; economic crimes) as well as high-priority cross-cutting objectives such 

as domestic resource mobilization, infrastructure finance, expanding access to financial 

services, strengthening anti-money laundering/combating financing of terrorism 

(AML/CFT) frameworks, and supporting growth. (See Annex 1: U.S. Treasury Strategic 

Plan 2018-2022.) OTA is working closely with the incoming administration to ensure 

that the program’s assistance is aligned with current priorities and will review and update 

its internal strategic plan accordingly. 

Delivering Technical Assistance During Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic

For OTA, as for nearly everyone, the main story for 2020 is how OTA adjusted to the 

pandemic. The global COVID-19 pandemic presented unprecedented challenges to OTA 

partner countries – many of whom faced increasingly difficult economic and fiscal 

circumstances – as well as to the program itself, with the pandemic preventing OTA in 

many cases from delivering assistance through its traditional approach of onsite, side-byside capacity building. 

Achieving and sustaining project traction and impact was complicated by a variety of 

factors, including counterparts’ technological limitations, the challenges of 

communicating in “real time” across multiple time zones, and the inherent difficulty in 

establishing and maintaining working relationships of trust between advisors and their 

foreign counterparts, a critical element in OTA engagements. In addition, certain project 

components, particularly those focused on the rollout or implementation of large 
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initiatives, on-the-job training, and similar capacity building efforts were more difficult to 

execute on a remote basis.

In response to these challenges, OTA adopted a number of measures – including 

implementing and expanding the use of collaborative tools (e.g., WebEx, Microsoft 

Teams), re-prioritizing project work plan components to address new and emerging 

counterpart challenges (e.g. need for emergency cash/treasury management, decreased 

revenue, capital outflows and increased borrowing costs, broader banking and financial 

sector stresses), and increasing the frequency of communication with foreign counterparts 

– to help the program to continue to achieve its mission. The program also began 

conducting virtual assessments in lieu of traditional on-the-ground assessment missions

to evaluate requests for technical assistance from foreign governments.

OTA was able to maintain a limited on-the-ground presence in partner countries. Over 

the course of the year, roughly half of OTA’s 30 resident advisors – who live and work 

abroad full-time while on assignment for OTA – remained in their country of assignment. 

Helpfully, this enabled the program to continue, where conditions allowed and with the 

approval of host country officials, to stay engaged in-person, or at least more closely,

with counterparts. In addition, OTA project assistants – locally hired staff in OTA 

partner countries – remained a critical, on-the-ground presence in many countries, 

including to support projects where OTA advisors were not present. OTA also organized 

a cross-functional team of headquarters managers and staff – known as the “Tiger Team” 

– to address the administrative, operational, and logistical challenges posed by the 

pandemic and to help ensure the health and safety of OTA personnel, both at 

headquarters and in the field.

Without question, progress in achieving project objectives required more time, effort, 

perseverance, and flexibility in 2020 compared to previous years due the afore-mentioned 

challenges. In some cases, the challenges proved so great that the projects were curtailed 

or cancelled. New or “young” projects that did not enjoy well established 

advisor/counterpart relationships prior to the pandemic were especially vulnerable. As 

discussed in section V, in the aggregate OTA’s traction and impact declined slightly. 

Nonetheless, OTA was generally able to adapt to the changing circumstances and 

continued to provide critical and timely assistance to counterparts. Indeed, a number of 

projects made progress to a degree that would have been noteworthy in any year and

were all the more remarkable during 2020. OTA projects in Africa (e.g., Kenya), Asia 

(e.g., Indonesia), Latin America (e.g., Ecuador), and other regions helped counterparts to 

mobilize revenues, deepen domestic bond markets, increase infrastructure finance, 

strengthen budget systems, improve banking supervision, and combat economic crimes. 

See section VI for details about these achievements, including measurable results. 
3

II. Program Organization and Principles

OTA is organized along functional lines, operating in five major disciplines to assist the 

governments of developing and transitional countries:

• Revenue Policy and Administration: Creates more effective tax administrations 

that simplify procedures to encourage voluntary compliance on the part of taxpayers, 

effectively uncover tax evasion, and maintain high standards of fairness and 

transparency.

• Budget and Financial Accountability: Strengthens all phases of the governmental 

budget cycle, including budget formulation, execution, monitoring and reporting, 

treasury operations, and evaluation.

• Government Debt and Infrastructure Finance: Provides strategic and technical 

assistance to develop market-based means of public finance through the issuance of 

domestic government securities; increases the efficiency of government debt 

management; implements comprehensive debt strategies that diversify sources of 

finance, reduce liability risk and lower debt service burdens; strengthens enabling 

environments for private investment; and accelerates the development of financially 

sound infrastructure projects.

• Banking and Financial Services: Supports the development of strong financial 

sectors in which institutions are well-regulated, stable, and accessible, serve as 

efficient intermediaries between savers and investors, and are resistant to criminal 

activity.

• Economic Crimes: Assists the development and implementation of AML/CFT 

regimes that are compliant with international standards. 

In providing technical assistance, OTA follows a number of guiding principles:

• OTA supports self-reliance. OTA provides countries with the knowledge and skills 

required to move towards financial self-sufficiency—including the capability to 

generate and better manage their own government finances—and to reduce 

dependence on international aid. OTA generally follows a three- to five-year project

cycle that is aimed at creating maximum impact and exiting when local capacity has 

been created. 

• OTA is selective. OTA works with governments that are committed to reform—

reform that they design and own—and to using U.S. assistance effectively. OTA is 

recognized for supporting country ownership; achieving alignment with host country 

priorities; managing for development results; and fostering mutual accountability 

with host country officials. OTA does not engage with a country without a signed 

bilateral Terms of Reference that sets out the high-level terms and aims of the 

engagement, followed by a tactical-level work plan specifying activities in support of 

those aims.

• OTA works side-by-side with counterparts. OTA engagements are based on close 

interaction between advisors and working-level partners, whether in a finance 

ministry, central bank, financial intelligence unit, tax administration, or other relevant 

government agency. OTA advisors introduce sound practices in daily work routines 

through ongoing mentoring and on-the-job training.
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III. Project Allocation and Funding

As of the end of 2020, OTA had 94 bilateral technical assistance projects in 50 countries. 

Thirty-four percent of OTA’s total projects in 2020 were in the Americas, 29 percent 

were in Sub-Saharan Africa, 24 percent were in Asia, 11 percent were in Europe and 

Eurasia, and 2 percent were in the Middle East and North Africa (see chart below). The 

total number of projects and their regional distribution are consistent with OTA’s 

footprint in recent years.

OTA strives for depth of engagement and an integrated, multi-discipline approach. This

approach recognizes the complex, systemic nature of public financial management and 

the importance of engaging with a counterpart government in various disciplines in a 

coordinated way to achieve the greatest possible impact. In 2020, out of OTA’s 50

country engagements, 22 involved experts from two or more disciplines. 

Chart 1 - OTA Projects by Region 2020

OTA received total funding of $45.2 million in 2020, including funds directly 

appropriated to the program and transfers from other U.S. agencies. OTA’s direct annual 

appropriation, formally known as “Treasury International Affairs Technical Assistance” 

or TIATA, was allocated to support a total of 84 bilateral assistance projects and 10 

subject matter-specific senior advisors (who work regionally and globally) with a 

combined budget of $47.3 million. TIATA is a “no-year” appropriation, which allows

OTA to fund projects through a combination of new and carryover funds.

As the chart below indicates, TIATA is the single largest resource available to OTA for 

pursuing its mission. In FY 2020, Congress appropriated $30 million in TIATA 

resources, the same level as for the preceding three years. This level of funding helped

maintain program continuity despite uncertainty with respect to the availability and 

34%

24%

29%

11%

2%

Americas

Asia

Sub-Saharan Africa

Europe/ Eurasia

Middle East/N. Africa
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timing of interagency transfers and enabled the program to initiate engagements in 

priority assistance areas, including AML/CFT, spurring domestic resource mobilization, 

and increasing access to finance.

In addition to TIATA funding, OTA receives resources from other agencies, such as the 

U.S. Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development

(USAID). Funding transferred to OTA from other agencies in 2020 totaled $15.2

million, which reflects a decline relative to recent historical average transfer amounts.

The program continues to monitor closely the level of funding it receives—both TIATA 

and transfers from other agencies—to ensure that it is sufficient to sustain the current 

level of technical assistance OTA delivers globally and to respond to new and emerging 

priorities.

Chart 2 - OTA Funding by Source FY 2016-FY 2020

Notes

1. Details may not add to totals due to rounding.

Tables A and B at the end of this report provide additional data regarding the allocation 

of OTA funding sources in 2020, including funds received as transfers.

$23.5

$30.0 $30.0 $30.0 $30.0

$30.3

$23.6

$4.9

$22.3

$15.2

$53.8 $53.6

$34.9

$52.3

$0

$10

$20

$30

$40

$50

$60

FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20

Department of Treasury Office of Technical Assistance

Funding FY16-FY20 ($ in millions)

Transfer

Funding

TIATA

$45.2
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Program Management

Program management is the set of management and administrative activities and related 

costs that OTA requires to effectively develop, deliver, and oversee technical assistance 

to partner countries globally. These costs, which are largely associated with OTA’s 

headquarters management and administrative functions, include compensation for 

program office management and staff; headquarters office facility and maintenance, 

utilities, and other services (e.g., computer, telephone and internet, supplies); 

procurement and financial management services; and office and information systems 

security. These program management expenses are funded by twenty percent (20%) of 

all funds the program receives, whether via direct appropriation (TIATA) or inter-agency 

transfer.1 

OTA continues to closely monitor these expenses and the resource available to support 

them. The cost of many program management services, such as procurement, 

information technology, and facilities, continues to rise significantly from year-to-year, 

largely outside of the program’s control. In 2020, OTA continued to engage with internal 

service providers and other stakeholders to address this challenge. Resolution of this 

issue is critical for effective program management in compliance with all administrative 

and legal requirements, such as those related to financial management, procurement, 

human resources, information technology, and security.

IV. Project Selection and Assistance Delivery

Two of the most frequently asked questions about OTA’s work are: “How are projects 

selected?” and “How is assistance delivered?” Project selection is a process that typically 

begins with a request for Treasury technical assistance as outlined below and is informed 

by a careful assessment of a project’s potential for impact and success. Assistance is 

delivered via a resident advisor or intermittent advisor-based project model, or a 

combination of both. Project documentation, in particular agreed Terms of Reference 

and progress reports, is a vital part of the assistance architecture. 

Receiving and Assessing Requests. Requests for technical assistance and information 

regarding potential projects come from many sources, including U.S. embassies, USAID 

missions, other Treasury offices, foreign governments, and international organizations 

such as the IMF, as well as from OTA advisors already on the ground implementing other 

projects. 

For requests that OTA determines to be within its mandate, an on-the-ground assessment 

is carried out by OTA subject matter experts.2

 The OTA subject matter expert shares the 

assessment’s conclusions with the partner government and the U.S. embassy in the host 

1 The FY 2020 appropriations act limited the TIATA funding available to OTA to support administrative 

expenses to $6 million, or 20%, of the $30 million total TIATA appropriation. 2 As noted in the Introduction and Executive Summary, due to travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 

pandemic, in 2020 the program began conducting virtual assessments in lieu of traditional on-the-ground 

assessment missions to evaluate requests for technical assistance.
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country. OTA looks to its host-country counterparts to define project goals from the 

outset. Experience shows that goals and objectives that are not “owned” by the 

counterpart are seldom achieved. 

If the on-the-ground assessment is favorable, the manager of one of OTA’s five core 

disciplines submits a project proposal based on the assessment to the OTA Director and 

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Technical Assistance Policy. Decisions about whether to 

begin new projects, or to continue or terminate existing projects, are based on criteria and 

considerations that include: the need for technical assistance; evidence of counterpart 

commitment to reform and good use of assistance; whether the project would 

complement other projects in a particular country or region; the relation of the project to 

Treasury’s policy priorities and broader U.S. Government goals; and the availability of 

funding. In the course of assessing the prospects for a given project, OTA consults with 

other Treasury offices, and other partners and stakeholders such as the U.S. Department 

of State and USAID (in the field, at the embassy level, and at the headquarters level in 

Washington), the IMF, and the World Bank. 

Assistance Delivery Models. OTA carries out technical assistance through two basic 

delivery models: a resident advisor-based project and an intermittent advisor-based 

project.3

 A resident advisor-based project is anchored by an expert advisor living in the 

counterpart country, typically for a period of several years, and working side-by-side with 

officials in the ministry of finance, central bank, tax administration authority or other 

government institution. Treasury has found that working directly with the counterpart 

over a sustained period of time is critical for transferring knowledge and strengthening 

systems, especially in countries where government capacity is very limited. In addition 

to a resident advisor, a resident project frequently includes the participation of 

intermittent OTA experts in specialized areas who make short-term visits. 

For an intermittent advisor-based project, a group of several advisors typically spends a 

total of 30 to 45 weeks per year over the course of several years, in periods of two to 

three weeks at a time, working with host-country counterparts. In between these multiweek direct engagements, the counterparts are expected to carry out planned activities 

that are directed toward the objectives stated in a mutually-agreed-upon work plan. 

Between trips, advisors and counterparts are in frequent contact by email and phone. 

OTA often hires a permanent, full-time program assistant in-country to support the 

intermittent project.

Whether OTA selects a resident or intermittent advisor-based project model depends on 

the extent and nature of the problems to be solved, and the most practical solutions to 

those problems. Typically, one resident advisor will be utilized to cover a single large 

subject area, such as program budgeting or debt management, that will require several 

years to complete. Alternatively, an intermittent advisor-based project will use several 

advisors to cover a multitude of specialized assistance topics, such as audits, arrears 

3 As further detailed in the Introduction and Executive Summary, during 2020 OTA pivoted to remote 

delivery of technical assistance for both resident and intermittent advisor-based projects due to COVID-19 

related travel restrictions.
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collection and strategic planning in tax administration, or financial intelligence unit 

development, techniques of financial analysis, investigation and prosecution, or asset 

management, seizure, and forfeiture. 

Project Documents. Once OTA selects a resident or intermittent advisor project for 

funding, Terms of Reference (TOR) are developed with the counterpart agency and 

signed by a policy-level official from the counterpart government and Treasury’s DAS 

for Technical Assistance Policy. The TOR describe the broad goals of the project and 

represent a bilateral understanding at the policy level between OTA and the host 

institution. Within a short period (normally six to eight weeks) after signing the TOR, a 

detailed work plan is agreed upon between the advisor assigned to the project and the 

working-level counterpart. This workplan, which is approved by the Associate Director 

for the relevant OTA team, specifies objectives, planned completion dates, and 

deliverables, and is the primary basis for regular monthly progress reports to Treasury 

headquarters. 

The monthly reports are shared with counterpart institutions, U.S. embassy staff, other 

bureaus and offices in Treasury, and other interested partners such as USAID, the 

Millennium Challenge Corporation, and the relevant International Financial Institutions. 

OTA uses the reports as a management tool to oversee the progress of the project and to 

make any necessary changes. The reports also form the information base for responses to 

project queries from U.S. Government officials. In addition, supervising officials 

conduct field visits to meet counterparts and advisors and review the project’s progress. 

Such visits and reviews are conducted, generally, on an annual basis. 

V. Program Evaluation and Monitoring

One of the most important managerial functions in any assistance program is to monitor 

and evaluate the effectiveness of individual projects and the program overall. OTA 

monitors project performance using a variety of methods, including on-site evaluations 

by OTA managers, written monthly reports prepared by advisors that describe progress 

on work plan objectives, and end-of-project reports which provide a final assessment of 

project outcomes. An OTA expert other than the project implementer undertakes end-ofproject reports, which are conducted typically within three to six months following the 

end of the project. The purpose of these reports is to better understand the program’s 

longer-term impact. OTA completed nine end-of-project reports in 2020.

In addition, once a year OTA conducts an exercise to measure the level of “traction” 

achieved, or the degree to which changes in partner governments’ behavior occur as a 

result of OTA assistance (e.g., the number of foreign officials who are taking an active 

role in pursuing change, or interim deliverables that are on time or ahead of schedule). 

OTA also measures “impact” (the extent to which the objectives are actually achieved) 

for each technical assistance project. The levels of traction and impact are measured by 

OTA advisors and headquarters staff according to specific indicators that are relevant to 

each of the five OTA financial disciplines. For example, revenue team indicators include 
9

adoption of modern functional processes and procedures, and adequacy of investigation 

and adjudication of internal conduct matters by the tax agency. 

For 2020, the baseline targets for OTA’s traction and impact were set using a 5-point 

scale (with 5 representing the highest possible traction and impact), at 3.6 and 3.1, 

respectively. While OTA aims for maximum success for each project, the baseline 

targets reflect a reasonable expectation of project traction and impact taking into 

consideration the inherent challenges of achieving a meaningful engagement with foreign 

partners that leads to tangible outcomes. OTA did not meet its performance goals for 

traction in 2020 with an actual score of 3.3. OTA’s impact score declined slightly to 2.6, 

which is lower than historical averages. (See rating scale below for additional 

explanation of the meaning of these scores.) As discussed in the Introduction and 

Executive Summary, these declines in traction and impact were due largely to the 

challenges of delivering assistance remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, which 

prevented OTA from working side-by-side with foreign counterparts to execute technical 

assistance work plans. Measures of traction and impact are expected to improve as the 

program continues to refine and strengthen its approach to remote assistance and 

eventually transitions back to in-person assistance.

OTA Traction and Impact Evaluation Rating Scale

Traction

5 – Advisors have regular and frequent meetings with counterparts. Counterparts display high levels 

of involvement. There is an excellent professional relationship between the advisor and the 

counterpart. Schedules are kept. Counterparts take the initiative to advance the project work. There is 

a great deal of energy and activity devoted to this objective. 

3 – While there is interaction and involvement in working on this objective, more focus and activity 

would be desirable and is probably possible. For good and valid reasons, the specific project 

objective does not have a high priority for the counterparts at the present time, but some important 

and worthwhile efforts are being made. The project is doing well but could do better on this 

objective.

1 – There is little if any involvement or activity generated around this objective. It may be that the 

objective has been delayed, suspended, or otherwise given low priority. Though this may change in 

the future, for the time period covered by this evaluation this objective is dormant. 

Impact

5 – This objective has been completed and/or is having a noticeable and positive effect. The work 

being accomplished makes a difference that all involved in the project recognize and value. The 

project is making substantive and substantial differences that can be verified by any observer who 

understands the technical nature of this work.

3 – Though the effects of this objective are unmistakable and positive, the objective was designed to 

achieve more than has been done to date.

1 – There has been little if any substantive achievement or change as a result of work on this 

objective. It may be because little work has been done to date; because what has been done has been 

inadequate; or because what was done failed. 

Use the numbers 4 and 2 to indicate levels of Traction and Impact between 5 and 3, or 3 and 1, if that 

best reflects the professional assessment of the evaluator.
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In accordance with the Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act (FATAA), 

OTA continues to strengthen its ability to measure the results of its technical assistance 

projects. In 2020, OTA completed 52 project-specific Logical Frameworks that 

document project goals and expected outcomes, as well as the activities and outputs 

expected to lead to their successful realization.

In 2020, OTA made progress towards implementing independent (third-party) 

evaluations of OTA technical assistance engagements, as required by the FATAA. 

Specifically, OTA worked with the Treasury Operations Bureau (procurement office) to 

develop a solicitation for procurement of independent evaluation services. In 2021, OTA 

anticipates award of the contract and completion of the design methodology that will be 

used to evaluate the effectiveness of OTA’s technical assistance projects. Independent 

evaluation reports will strengthen OTA’s ability to document the extent to which the 

objectives documented in the Logical Frameworks are achieved for each technical 

assistance project. Once the evaluation regime is fully implemented, each OTA project 

will be subject to an independent evaluation at its midpoint (generally after the second 

year of technical assistance activities) and 6-12 months after a project concludes. The 

results and lessons gained from evaluations will be integrated, as appropriate, into future 

technical assistance activities, and made available to the public as required by the 

FATAA.

VI. Achievements

As described in the previous section, Treasury measures the results of technical 

assistance on a project-by-project basis, ranging from engagements that meet – or in 

some cases exceed – project objectives, to those that underperform, or result in little or no 

improvement. With respect to the latter, projects can fall short of expectations for a 

variety of reasons: limited absorption capacity by recipients, a change in host-country 

leadership, difficulty in establishing a good working relationship between the advisor and 

his/her counterpart, a lack of commitment to reform, or reform fatigue. 

OTA management conducts quarterly reviews of project progress. For projects with less 

than satisfactory progress, OTA may curtail or end the projects earlier than expected. On 

average, OTA curtails or ends early 4-5 projects, roughly 5% of TIATA-funded projects, 

per year. This has been the case since at least 2017 when OTA began collecting data on 

this on an annual basis. In 2020, four of the 84 bilateral assistance projects that the 

program approved using TIATA funds were ultimately curtailed or ended early due to 

poor performance.

By contrast, OTA projects are successful when the foreign counterparts—at both the 

technical and policy level—are committed to reform and to using Treasury technical 

assistance well. In 2020, a number of OTA partner countries demonstrated such 

commitment and made significant achievements with OTA assistance. Notable 

accomplishments include the following: 
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Budget and Financial Accountability

Indonesia Develops Cash Management Strategy. The Ministry of Finance of Indonesia 

began implementing key processes and tools to enable the government to reach 

internationally accepted standards for cash management, which is a critical aspect of the 

government’s public financial management reform efforts. As part of a reprioritized

workplan focusing on the challenges presented by COVID-19, OTA assistance focused 

on implementing policies and procedures for automatic payments to government vendors, 

including telecommunication and utility services, to enhance visibility and predictability 

of such payments. OTA also supported the Ministry’s efforts to implement a business 

intelligence tool to obtain high-value information, such as trends in budget execution 

(revenues and expenditures), to support the public financial management decisionmaking process. Once fully implemented, the tool, which incorporates a data dashboard 

to monitor key financial management performance indicators and improve the 

predictability of cash flow forecasts, will help increase data digitization, thereby 

providing the government with more timely and actionable cash flow information as it 

seeks to invest anticipated cash surpluses and to borrow to finance anticipated shortfalls.

Botswana Conducts Comprehensive Public Financial Management Review. OTA 

supported and built capacity for Botswana to conduct a comprehensive assessment of its 

public finances – known as a Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA)

assessment.

4 OTA facilitated nearly all aspects of the review, including the composition 

of the assessment team, data requirements and sources, and the drafting of the final 

report. The assessment, which evaluated the government’s performance against 31 

standard PEFA indicators across seven broad areas of activity (e.g., budget reliability, 

transparency, accounting/reporting, audit), revealed a mixed picture in terms of the 

Botswana’s management of public finances. The results of the review were endorsed by 

the PEFA Secretariat, which operates as a part of the World Bank, indicating that the 

assessment and the report of findings were developed and executed according to the 

recognized methodology. The government is using the results of the assessment to 

develop a multi-year public financial management reform strategy.

Revenue Administration and Policy 

Zambia Strengthens Transfer Pricing Auditing Regime. The Zambia Revenue 

Authority (ZRA), with support from OTA, strengthened its transfer pricing auditing and 

analytical capacity resulted in the identification of the loss of $76 million in tax revenue 

associated with the implementation of a tax treaty between Zambia and the Indian Ocean 

island nation of Mauritius. The lost revenue, which occurred over a five-year period 

from 2013 to 2018, was the result of multi-national corporations operating in both 

countries improperly deducting certain management fees under the treaty, thereby 

4 The PEFA program was initiated in 2001 by seven international development partners: The European 

Commission, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and the governments of France, Norway, 

Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. It provides a framework for assessing and reporting on the strengths 

and weaknesses of public financial management using quantitative indicators to measure performance.
12

reducing their tax liability in Zambia. As a result of this finding by the ZRA, Zambia's 

executive branch voted to end the country’s tax treaty with Mauritius.

Latin American Countries Work Together to Strengthen Anti-Corruption Measures 

in Revenue Administration. Tax administration officials from several Latin American 

countries participated in a virtual meeting facilitated by OTA to exchange ideas to 

strengthen anti-corruption measures, including to address new and emerging risks related 

to tax policy changes resulting from the economic and fiscal challenges of the COVID-19 

pandemic. The meeting, held in December, included 60 representatives from tax 

administrations in current and former OTA partner countries, including Colombia, Costa 

Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, and Peru. 

The participants discussed challenges to maintain existing anti-corruption controls; 

implementing new controls in adherence to regulations and tax relief measures put into 

effect by governments and tax administrations in response to the pandemic; and 

identifying possible fraud and corruption that arise from the application of new 

regulations and tax relief measures. This was the second such meeting of Latin American 

tax administration officials convened by OTA, following a similar event in 2019 focused 

on peer-to-peer learning and tax regime strengthening. 

Government Debt and Infrastructure Finance

Kenya Adopts Debt Policy Framework. Kenya’s National Treasury created a new 

framework to manage the government’s debt issuance and management. The framework, 

which was developed with OTA assistance, establishes a uniform and more transparent 

approach to the timing and purpose of all borrowing by the government in the domestic 

market, as well as how government debt will be managed. This innovative and 

strengthened approach ends the previous practice of ad-hoc borrowing and imposes

greater fiscal discipline. OTA also assisted in developing an analytical framework to

inform the Kenyan government’s efforts to support – through the allocation of $1.2 

billion in resources – public sector entities, including state-owned enterprises, that faced 

significant revenue shortfalls due to restrictions and slowdown in business activity caused 

by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ecuador Restructures Public Debt. Faced with historic economic and fiscal challenges 

exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant fall in oil prices, Ecuador 

successfully restructured a majority of the country’s public debt (external and domestic). 

OTA advised its counterparts at the Ministry of Economy and Finance on the design of 

the restructuring, which affected debt principal totaling approximately 35% of GDP and 

resulted in $16 billion in cash flow relief to the government and a more manageable debt 

profile through 2030. In addition, with OTA assistance the government developed and 

approved a series of legal changes to strengthen public financial management, including 

through publication of a yield curve for domestic government debt and increased 

transparency of public accounts and transactions. 
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Paraguay Strengthens Liability Management. 

The Ministry of Finance, with support from OTA, successfully updated its public debt 

law to reduce both public debt risk and interest expense through enhanced liability 

operations. Consistent with the revised legal framework, known formally as the Law 

6638, the government implemented its first liability management transaction, executing 

debt exchanges, extending debt maturities, and creating new benchmarks for $826 

million in outstanding public debt. The fully market-based operation achieved the lowest 

interest rate for a global bond in the country’s history (2.7390%), lowering annual 

interest costs by $4.4 million and raising an additional $500 million to support 

government financing needs. 

India’s Sovereign Wealth Fund Invests in Key Sectors. India’s National Investment 

and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) continued to achieve key milestones to become the largest 

infrastructure investment vehicle in India and a model for international investment in 

emerging markets globally. In 2020, NIIF finalized over $107 million in additional 

investor capital for its master fund, including from the U.S. Development Finance 

Corporation, resulting in a final close for the fund at $2.3 billion, exceeding its target of 

$2.1 billion. The NIIF used its growing assets to invest in sectors key to India’s 

economic growth, including transportation, logistics, and renewable energy. OTA has 

provided assistance to the NIIF since the appointment of the fund’s first Executive 

Director in 2017, with a focus on strengthening governance, including through 

implementation of an independent board, building a professional staff, and developing 

partnering strategies for international investment, among other activities.

Banking and Financial Services

Dominican Republic Expands Access to Finance. The Central Bank of the Dominican 

Republic (CBRD) and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry undertook important legal 

and regulatory reforms with OTA support to help create an enabling environment for 

secured (collateralized) transactions reform, which is a key element of the country’s 

financial inclusion strategy. The CBRD developed and secured approval of a secured 

transactions law and sent to Congress a secured transactions reform bill. The CBRD also 

began developing laws regarding leasing and factoring (sale of accounts receivable), 

which is designed to further increase access to finance, particularly for micro, small, and 

medium enterprises (MSMEs). The Dominican Republic has also committed to the 

creation of a new secured transactions registry to facilitate implementation and 

widespread usage of newly available financial products and services.

Paraguay Advances Secured Transactions. The Banco Central del Paraguay (BCP) 

made significant legal and regulatory progress towards expanding access to finance for 

underserved segments of the population, in particular MSMEs. With OTA support, BCP 

addressed gaps in Paraguay’s secured (collateralized) transaction framework by drafting 

new factoring, leasing, and secured transaction laws, as well as working to establish 

factoring and secured transactions registries. In 2020, the factoring law was approved,

and the factoring registry went live, expanding the range of financial tools available to 

MSMEs and other actors in the local economy.
14

Madagascar Expands Insurance Offerings. Madagascar passed a new insurance law 

that broadens the range of product offerings to include microinsurance, digital insurance, 

and index insurance; the new law also allows for the sale and administration of these 

products by non-traditional distribution channels. These changes, implemented with 

OTA support, address longstanding challenges faced by the Malagasy population –

particularly its rural population – in accessing affordable and relevant insurance 

products. Additionally, the Central Bank approved the launch of a pilot index insurance 

product, which pays out policy holders in the event of an objective climatic event 

(flooding, drought, storms, pestilence) without the submission of a claim of loss. This 

pilot program protected 143 low-income agricultural producers to be quickly and easily 

paid before suffering catastrophic loss to their income.

Economic Crimes

Zambia Customs and Drug Enforcement Formalize Cooperation. The Zambian 

Revenue Authority (ZRA) executed a memorandum of understanding with the Zambian 

Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) to share customs and immigration, as well as 

various tax and money laundering information. By formalizing and improving 

communication, the agencies are seeking to strengthen efforts to combat tax crimes, 

money laundering, drug trafficking and other crimes. The issue of cross border 

information sharing was identified by OTA in early discussions with DEC senior 

management, who worked with the DEC and the ZRA in drafting the agreement that 

creates and outlines an information exchange process. 

Argentine Judge Ratifies Hezbollah Terrorist Designation. With assistance from the 

financial intelligence unit (FIU), an Argentine judge ratified the terrorist designation of 

Hezbollah and various associates. The U.S. Treasury, including OTA and the Office of 

Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes, and U.S. law enforcement agencies provided 

substantial assistance and guidance to the FIU in developing the designation mechanism 

and supporting the ratification. OTA assistance to the FIU helped improve staff 

understanding of sanctions mechanisms and the exchange of information related to 

sanctions. 

Cabo Verde Seizes Outbound Cash. The Cabo Verde Customs conducted its first 

outbound currency seizure of 40,000 euros at Praia Nelson Mandela International 

Airport. The seizure followed the implementation of a plan developed with OTA 

assistance to screen outbound flights for non-declared currency. Customs 

implementation and enforcement of currency declarations allows Cabo Verde to monitor 

currency flows and detect those that may be related to illicit activity, thereby providing 

valuable information to the country’s ability to combat money laundering and terrorist 

financing.
15

Annex 1: U.S. Treasury Strategic Plan 2018-2022 (Strategic Objective 2.3: Foreign 

 Technical Assistance)
16
17

Annex 2: OTA Strategic Plan 2016-2020

STRATEGIC PLAN 2016-2020

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

OFFICE OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

Mission. The mission of the Treasury Department’s technical assistance program, 

managed by the Office of Technical Assistance (OTA), is to support the development of 

strong financial sectors and sound public financial management in countries where 

assistance is needed and there is a strong commitment to reform. 

OTA pursues this mission in support of the Treasury Department’s overall mission “to 

promote the conditions for prosperity and stability in the United States and encourage 

prosperity and stability in the rest of the world” as well as broader U.S. Government 

international objectives, such as increasing transparency and accountability, reducing 

corruption, and strengthening the development of market-based policies and practices.

Vision. OTA aims to build upon its reputation as a high-quality provider of financial 

sector technical assistance and policy advice. It aims to be recognized as the provider of 

choice wherever its multi-disciplinary assistance model best addresses country needs and 

U.S. Government objectives. 

The foundation of OTA’s program will continue to reside in five core disciplines—

Revenue Administration and Policy, Budget and Financial Accountability, Government 

Debt and Infrastructure Finance, Banking and Financial Services, and Economic Crimes, 

complemented by the ability to support other aspects of financial sector strengthening.

Values 

• OTA will continue to place the highest priority on capacity building and 

developing country self-sufficiency.

• OTA exits countries when project objectives are accomplished or if country 

commitment to reform is not sustained.

• OTA program engagements are distinguished by flexibility, selectivity, and 

responsiveness.

• OTA recognizes that its core strength lies in the dedication, adaptability, and 

expertise of its advisors. 

Programmatic Goals

• Encourage depth of engagement and an integrated, multi-discipline approach. 

Where circumstances warrant, deeper, stronger, more comprehensive 

engagements may improve the prospects for material impact. 

• Encourage an approach that targets geographic regions and common financial or 

economic problems. Look for opportunities to place advisors in countries with 

common needs by virtue of location, financial structure (e.g., significant 

dependence upon donor revenue), or dislocations (e.g., highly affected by 

extractive industry income). 
18

• Provide specialized multi-discipline programs and rapid response teams to 

support key U.S. Government priorities.

• Recruit, retain and support a cadre of advisors that manifests OTA’s tradition of 

excellence. 

• Continue to strengthen OTA coordination within Treasury and with other parts of 

the U.S. Government. 

• Enhance awareness of Treasury’s technical assistance program.

• Ensure that OTA’s management systems fully support the achievement of OTA’s 

mission. 
19

Table A

2020 TIATA Budget Execution Plan

Projects Funded by FY 2020 Treasury International Affairs Technical Assistance (TIATA) Appropriation

LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN Team Advisor Category Co-Financing TIATA Total 

OTA3088 1 Argentina CRME Resident $ 818,594 $ 818,594

OTA4064 2 Argentina IFT DEBT Resident $ 608,894 $ 608,894

OTA5056 3 Argentina RVNU Project Coordinator + Intermittent $ 471,431 $ 471,431

OTA1058 4 Argentina 02 BANK Resident $ 600,714 $ 600,714

OTA3087 5 Belize CRME Intermittent $ 241,820 $ 118,039 $ 359,859

OTA1086 6 Brazil BANK Intermittent $ 285,395 $ 285,395

OTA4080 7 Brazil IFT DEBT Resident $ 635,763 $ 635,763

OTA1088 8 Chile BANK Intermittent $ 215,134 $ 215,134

OTA4101 9 Colombia IFT 02 DEBT Resident $ 840,862 $ 840,862

OTA5062 10 Colombia RVNU Intermittent $ 146,877 $ 146,877

OTA1077 11 Costa Rica (Financial Inclusion) BANK Intermittent $ 142,627 $ 142,627

OTA5067 12 Costa Rica 02 RVNU Project Coordinator + Intermittent $ 602,206 $ 602,206

OTA1060 13 Dominican Republic (Financial Inclusion) BANK Intermittent $ 255,391 $ 255,391

OTA3093 14 Dominican Republic CRME Intermittent $ 577,335 $ 577,335

OTA5052 15 Dominican Republic RVNU Project Coordinator + Intermittent $ 632,682 $ 632,682

OTA1080 16 Ecuador BANK Resident $ 1,164,934 $ 1,164,934

OTA3101 17 Ecuador CRME Intermittent $ 137,853 $ 137,853

OTA4081 18 Ecuador 01 DEBT Resident $ 856,007 $ 856,007

OTA1087 19 Ecuador 02 BANK Intermittent $ 226,610 $ 226,610

OTA5063 20 Ecuador RVNU Project Coordinator + Intermittent $ 663,333 $ 663,333

OTA4082 21 Ecuador IFT DEBT Resident $ 888,377 $ 888,377

OTA5033 22 Guyana RVNU Project Coordinator + Intermittent $ 439,751 $ 439,751

OTA2030 23 Honduras 01 BDGT Intermittent $ 326,401 $ 326,401

OTA2044 24 Honduras 02 BDGT Intermittent $ 286,589 $ 286,589

OTA1052 25 Jamaica (Financial Inclusion) BANK Intermittent $ 178,555 $ 178,555

OTA2065 26 Jamaica BDGT Resident $ 836,303 $ 836,303

OTA4086 27 Jamaica (IFT) DEBT Resident $ 651,690 $ 651,690

OTA2081 28 Panama 02 BDGT Resident $ 863,266 $ 863,266

OTA4078 29 Panama IFT DEBT Intermittent $ 150,575 $ 150,575

OTA1066 30 Paraguay (Financial Inclusion) BANK Intermittent $ 235,115 $ 235,115

OTA2043 31 Paraguay BDGT Resident $ 812,886 $ 812,886

OTA3054 32 Paraguay CRME Resident $ 52,191 $ 52,191

OTA4063 33 Paraguay DEBT Resident $ 631,705 $ 631,705

OTA1051 34 Peru (Financial Inclusion) BANK Resident $ 43,561 $ 43,561

OTA4039 35 Peru IFT DEBT Intermittent $ 87,831 $ 87,831

OTA2084 36 Trinidad and Tobago BDGT Intermittent $ 100,138 $ 100,138

Subtotal Latin America and Caribbean $ 241,820 $ 16,585,615 $ 16,827,435
20

ASIA Team Advisor Category Co-Financing TIATA Total 

OTA4058 37 India IFT DEBT Intermittent $ 305,943 $ 305,943

OTA4102 38 India 03 DEBT Intermittent $ 149,052 $ 149,052

OTA1079 39 Indonesia (Financial Inclusion) BANK Intermittent $ 214,810 $ 214,810

OTA2059 40 Indonesia BDGT Resident $ 931,736 $ 931,736

OTA4036 41 Indonesia IFT DEBT Resident $ 140,231 $ 140,231

OTA1081 42 Kazakhstan BANK Intermittent $ 207,048 $ 207,048

OTA4079 43 Maldives DEBT Intermittent $ 284,893 $ 284,893

OTA5068 44 Maldives RVNU Intermittent $ 494,432 $ 494,432

OTA2005 45 Mongolia BDGT Intermittent $ 2,909 $ 240,093 $ 243,002

OTA3091 46 Mongolia CRME Resident $ 663,129 $ 663,129

OTA4077 47 Mongolia 02 IFT DEBT Intermittent $ 181,593 $ 181,593

OTA5059 48 Papua New Guinea RVNU Project Coordinator + Intermittent $ 288,784 $ 288,784

OTA1082 49 Philippines 02 BANK Resident $ 855,328 $ 855,328

OTA4056 50 Philippines IFT DEBT Resident $ 896,001 $ 896,001

OTA1069 51 Sri Lanka BANK Resident $ 590,119 $ 743,488 $ 1,333,607

OTA4040 52 Sri Lanka DEBT Resident $ 124,068 $ 589,435 $ 713,503

OTA2080 53 Uzbekistan BDGT Resident $ 969,987 $ 969,987

OTA4087 54 Uzbekistan DEBT Resident $ 970,204 $ 970,204

OTA2007 55 Vietnam BDGT Intermittent $ 627,395 $ 627,395

OTA4083 56 Vietnam IFT DEBT Resident $ 766,329 $ 766,329

Subtotal Asia $ 717,096 $ 10,519,911 $ 11,237,007

EUROPE Team Advisor Category Co-Financing TIATA Total 

OTA3099 57 Estonia CRME Intermittent $ 227,174

OTA3100 58 Latvia CRME Resident $ 652,339

Subtotal Europe $ - $ 879,513 $ -
21

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA Team Advisor Category Co-Financing TIATA Total 

OTA3095 59 Angola CRME Intermittent $ 65,000 $ 520,313 $ 585,313

OTA2072 60 Botswana BDGT Resident $ 916,511 $ 916,511

OTA3096 61 Botswana CRME Intermittent $ 585,881 $ 585,881

OTA5057 62 Cameroon RVNU Project Coordinator + Intermittent $ 590,237 $ 590,237

OTA5049 63 Cote D'Ivoire RVNU Project Coordinator + Intermittent $ 551,687 $ 551,687

OTA1083 64 Ethiopia BANK Resident $ 1,437,131 $ 1,437,131

OTA4085 65 Ethiopia IFT DEBT Resident $ 418,997 $ 230,012 $ 649,009

OTA1078 66 Guinea BANK Intermittent $ 556,813 $ 556,813

OTA4018 67 Kenya DEBT Resident $ 832,519 $ 832,519

OTA4099 68 Kenya IFT DEBT Resident $ 348,550 $ 348,550

OTA1090 69 Liberia BANK Intermittent $ 34,571 $ 34,571

OTA1054 70 Madagascar 01 (Financial Inclusion) BANK Resident $ 750,380 $ 750,380

OTA1084 71 Madagascar 02 (Insurance Supervision) BANK Intermittent $ 403,000 $ 403,000

OTA1085 72 Madagascar 03 (Deposit Insurance) BANK Intermittent $ 175,000 $ 175,000

OTA2056 73 Madagascar BDGT Resident $ 846,602 $ 846,602

OTA4066 74 Madagascar DEBT Resident $ 850,510 $ 850,510

OTA5047 75 Rwanda RVNU Project Coordinator + Intermittent $ 381,367 $ 381,367

OTA1055 76 Sierra Leone BANK Resident $ 1,235,483 $ 1,235,483

OTA2082 77 Sierra Leone BDGT Intermittent $ 378,192 $ 378,192

OTA3092 78 Sierra Leone CRME Intermittent $ 503,935 $ 503,935

OTA5064 79 Sierra Leone RVNU Project Coordinator + Intermittent $ 455,774 $ 455,774

OTA2074 80 The Gambia BDGT Resident $ 6,500 $ 6,500

OTA2054 81 Uganda 01 BDGT Intermittent $ 307,362 $ 307,362

OTA4100 82 Uganda 03 IFT DEBT Resident $ 461,529 $ 461,529

OTA3098 83 Zambia CRME Intermittent $ 481,999 $ 481,999

OTA5028 84 Zambia RVNU Intermittent $ 117,582 $ 117,582

Subtotal Sub-Saharan Africa $ 483,997 $ 13,959,440 $ 14,443,437
22

Notes

1. TIATA figures include carryover of prior year TIATA funds.

2. Figures include program management (20% of total).

3. OTA Team abbreviations: BDGT = Budget and Financial Accountability; CRME = Economic Crimes; BANK = Banking and Financial Services; DEBT = Government Debt 

and Infrastructure Finance; RVNU = Revenue Administration and Policy.

4. Co-funding amounts may reflect funds intended for more than one year.

Team Advisor Category Co-Financing TIATA Total 

SENIOR ADVISORS

OTA1013 85 Senior Advisor (AFR+EUR) BANK $ 513,365 $ 513,365

OTA1076 86 Senior Advisor (DC-Based) BANK $ 372,809 $ 372,809

OTA1050 87 Senior Advisor (Financial Inclusion) BANK $ 506,544 $ 506,544

OTA2015 88 Senior Advisor BDGT $ 559,345 $ 559,345

OTA2016 89 Senior Advisor - Cash Management BDGT $ 554,869 $ 554,869

OTA3023 90 Senior Advisor I CRME $ 677,686 $ 677,686

OTA3024 91 Senior Advisor II CRME $ 546,921 $ 546,921

OTA4016 92 Senior Advisor Debt DEBT $ 516,865 $ 516,865

OTA4054 93 Senior Advisor IFT DEBT $ 481,475 $ 481,475

OTA5011 94 Senior Advisor RVNU $ 657,390 $ 657,390

Subtotal Senior Advisors $ - $ 5,387,269 $ 5,387,269

GRAND TOTAL $ 1,442,913 $ 47,331,748 $ 48,774,661

Note: Co-funding amounts may reflect funds intended for more than year. Amounts listed reflect available budget authority in FY20.
23

Table B

2020 Non-TIATA Sources of Funding 

Treasury International Affairs Technical Assistance (TIATA)

Table B

2020 Non-TIATA Sources of Funding

Treasury International Affairs Technical Assistance (TIATA)

Purpose Source Amount

Assistance for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia State 632(b) $15,094,520

Technical Assistance for Domestic Resource Mobilization USAID 632(b) $100,000

TOTAL $15,194,520

Transfer 

Category