DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

2019 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 2

III. Project Allocation and Funding 3

IV. Project Selection and Assistance Delivery 5

V. Program Evaluation and Monitoring 7

VI. Achievements 9

VII. Special Focus: Information Systems Security Capacity Building 13

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 - 2019 TIATA Budget Execution Plan 19

Table B - 2019 Non-TIATA Sources of Funding 24
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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 2019. 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 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. 

In 2019, OTA supported financial sector strengthening in many regions and countries. 

As discussed in greater detail in section VI, OTA projects in Africa (e.g., Sierra Leone), 

Asia (e.g., Mongolia), Latin America (e.g., Colombia), and Eastern Europe (e.g., 

Ukraine) helped mobilize revenues, deepen domestic bond markets, increase 

infrastructure finance, strengthen budget systems, improve banking supervision, and 

combat economic crimes. In the area of infrastructure finance, OTA’s work in Panama

complemented U.S. efforts to promote energy infrastructure investment throughout the 

Western Hemisphere as part of the America Crece initiative.

Strengthening information technology and systems was also an important element of 

several OTA projects in 2019, including in Moldova where OTA supported the tax 

administration’s first-ever information technology security audit. OTA similarly assisted 

counterparts in countries such as Jamaica, Peru, and the Philippines in improving the 

functionality and security of critical information systems. More information on these 

projects is included in section VII of this report.

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 and rising median real incomes. (See 

Annex 1: U.S. Treasury Strategic Plan 2018-2022.)
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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 2019, OTA had 88 bilateral technical assistance projects in 48 countries. 

Thirty-six percent of OTA’s total projects in 2019 were in the Americas, 22 percent were 

in Asia, 30 percent were in Sub-Saharan Africa, 10 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, with marginal decreases in project footprints in the Americas and Asia, as 

long-standing engagements ended in Afghanistan, Burma, Cambodia, Colombia, 

Dominican Republic, and the Philippines. 

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 2019, out of OTA’s 48 

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

Chart 1 - OTA Projects by Region 2019

OTA received total funding of $52.3 million in 2019, 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 92 bilateral assistance projects and 10 

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

combined budget of $50.3 million. TIATA is a multi-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 2019, Congress appropriated $30 million in TIATA 

resources. This level of funding helped maintain program continuity despite uncertainty 

with respect to the availability and timing of interagency transfers and enabled the 
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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 2019 totaled $22.3 

million, which is line with average transfer amounts over the previous five years. 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 2015-FY 2019

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 2019, including funds received as transfers.
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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.

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. The OTA subject matter expert shares the 

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

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 
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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. 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 

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. 
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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 individual projects and the overall program. 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-of-project 

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 seven end-of-project reports in 2019.

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

the degree to which changes in partner governments’ behavior occurs 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 

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

and adjudication of internal conduct matters by the tax agency. 

For 2019, 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 met performance goals for traction in 

2019 with an actual score of 3.6. OTA’s impact score declined slightly to 2.9 but

remains in line with historical averages. (See rating scale below for additional 

explanation of the meaning of these scores.) 
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In accordance with the Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act, OTA 

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

projects. This involves documenting project goals, activities, outputs, and outcomes in 

logical frameworks and conducting independent (third-party) evaluation of OTA projects. 

Once the new regime is fully implemented, each OTA project would 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. Evaluations will seek to 

determine the extent to which project goals were achieved. The results of evaluations will 

be made available to the public as required by the FATAA. 

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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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. On 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 6% 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 2019, five of the 92 bilateral assistance projects that the 

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

poor performance. In addition, OTA terminated projects in The Gambia (3) and Burma 

(3) due to restrictions on assistance to those countries under the Trafficking Victims 

Protection Act (TVPA).

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 2019, a number of OTA partner countries demonstrated such 

commitment and made significant achievements with OTA assistance. Notable 

accomplishments include the following: 

Budget and Financial Accountability

Sierra Leone Consolidates Cash Management. With OTA assistance, Sierra Leone 

defined a new business model for its current Treasury Single Account (TSA) operation so 

that its control mechanisms could be employed across all government entities. Prior to 

this project, 76 agencies were operating outside the central government cash control 

system. OTA led the efforts of the Accountant General, the Ministry of Finance Budget 

Office, and the Central Bank to define a new bank account structure to control all 

revenues received and payments made by the government, define changes to the day-today procedures required to implement this new bank account structure, and document the 

procedures in an operations manual distributed to spending agencies. Nearly all of the 76 

agencies that had previously operated outside the cash control system have now been 

incorporated into the TSA. 

Paraguay Implements Payment Cards. With assistance from OTA, the Paraguayan 

Ministry of Finance is improving transparency and security by launching a new purchase 

card program to replace petty cash. The Ministry of Finance, through the Directorate 

General of Public Treasury and the Directorate of Administration, implemented purchase 

cards in September 2019 as a pilot project which is now being implemented in all central 

government agencies. Through an agreement signed with the National Development 
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Bank, cards are issued at no cost to the government, and ministries are required to use the 

cards for at least 50% of purchases initially. Ministries have until June 2020 to begin 

using the cards. 

Dominican Republic Improves Fiscal Transparency. With OTA assistance, the 

Dominican Republic updated and relaunched the government’s fiscal transparency portal

(FTP). The country is now one of only five governments that publish budget information 

according to the international Open Fiscal Data Package Standard. OTA assisted in 

developing FTP outreach and education plans. As a result of this effort, more than 70 

percent of Ministry of Finance personnel were trained and quarterly demonstrations were 

conducted for journalists, civil society organizations, and university faculty and students. 

OTA also supported a visual redesign of the portal and new software for business 

intelligence reports.

Revenue Administration and Policy 

Moldova Completes IT Security Audit. The internal audit unit of the Moldovan tax 

administration completed its first information technology security audit, evaluating 

authorization, authentication, and audit logging controls for the wealth tax system. OTA 

provided guidance on selecting, planning, conducting, and reporting audit assignments, 

determining data needed to support audit objectives, and obtaining and analyzing data. 

The initial audit found problems in nine of twelve controls reviewed. The internal audit 

unit will use the OTA-developed techniques as it audits additional tax administration IT 

components, while the IT development department takes actions to address the findings 

and recommendations. Ultimately, the improvements will safeguard mission-critical 

information systems and better protect taxpayer data. 

Ukraine Bolsters Review of International Tax Transactions. In Ukraine, OTA helped 

the State Tax Service (STS) build its international audit and transfer pricing program and 

establish a dedicated Transfer Pricing Unit (TPU) within the Large Taxpayer Office. 

OTA delivered a combination of classroom-based and on-the-job training to all transfer 

pricing auditors. Transfer pricing refers to methods of determining prices of transactions 

between branches of multinational firms. The STS has developed its first advance 

pricing agreements (APAs) with two multinational companies that, when approved, will 

determine the taxpayers’ transfer prices, providing greater certainty for the taxpayer and 

allowing the STS to direct resources to cases with potential transfer pricing abuse. 

Guyana Initiates Audit of Petroleum Industry. In 2019, OTA continued guiding the 

Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) in developing and implementing an organizational 

structure, staffing plan, and audit training programs for its new Petroleum Revenue Audit 

Unit. Guyana began oil production in December 2019, five months ahead of schedule. 

GRA faces considerable pressure to build capacity in oil and gas auditing required to

accurately and effectively administer these revenues. The GRA has prioritized building 

the unit through increased staffing and funding levels.
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Government Debt and Infrastructure Finance

Panama Improves Outlook for Investments in Energy Infrastructure. OTA worked 

with Panama’s electric utility, ETESA, to develop a strategy to improve its credit rating. 

This strategy, coupled this with ETESA’s solid financial performance and economic 

improvements in Panama, contributed to achieving a credit rating improvement of two 

notches. The new rating will result in debt service savings of up to $47 million on the 

$500 million bond ETESA issued in 2019. The improved credit rating also raised the 

attractiveness of ETESA-backed projects to international investors, which will raise the 

level of competition for Panamanian transmission infrastructure projects.

Honduras Enhances Local Bond Market. With OTA assistance, the Ministry of 

Finance and Central Bank of Honduras implemented reforms that have resulted in 

savings to the Government of Honduras through lower borrowing rates, improved access 

to international markets, and reduced fees paid to financial institutions. The reduction of 

non-standard and dollar-denominated domestic debt helped the local government bond 

market become a viable and sustainable source of funding for the government’s 

borrowing requirements. The extension of the government securities yield curve has 

mitigated rollover risk in the liability portfolio and created reference rates for private 

sector borrowers and local investors, while providing appropriate investment instruments 

for new investor classes such as private pension funds. New market-based regulations 

and improved price discovery for government securities enabled the market for 

repurchase agreements to take-off in 2019, thereby increasing liquidity for investors and 

intermediaries that will contribute to greater public trust in markets and the government. 

Paraguay Broadens Debt Offerings. With OTA support, the Ministry of Finance 

implemented changes in issuance and marketing practices that resulted in an increase in 

government securities investment by non-bank financial institutions, such as pension 

funds. The broader pool of investors allowed the government to issue longer-dated 

instruments at market-determined rates, thereby reducing the government’s refinancing 

risk and lowering its cost of funds. The sale of new government securities was 

concentrated in existing benchmark securities, creating larger, more liquid instruments 

that, in addition to lowering the cost of funds, provide reliable price information for 

market participants. The price information provided by the benchmark securities has also 

made it more efficient and cheaper for corporate entities to issue their securities in the 

market. OTA also supported the Ministry in the planning and issuance of its 30-year 

$500 million international bond. This transaction had a lower coupon rate and a tighter 

spread to U.S. Treasury securities than Paraguay’s previous international bonds, resulting 

in greater investor demand. 

Colombia Manages Infrastructure Financing Risks. Colombia has more than 20 new 

toll roads under development that will significantly improve transportation in the 

country. Due to the risk and nature of constructing new roads in difficult terrain, 

Colombia had to provide minimum revenue guarantees and share specific construction 

related risks to make these roads financeable. OTA worked closely with the Ministry of 

Finance to create a new methodology for analyzing, valuing, and managing the 
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potentially large contingent liabilities from these guarantees. The new methodologies 

employ best practices in statistical and analytical reviews and will significantly improve 

the accuracy of forecasting liabilities, thereby improving the country’s ability to manage 

its cashflow and safeguard its financial stability.

Banking and Financial Services

Guatemala Launches Coordinated National Strategy for Financial Inclusion. OTA 

assisted counterparts at the Central Bank and Superintendency of Banks, in coordination 

with the Ministry of Economy, to develop a comprehensive National Strategy for 

Financial Inclusion (NSFI) aimed at increasing the access to and use of financial products 

and services for financially excluded and underserved segments of the 

population. Financial exclusion in Guatemala is estimated to be almost 56%, ten 

percentage points higher than the regional average. The strategy focuses on four thematic 

areas of financial services—financing, savings, payments, and insurance. The strategy 

was made public in October 2019 and incorporates initiatives from the public and private 

sector and will be coordinated by the newly established Financial Inclusion Commission 

(COMIF), which will be chaired by the Central Bank, Superintendency of Banks, and the 

Ministry of Economy. These measures to expand access to financial services aim to 

enhance economic growth, particularly for small and medium enterprises.

Sri Lanka Strengthens Financial Sector Oversight. After years of regulatory 

forbearance that allowed several insolvent finance companies to operate, the Central 

Bank of Sri Lanka took further steps to resolve troubled non-bank financial institutions, 

such as finance and leasing agencies, in 2019. To support action against problem 

institutions, OTA provided training and capacity building to supervision, resolution and 

deposit insurance authorities at the central bank and has contributed to a draft resolution 

framework to guide resolution actions. Commencing resolution actions against problem 

institutions has further highlighted the need for advance planning and has increased 

institutional focus on improved communication and information sharing to support 

effective resolution actions going forward. These efforts are critical to Sri Lanka’s 

economic stability as the Central Bank seeks to mitigate risk from undercapitalized nonbank financial institutions and create a sound foundation for the financial sector. 

Ukraine Optimizes Distressed Bank Asset Sales. The Deposit Guarantee Fund (DGF) 

of Ukraine is modernizing all facets of its operations in order to meet the expectations of 

its citizens as well as international entities such as the European Union, World Bank, and 

IMF. A major part of this modernization plan is to improve the ability of DGF to have 

clear visibility and traceability over assets as they are processed and prepared for sale 

during a bank’s liquidation. DGF, with the help of OTA, is in the process of adopting an 

advanced business process management system to help manage the assets liquidation 

pipeline. The system will allow DGF to forecast the liquidation and litigation cost, better 

distribute the workload over the available personnel workforce, optimize the use of 

outside liquidators, and obtain various performance reports during the asset liquidation 

process.
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Economic Crimes

Mongolia Makes Money Laundering Arrests. Mongolian Financial Intelligence Unit 

(FIU) analysts and police investigators leveraged their enhanced financial analysis and 

investigative skills – acquired through mentoring by OTA advisors – to trace funds and 

support the March 2019 arrest of individuals alleged to have been involved in a major 

money laundering scheme and misusing positions of trust. Another key element of the 

investigation involved collaboration with other anti-money laundering and countering the 

financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) stakeholders via the Financial Crimes Working Group 

which developed with OTA assistance.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines Improves Financial Intelligence Analysis. With OTA 

assistance, the St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) 

significantly improved its operational effectiveness, including by implementing standard 

operating procedures on tactical and strategic analysis, and by adopting a key tool – the 

Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) scoring matrix – to directly support the analysis of 

incoming SARs received from financial institutions. Leveraging this guidance and tools, 

the SVG FIU successfully launched a major international money laundering investigation 

in February 2019. Furthermore, as of June 2019 enhanced analysis conducted at the FIU 

led investigators to charge 16 counts of money laundering that resulted in a guilty plea.

Eastern Caribbean Central Bank Applies Anti-Money Laundering Standards. With 

OTA assistance, the Bank Supervision Department (BSD) of the Eastern Caribbean 

Central Bank developed and implemented anti-money laundering and countering the 

financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) risk assessment processes, including institutional risk 

assessment questionnaire, sanction screening, risk model adequacy, compliance program, 

risk ratings, and supervisory action plan. The BSD then applied the tools to complete a 

written gap analysis of financial sector supervision compliance standards by Grenada in 

regards to Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Recommendations and Outcomes.

VII. Special Focus: Information Systems Security Capacity Building

As part of the assistance that OTA provides to finance ministries, central banks, and 

related government institutions, OTA projects may include development and 

implementation of information systems (e.g. tax information system or 

treasury/integrated financial management information system). Information system 

security is often a key component of this assistance with OTA working to build the 

capacity of counterparts to develop strategies, risk assessments, controls, protocols, and 

other measures to protect their information systems. Examples of assistance in this area 

provided by OTA’s five program teams include the following:

• Revenue Administration and Policy – In Moldova, OTA worked to build the ability of 

the tax administration’s internal audit unit to conduct audits of critical information 

systems. In 2019, the internal audit completed first audit, evaluating authorization, 

authentication, and audit logging controls (see section VI “Achievements” for more 
14

information on this project). In Ukraine, OTA is providing high-level guidance to the 

tax administration on information technology with a particular emphasis on creating a 

plan for controls on all systems and data, developing an information technology 

security organization with clearly defined responsibilities, and ensuring that outside 

vendors meet security requirements. 

• Budget and Financial Accountability – In Indonesia, Jamaica, and Ghana, OTA 

worked with counterpart government agencies, including the General Directorate of 

Treasury (Indonesia) and the Accountant General’s Department (Jamaica and Ghana), 

to develop business continuity plans to protect government financial information 

systems. As part of this effort, OTA helped counterparts identify and develop plans 

to mitigate security threats and recover system assets should the threats occur.

• Government Debt and Infrastructure Finance – In the Philippines, following an 

extensive baseline assessment of processes and functions, OTA worked with the 

Bureau of Treasury to develop information system security measures for a new 

government securities settlement and clearing system. As part of this project, OTA 

advocated and succeeded in the appointment of an information technology (IT) 

security officer and mandated an extra layer of security through two-factor 

authentication (token) access to the system via a fixed virtual private network 

connection. At the Philippine’s Central Bank, OTA helped to fast-track the 

cybersecurity component of the bank’s IT modernization project and implement the 

separation of responsibilities in sensitive functions such as database administration, 

quality assurance, and project management. OTA also advised the bank on 

appointing a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and creating a separate 

organizational structure to support the IT security function.

• Banking & Financial Services – In Peru, OTA worked with Central Reserve Bank to 

facilitate a one-week program presented by the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank 

Cybersecurity Analytics Support Team (CAST). The CAST team outlined its 

approach and methodology in identifying and mitigating cyber risks affecting the 

U.S. financial sector. The program also included training by CAST on how to 

conduct cyberthreat exercises and the importance of collaboration across the Peruvian 

financial system on cybersecurity issues.

• Economic Crimes – In Trinidad, OTA worked with the Financial Intelligence Unit 

(FIU) to implement FIU Connect, a suspicious transaction report (STR) reporting and 

data management system. As counterparts worked to design the system, OTA 

recommended obtaining firewall hardware and software to protect the sensitive 

information being reported to and managed by the FIU. The system went live in 

October 2018, and in the first hours was subject to intrusion attempts from foreign 

actors. These intrusions were detected and thwarted by the security protocols. The 

FIU acquired the necessary security hardware with financial support from the U.S. 

Embassy.
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

2019 TIATA Budget Execution Plan

Projects Funded by FY 2019 Treasury International Affairs Technical Assistance (TIATA) Appropriation

Table A 

2019 Budget Execution Plan

Treasury International Affairs Technical Assistance (TIATA)

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

OTA2077 1 Argentina BDGT Intermittent $ 450,659 $ 450,659

OTA3088 2 Argentina CRME Resident $ 733,027 $ 733,027

OTA4064 3 Argentina IFT DEBT Resident $ 818,649 $ 818,649

OTA5056 4 Argentina RVNU Intermittent $ 299,587 $ 299,587

OTA1058 5 Argentina 02 BANK Resident $ 769,102 $ 769,102

OTA4080 6 Brazil IFT DEBT Resident $ 789,051 $ 789,051

OTA5062 7 Colombia RVNU Intermittent $ 128,482 $ 128,482

OTA4060 8 Colombia IFT DEBT Resident $ 567,018 $ 567,018

OTA1077 9 Costa Rica (Financial Inclusion) BANK Intermittent $ 225,355 $ 225,355

OTA1060 10 Dominican Republic (Financial Inclusion) BANK Intermittent $ 274,310 $ 274,310

OTA1061 11 Dominican Republic (Financial Stability) BANK Intermittent $ 155,872 $ 155,872

OTA3093 12 Dominican Republic CRME Intermittent $ 304,409 $ 304,409

OTA5052 13 Dominican Republic RVNU Project Coordinator + Intermittent $ 667,492 $ 667,492

OTA3089 14 ECCB-Saint Kitts CRME Intermittent $ 175,235 $ 175,235

OTA4081 15 Ecuador DEBT Resident $ 949,891 $ 949,891

OTA5063 16 Ecuador RVNU Intermittent $ 599,693 $ 599,693

OTA4082 17 Ecuador IFT DEBT Resident $ 602,769 $ 602,769

OTA2035 18 El Salvador BDGT Close-out $ 94,222 $ 94,222

OTA1062 19 Guatemala (Financial Inclusion) BANK Intermittent $ 68,198 $ 68,198

OTA5033 20 Guyana RVNU Project Coordinator + Intermittent $ 7,053 $ 562,617 $ 569,670

OTA2030 21 Honduras 01 BDGT Intermittent $ 414,249 $ 414,249

OTA2044 22 Honduras 02 BDGT Intermittent $ 381,198 $ 381,198

OTA4032 23 Honduras DEBT Intermittent $ 462,906 $ 462,906

OTA2065 24 Jamaica BDGT Resident $ 746,132 $ 746,132

OTA1063 25 Jamaica (Deposit Insurance) BANK Intermittent $ 150,823 $ 150,823

OTA1052 26 Jamaica (Financial Inclusion) BANK Intermittent $ 196,186 $ 196,186
20

OTA4086 27 Jamaica (IFT) DEBT Intermittent $ 531,414 $ 531,414

OTA1064 28 Mexico (Financial Inclusion) BANK Intermittent $ 151,868 $ 151,868

OTA4078 29 Panama IFT DEBT Intermittent $ 215,413 $ 215,413

OTA2043 30 Paraguay BDGT Resident $ 762,295 $ 762,295

OTA3054 31 Paraguay CRME Resident $ 767,122 $ 767,122

OTA4063 32 Paraguay DEBT Resident $ 523,326 $ 523,326

OTA1065 33 Paraguay (Deposit Insurance) BANK Intermittent $ 78,824 $ 78,824

OTA1066 34 Paraguay (Financial Inclusion) BANK Intermittent $ 250,747 $ 250,747

OTA4050 35 Paraguay IFT DEBT Intermittent $ 519,812 $ 519,812

OTA4039 36 Peru IFT DEBT Intermittent $ 177,062 $ 177,062

OTA5060 37 Peru RVNU Intermittent $ 274,746 $ 274,746

OTA1051 38 Peru (Financial Inclusion) BANK Resident $ 264,758 $ 264,758

OTA1068 39 Peru (Deposit Insurance) BANK Intermittent $ 84,181 $ 84,181

OTA3086 40 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines CRME Intermittent $ 211,963 $ 211,963

Subtotal Latin America and Caribbean $ 7,053 $ 16,400,663 $ 16,407,716
21

ASIA Team Advisor Category Co-Financing TIATA Total 

OTA5042 41 Burma RVNU Resident + Intermittent $ 99,888 $ 99,888

OTA2058 42 Cambodia BDGT Intermittent $ 72,082 $ 184,588 $ 256,670

OTA4058 43 India IFT DEBT Intermittent $ 268,258 $ 268,258

OTA1079 44 Indonesia (Financial Inclusion) BANK Intermittent $ 157,196 $ 157,196

OTA2059 45 Indonesia BDGT Resident $ 1,029,353 $ 1,029,353

OTA4053 46 Indonesia IFT 02 DEBT Intermittent $ 79,900 $ 79,900

OTA4036 47 Indonesia IFT DEBT Resident $ 618,362 $ 618,362

OTA3097 48 Maldives CRME Intermittent $ 191,144 $ 191,144

OTA4079 49 Maldives DEBT Intermittent $ 349,716 $ 349,716

OTA2005 50 Mongolia BDGT Intermittent $ 389,132 $ 389,132

OTA3091 51 Mongolia CRME Resident $ 1,066,447 $ 1,066,447

OTA4077 52 Mongolia 02 IFT DEBT Intermittent $ 287,435 $ 287,435

OTA1074 53 Nepal BANK Resident $ 842,246 $ 842,246

OTA5059 54 Papua New Guinea RVNU Project Coordinator + Intermittent $ 384,835 $ 384,835

OTA1041 55 Philippines BANK Intermittent $ 440,450 $ 440,450

OTA4047 56 Philippines DEBT Intermittent $ 303,282 $ 303,282

OTA4056 57 Philippines IFT DEBT Resident $ 752,214 $ 752,214

OTA1069 58 Sri Lanka BANK Resident $ 516,439 $ 516,439

OTA5061 59 Sri Lanka RVNU Project Coordinator + Intermittent $ 487,700 $ 469,783 $ 957,483

OTA1075 60 Tajikistan BANK Intermittent $ 113,765 $ 113,765

OTA4087 61 Uzbekistan DEBT Intermittent $ 594,328 $ 184,335 $ 778,663

OTA2007 62 Vietnam BDGT Intermittent $ 974,889 $ 974,889

OTA4083 63 Vietnam IFT DEBT Resident $ 323,160 $ 323,160

Subtotal Asia $ 1,154,110 $ 10,026,817 $ 11,180,927
22

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

OTA3095 64 Angola CRME Intermittent $ 65,000 $ 574,184 $ 639,184

OTA2072 65 Botswana BDGT Resident $ 1,544,778 $ 1,544,778

OTA3096 66 Botswana CRME Intermittent $ 149,361 $ 149,361

OTA5057 67 Cameroon RVNU Project Coordinator + Intermittent $ 734,635 $ 734,635

OTA5049 68 Cote D'Ivoire RVNU Project Coordinator + Intermittent $ 696,658 $ 696,658

OTA4085 69 Ethiopia IFT DEBT Resident $ 566,248 $ 566,248

OTA1078 70 Guinea BANK Intermittent $ 514,940 $ 514,940

OTA5046 71 Guinea Bissau RVNU Project Coordinator + Intermittent $ 474,500 $ 474,500

OTA4018 72 Kenya DEBT Resident $ 948,397 $ 948,397

OTA3083 73 Liberia CRME Intermittent $ 287,740 $ 287,740

OTA1054 74 Madagascar (Financial Inclusion) BANK Resident $ 1,079,617 $ 1,079,617

OTA2056 75 Madagascar BDGT Resident $ 1,270,739 $ 1,270,739

OTA4066 76 Madagascar DEBT Resident $ 852,658 $ 852,658

OTA2051 77 Malawi BDGT Close-out $ 52,934 $ 52,934

OTA5022 78 Niger RVNU Project Coordinator + Intermittent $ 769,006 $ 769,006

OTA4048 79 Rwanda DEBT Intermittent $ 206,089 $ 206,089

OTA5047 80 Rwanda RVNU Project Coordinator + Intermittent $ 849,688 $ 849,688

OTA2075 81 Senegal BDGT Close-out $ 155,090 $ 155,090

OTA1055 82 Sierra Leone (Financial Inclusion) BANK Resident $ 1,377,007 $ 1,377,007

OTA3092 83 Sierra Leone CRME Intermittent $ 609,238 $ 609,238

OTA5064 84 Sierra Leone RVNU Project Coordinator + Intermittent $ 460,019 $ 460,019

OTA2074 85 The Gambia BDGT Resident $ 1,086,165 $ 1,086,165

OTA4084 86 The Gambia DEBT Resident $ 783,736 $ 783,736

OTA5058 87 The Gambia RVNU Project Coordinator + Intermittent $ 187,135 $ 187,135

OTA2054 88 Uganda BDGT Intermittent $ 604,102 $ 604,102

OTA4061 89 Uganda 02 IFT DEBT Resident $ 702,406 $ 702,406

OTA4049 90 WAEMU Regional Securities Agency DEBT Intermittent $ 244,456 $ 244,456

OTA5028 91 Zambia RVNU Project Coordinator + Intermittent $ 366,583 $ 366,583

OTA1072 92 Zambia 02 BANK Intermittent $ 441,988 $ 441,988

Subtotal Sub-Saharan Africa $ 65,000 $ 18,590,097 $ 18,655,097
23

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 93 Senior Advisor (AFR+EUR) BANK $ - $ 602,442 $ 602,442

OTA1076 94 Senior Advisor (DC-Based) BANK $ - $ 259,955 $ 259,955

OTA1050 95 Senior Advisor (Financial Inclusion) BANK $ - $ 472,365 $ 472,365

OTA2015 96 Senior Advisor BDGT $ - $ 582,508 $ 582,508

OTA2016 97 Senior Advisor - Cash Management BDGT $ - $ 521,310 $ 521,310

OTA3023 98 Senior Advisor I CRME $ - $ 514,503 $ 514,503

OTA3024 99 Senior Advisor II CRME $ - $ 514,251 $ 514,251

OTA4016 100 Senior Advisor I DEBT $ - $ 455,485 $ 455,485

OTA4054 101 Senior Advisor IFT DEBT $ - $ 446,272 $ 446,272

OTA5011 102 Senior Advisor RVNU $ - $ 908,334 $ 908,334

Subtotal Senior Advisors $ - $ 5,277,425 $ 5,277,425

GRAND TOTAL $ 1,226,163 $ 50,295,002 $ 51,521,165
24

Table B

2019 Non-TIATA Sources of Funding 

Treasury International Affairs Technical Assistance (TIATA)

Table B

2019 Non-TIATA Sources of Funding

Treasury International Affairs Technical Assistance (TIATA)

Purpose Source Amount

Assistance for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia State 632(b) $9,325,000

Technical Assistance to the Government of Haiti USAID 632(b) $534,649

Technical Assistance to the Government of Iraq State 632(b) $742,574

Technical Assistance to the Government of Jordan USAID 632(b) $225,452

Technical Assistance to the Government of Kosovo Host Government Direct $55,581

Technical Assistance to Government of Maldives State 632(b) $750,000

Technical Assistance to Government of Sri Lanka State 632(b) $500,000

Technical Assistance to Government of Uzbekistan State 632(b) $2,000,000

Technical Assistance for PEPFAR recipient countries (Uganda, Zambia, EthiopiaState 632(b) $8,000,000

Technical Assistance for Domestic Resource Mobilization USAID 632(b) $150,000

TOTAL $22,283,256

Transfer 

Category