Good Financial Governance in Southern Africa - The Role of Parliament & Audit Institutions DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE  The specific objective of the grant are: 1. to strengthen the Southern African Development Community Organisation of Public Accounts Committees (SADCOPAC) as a member-driven association/network, through the enhancement  of  information sharing and knowledge exchange and the production of quality learning resources for themselves as well as other interested parties; and 2. to enable the SADCOPAC members (Public Accounts Committees members  and committee staff) and Auditor General /Supreme Audit Institutions staff to learn from each and apply their knowledge in the interest of their countries. Parliamentary oversight plays an important role in the strengthening of accountability and transparency. Still, major challenges remain for the Public Account Committees (PACs) in the Southern African Development Community, amongst them: "   Little information sharing between PAC's; "   Lack of uniformity or standardization of practices; "   Limited opportunity to share good practices; "   Little institutional memory; and "   The fact that PAC members' background knowledge is not necessarily in the area of financial management. Overall, a need to improve the quality and performance of PACs, and similar oversight committees,  is acknowledged. There are good examples of regional  associations in Africa and elsewhere providing support to PACs to help them overcome these shortcomings. The East African Association of PACs, for example, is very active and is supported by the World Bank. The Bank has also supported a number of other forums in East Africa that have provided the opportunity for PAC Members and SAI's to meet and exchange views - e.g. Tanzania Accountability Conference in 2007,  the Zanzibar Accountability Conference 2008, the Parastatal Accountability Conference 2009, among others. This regular interchange between parliamentarians in East Africa over the last three years has had a significant impact in improving accountability, such as building support for audit legislation, establishment of new parliamentary committees on accountability, and addressing conflict of interest issues arising from MPs being members of Board Members of Parastatals. This IDF grant would strengthen SADCOPAC so that it can be as active as, and interact with, the East African Association of PACs as well as with non-parliamentary organizations such as the African Association of Supreme Audit Institutions (AFROSAI-E) and the Collaborative Africa Budget Reform Initiative (CABRI) In this effort, this three year long project (2010-2013) intends to contribute to good financial governance, accountability and transparency in African countries by strengthening the capacity of the Public Accounts Committees and improving their cooperation with the Auditor General's Offices (AGO). It therefore intends to support the major regional association of the Public Accounts Committees, namely the Southern African Development Community Organisation of Public Accounts Committees (SADCOPAC). RECIPIENT ORGANIZATION The SADCOPAC was created in 2003 as a permanent institution in order to promote mutual support and foster the exchange of ideas, knowledge and experience among the PACs on the oversight function with the overall objective to contribute to good governance and transparency. Member PACs pay an annual subscription, that finances a modest secretariat (co-located in the National Audit  Office of Tanzania). The aim of the grant is aligned with the strategic objectives of SADCOPAC as laid out in its strategic documents which relate, amongst others, to: "   Improvement of individual capacity of the PAC members; "   Sharing of good practices and innovation, harmonization and standardization where appropriate; "   Conducting research on new good practices; "   Working closely with Auditors General; and "   Implementing strategic planning and creating monitoring and evaluation arrangements. In carrying out its objectives , SADCOPAC liaises closely with AFROSAI-E, which is collaborating with SADCOPAC at the strategic/planning level and whose members are providing support (e.g. the Tanzanian Audit Office provides space and support for SADCOPAC's secretariat and the Malawian Auditor General audits SADCOPAC's accounts). TARGET GROUPS Primary target group: "   Members of the PAC and other oversight committees, i.e. Members of Parliament (MPs), including speakers of parliament; and "   Administrative staff (e.g. committee clerks, legal advisors, and research staff). Secondary target group: The project will involve official stakeholders, amongst them: "   Auditor General and Supreme Audit Institutions (SAI) staff, to enhance the interaction between PAC and SAI; and "   Budget Officials from the Ministries of Finance (e.g. Budget Directors of the CABRI network ) to enhance the interaction between the PAC and the Executive. The project will also involve, where appropriate, stakeholders such as media representatives and civil society representatives. Throughout the duration of the project the participants will work in several "topical streams" that will run parallel and supplement each other with the goal to increase the individual's and institutional knowledge, as well as to enable the establishment of the sustainable knowledge management structures in the associations. LINKS TO CAS ESW & RELATIONSHIP TO BANK OPERATIONS The 2007 report on the Africa Action Plan, entitled "Accelerating Development Outcomes in Africa: Progress and Change in the Africa Action Plan" (ADOA), makes recommendations, based on an interim assessment of the implementation of the Africa Action Plan.  The ADOA notes that the overall progress in supporting improved transparency, accountability, and efficiency in the provision of public services in Africa has been mixed.  The ADOA concludes that since 2000, compared to the average for all developing countries, two-thirds of African nations are not keeping pace when it comes to decreasing corruption, improving voice and accountability, and boosting government effectiveness.  In line with the ADOA and the African Action Plan, the Parliamentary Strengthening Program aims to strengthen the operation of parliaments in Africa so they are better able to perform their primary functions.  In particular, the Program seeks to improve parliaments' oversight capacity so that these institutions are able to improve accountability and boost government effectiveness. RELATIONSHIP TO COUNTRY/RECIPENTS'DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM AND OTHER DONORS/AGENCIES The proposed activities are fully consistent with the IDF's core aspects specifically geared towards responsibility for public expenditure management and financial accountability. WBI's Parliamentary Strengthening program has been involved for the last decade in enhancing the financial accountability of the oversight institutions in the region. It has supported the establishment of parliamentary networks such as the African Parliamentarians Network Against Corruption (APNAC) and the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC). Both organizations facilitate information exchange among parliamentarians and seek to promote good governance and combat corruption. In addition, WBI has provided support to the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank (PNoWB). Similarly, AFTFM are providing support to the East African Association of PACs and to Supreme Audit Institutions across Africa. The assistance which is to be offered with the use of the grant will contribute to the growth of the the SADCOPAC. The project will aim at fostering the exchange of ideas, knowledge and experience among the Public Accounts Committees and Auditor Generals' on their respective oversight functions and will foster greater collaboration between them. Moreover, the request for grant is based on the demand coming from the region. The SADCOPAC have actively taken part in identifying a number of crucial issues and topics that need more attention and can be tackled during the program. Amongst them are: "   Performance Audit; "   Relationship with Auditors General; "   Procurement skills; "   Anti Money Laundering; and "   Audit of the State Owned Enterprises. Strengthen the non-partisan Secretariat of the Southern African Development Community Organization of Public Accounts Committees (SADCOPAC) so that it can enhance the network#s ability to act as a platform/ forum for south-south learning and to build the capacity of Public Accounts Committees (PACs) in southern Africa.