Gaza – The Civil Society Team for Enhancing Public Budget Transparency called on the Ministry of Finance and Planning (MoFP) in the Gaza Strip to disclose its financial reports. The Team requested that the Ministry provide it with financial statements on the 2019 MoFP financial plan for review and analysis. Accordingly, the Team can submit proposals with a view to enhancing public financial management. In compliance with the principles of transparency and openness to citizens, the Team also demanded that the MoFP deliver on its pledges by disclosing its financial policies and plans.
So far, the Civil Society Team for Enhancing Public Budget Transparency has not received any information on the financial plan, which the MoFP promised to share in a meeting held back in June 2019. Then the Ministry also promised to invite the Team to participate in community consultations on the directions of Gaza’s 2020 budget plan. However, the MoFP has not published any financial plans, impeding data analysis and recommendations by specialists of the Team, civil society organisations, and research centres.
In its letter to the MoFP, the Team provided a detailed account of key information and financial statements, which it wished to have access to. These included the Gaza-based MoFP financial policy and plan, MoFP general directions, government decisions and legal documents on public financial management, 2019 budget preparation process, 2019 estimated revenues, local (tax and nontax) revenues, total local revenues, and 2019 estimated expenditures. In addition, the Team requested salaries and wages; operating, transfer, capital and development expenses; accrued (actual) revenues and expenditures for the first half of 2018 and 2019 as well as relevant detailed data; budget deficit; external aid; monthly or semi-annual reports; and 2018 final accounts report.
