International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS)

Oct 19 – 21, 2021 Ohrid, North Macedonia No Fee

Sep 22, 2021

English

About this learning event

On the path toward accrual accounting governments have a free choice to decide on a usage of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS). Many global studies and researches speak in favor of IPSAS adoption or their influence on designing the national accounting rules. The main objective of the training is to get understanding of IPSAS through cash-basis accounting and how it contributes to a better transparency, accountability and efficiency of a government when it is linked to accrual accounting. Selected accounting standards, relevant for North Macedonia and South East European (SEE) environment (and beyond), will be in focus of the training course.

This learning initiative is part of certification training project delivered in North Macedonia and is offered to Macedonian PACT certified public sector accountants and to a limited number of accountants from SEE public sector (and beyond).

What will you learn

Training will combine theory with practice, international with regional and local aspect, giving participants insight into challenges and opportunities in the local environment. Participants will have the opportunity to hear Montenegrin and Albanian country case which will introduce approaches and progress of moving toward accrual-based accounting and application of IPSAS.

IPSAS 1, 2, 3, 9, 12, 16, 17, 18, 19, 23 and 31 will be in focus throughout the training and work in smaller groups with expert and peer-colleagues to discuss challenges, boundaries and opportunities of their application in the local and regional environment. On the second day of the training, Macedonian participants will be assigned to different working groups facilitated by Macedonian experts, in local language, tackling above listed standards. Work in the group of regional participants will refer to IPSAS 16 and IPSAS 17 and will be facilitated by Croatian expert in English.

By the end of the training participants will:

Learn what are the requirements and benefits of accrual-based accounting
Better understand usage and impact of specific international accounting standards, that refer to:
- IPSAS 1, 2 and 18: Presentation of Financial Statements, Cash Flow Statements and Segment reporting
- IPSAS 9: Revenue from Exchange Transactions
- IPSAS 3: Accounting Policies, Changes in Accounting Estimates and Errors
- IPSAS 12: Inventories
- IPSAS 16 and 17: Investment Property, Property, Plant and Equipment
- IPSAS 19: Provision, Contingent Liabilities and Contingent Assets
- IPSAS 23: Revenue from non-exchange transactions
Address specific IPSAS through practical work in smaller groups
Get familiar with examples of good practices of IPSAS application from the international and regional environment

For Macedonian participants we will secure simultaneous translation and translation of training materials (English-Macedonian-English). Training will be highly participatory; participants will be encouraged to share their experience and country practices, and we will use practical examples, case studies and quizzes.

At the end of the training, Macedonian PACT certified participants will be awarded IPSAS certificate by The Charted Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA). Participants from other countries may request IPSAS certificate upon payment to CIPFA.

Who should attend

The learning initiative will bring together selected PACT certified accountants in public sector of North Macedonia. It will also give the opportunity for participation to a limited number of representatives of Ministry of finance, line ministries and other public sector institutions at senior and middle management level from CEF Constituency.

The workshop will be delivered in Ohrid, North Macedonia. No fee will be charged for officials working in the public sector. Organized transfer from Skopje to Ohrid and accommodation costs will be funded from PACT project for Macedonian PACT certified accountants. Applications of Macedonian funded participants and self-funded candidates from the SEE region (and beyond) will be considered, as far as space permits. Candidates will need to be approved by the CEF; selected candidates will be informed a week after the application deadline. Meals and refreshments will be provided during the event.

Faculty

The learning initiative/event will be delivered by/ under the guidance of (by alphabetical order):

Maksim Acevski, Supreme Audit Institution, North Macedonia

Maksim currently holds the position of Auditor general of the Republic of North Macedonia. His previous roles included Coordinator of administrative and legal affairs at the Insurance Supervision Agency, Assistant Auditor General and Senior Auditor at the State Audit Office, Budget Manager at the Ministry of Finance and Head of budget affairs at the Municipality of Veles. He is a co-author of several publications on (internal) auditing, budgeting, internal control and fraud prevention. He also actively participates and gives lecture in these fields.

Eugenio Anessi-Pessina, Università Cattolica, Italy

Eugenio is a full professor at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. His work includes research, teaching, expert support to public-sector institutions and organizations, in the business or academic sector. He also holds the roles of director and Head at CERISMAS - Centro di Ricerche e Studi in Management, where he focuses on research, executive teaching, expert support to private & public healthcare organizations, also in the business and academic sector. In addition to that, he is also a senior fellow at the University of Pennsylvania (The Wharton School, Dept of Health Care Management), and previously worked as a visiting professor at the University of Geneva and adjunct professor at Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi.

Atanasko Atanasovski, University St. Cyril and Methodius, Faculty of Economics in Skopje, North Macedonia

Mr. Atanasko Atanasovski is an Associate Professor in Accounting at the Faculty of Economics, University Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Skopje. Mr. Atanasovski is ACCA affilitate and has public practice experience with Deloitte as well as academic experience in teaching financial accounting and reporting courses since 2007.

His research interests are related to accounting quality, international financial reporting standards, corporate disclosure and transparency, corporate governance and internal controls, new disruptive technologies in accounting etc.

He supported World Bank ROSC activities and REPARIS program in Macedonia, implementing CPD and professional certification program for the local Institute of Certified Auditors of Republic of Macedonia (ICARM) and updating the translation of IFRS and ISA into Macedonian. He also served as coordinator for ICARM’s examination program. In addition, Mr. Atanasovski has supported several roundtables and workshops of Vienna based World Bank Center for Financial Reporting Reform, including the design and conduct of regional accounting education benchmarking study for the Western Balkans region.

Zorica Božinovska Lazarevska, University St. Cyril and Methodius, Faculty of Economics in Skopje, North Macedonia

Zorica Bozhinovska Lazarevska received her Masters Degree in 1993 from the Faculty of Economics in Belgrade. In 1999 she received her PhD at the Faculty of Economics - Skopje when she was elected Assistant Professor of Auditing. In 2004 she was elected Associate Professor, and in 2009 she was appointed Full Professor in the subjects of Auditing, Principles of Accounting and Internal Audit.

In the second cycle of studies she is engaged in a study program - Accounting and Auditing where she teaches subjects: Audit, State Audit and Fraud Examination. In the third cycle of studies she teaches Audit and Assurance. She was Vice Dean of Finance at the Faculty of Economics - Skopje in the period 2005-2010. She has been Head of the Department of Accounting and Auditing since 2013. Since 2013 she is Head of the second cycle of studies in the program Accounting and Auditing.

As a Certified auditor in the period 2005-2011 she was a member of the Council for Advancement and Oversight of Audit, she was re-elected member of the Council for Advancement and Oversight of Audit for the period 2012 - 2020. From 2006 to 2012 she was appointed Chairman of the Audit Committee of Stopanska Banka AD Skopje.

Milica Daković Tadić, PhD, University Donja Gorica, Montenegro

Ms. Milica Dakovic- Tadić is a professor in a field of accounting, audit and financial reporting. She has been professionally engaged in analysis and improvement of business activities of the companies in Montenegro as well as in international projects for reinforcement of administrative procedures, education and development of financial reporting processes in the public sector and local self - governments in Montenegro – projects for UN organizations, OECD and European Committee.

Ms. Dakovic -Tadic holds a PhD degree in accounting- link between business and national accounting, Master’s degree in auditing, and is a certified International tutor for Internal Auditors and Accountants in public sector by The Charted Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy (CIPFA).

Since 2012 she has been engaged as a tutor/lecturer in the program for education and international certification of internal auditors in the public sector. Since 2015 she is also tutor/lecturer in the program for education and international certification for public sector accountants – Projects of the Ministry of Finance of Montenegro, Center of Excellence in Finance (CEF) Slovenia, The Charted Institute of Public Finance Accounting (CIPFA). Since 2016 onwards she has been engaged in the projects for improvement and education in the field of accounting standards in the financial sector.

Dritan Fino, Ministry of Finance, Albania

Dritan Fino, PhD, is currently Director of Financial Management, Control and Accounting Harmonization Directorate at the Ministry of Finance and Economy of Albania. He has joined the Ministry since November 2013, as advisor at the Cabinet of the Minister.

Mr. Fino has been lecturing since 2007 in different institutions in Albania and abroad. His teaching and research areas relate to financial and management accounting, national and international standards of accounting, public finances, etc. Other professional experiences include the engagements as the head of the Public Oversight Board of Statutory Auditors, head of the Qualification and Certification Commission of Public Internal Auditors, member of Civil Servant Recruitment Committee, etc. In 2002, he earned the bachelor's degree in Finance and Accounting from the University of Tirana. Since 2004, he followed graduate studies in Japan, and he earned the Master of Art’s degree in 2007, and a Ph.D. in Finance and Accounting in 2010.

Ahmet Ismaili, State Treasury of the Ministry of Finance, Kosovo

Ahmet has been General Director of State Treasury of the Kosovo Ministry of Finance since August 2017, appointed with a 5-year mandate. His responsibilities include, but are not limited to, budget execution management, allocation and cash planning/management, accounting and financial reporting for the general government, and core financial systems management.

Mr. Ismaili has over 16 years of professional experience in senior management positions of the banking, insurance, and financial industry in Kosovo. He worked for the Austrian-based insurer in Kosovo, holding executive management positions including CEO, member of the Board of Directors, and Committees Member. Previously he worked for almost 10 years for international and local banks, by holding different senior and managerial positions.
Mr. Ismaili taught financial management, banking management, and risk management including Economic Faculty of the public Pristina University between 2007 and 2013. He is a certified senior local trainer and expert of the Kosovo Banking Association, including the programs on the European Foundation Certificate in Banking (EFCB) and the European Banking & Financial Services Training Association (EBTN). He has a PhD on economics at Pristina University, with dissertation on public sector accounting and reporting.

Stewart Macleod, CIPFA, UK

Dr Stewart Macleod is a member of the UK Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), and has over 20 years’ experience in public finance training and consultancy. He has worked on a number of international projects, funded by EU, World Bank, UK DFID and other institutions, and was a member of the CIPFA team who introduced the PACT education program in the South East Europe.

Experience in the region includes work in Slovenia, Serbia, Kosovo and Albania. He has also recently worked with the World Bank and DFID providing technical assistance on the introduction of IPSAS to states in Nigeria. In 2019 and 2020, Stewart delivered IPSAS training for public sector accountants in Montenegro.

Vesna Mladenovska, Audit Authority for Audit of Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA), North Macedonia

Vesna Mladenovska is an experienced auditor specialised in the area of internal, external and audit of IPA and EU Funds. She has more than 20 years of experience in public sector accounting and financial management. She is Trainer for internal auditors in Public Sector and Trainer for Public Accountants, Certified State Auditor and Certified Authorised Accountant.

She has been engaged as a tutor/lecturer in the international certification training for public sector accountants in North Macedonia (PACT) and as a tutor/lecturer in the international certification training for internal auditors (TIAPS) delivered in cooperation of the Ministry of Finance of North Macedonia and Center of Excellence in Finance (CEF) Slovenia.

Boban Paunov, Ministry of Finance, North Macedonia

Boban has more than 10 years of experience in public sector accounting and financial management of EU IPA funds. He is a certified account in public sector with a Certificate and Diploma issued by the Charted Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy (CIPFA). Since 2021, he has been engaged as a tutor/lecturer in the international certification training for public sector accountants in North Macedonia (PACT) delivered in cooperation of the Ministry of Finance of North Macedonia and Center of Excellence in Finance (CEF) Slovenia.

Gorana Roje, M.Sc., Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets, Croatia

Gorana has more than 15 years of experience in public sector accounting and public sector financial management. Her competences are strategically located at the intersection between academia and top-level practice and her work is focused on international and comparative public sector accounting and financial reporting, international public sector accounting standards setting, and public sector financial management, with a particular focus on public sector asset management reforms domestically, regionally and worldwide.

Her research has been presented at various international conferences and published in scientific journals and she hosted and participated in several workshops, round tables and trainings on topics related to public sector accounting and public sector assets management. She is the co-editor of the 2019 Palgrave book titled Public Sector Accounting, Auditing and Control in South Eastern Europe.

Gorana was also actively involved in developing a data model for upgrading the Central State Asset Registry and has been appointed as the deputy coordinator for state asset management strategic planning in Croatia.

Marija Uljarević, Ministry of Finance of Montenegro — State Treasury, Montenegro

Marija Uljarević is employed at the Ministry of Finance since 2007 as the head of the Directorate for Budgetary Accounting and Reporting. She has CIPFA certificates for an internal auditor and for a public accountant. Marija has been engaged as a lecturer at the Institute for Strategic Studies and Forecasts on the IPSAS Standard, Internal Auditor Training on the Financial Accounting module, and accounting training on the National Module. She is directly involved in drafting legislation in the area of accounting and financial reporting in the public sector, and has participated in numerous professional training in accounting and finance in Montenegro and abroad. In the period of 2015-2019, Marija was a member of the executive board of the PEMPAL Community of Practice for Treasury, organized by the World Bank, and since 2017, a member of the FINCOP Community Practice within the PULSAR World Bank Network.

Mladen Vlahović, Ministry of Finance of Montenegro — Directorate for Central Harmonization, Montenegro

Mladen Vlahović is a head of the Directorate for Audit Oversight at the Directorate for Central Harmonization of the Ministry of Finance of Montenegro. He is responsible for oversight of work of certified auditors and audit companies in Montenegro. He is also a member of the Working Group for Chapter 6 of Negotiations with the EU - Company Law, secretary of the Audit Council of Montenegro and member of several working groups for amending legislation in the area of accounting and auditing. Mladen is an authorized accountant and author of a large number of manuals and articles in the area of accounting and auditing in Montenegro.