I’ve been thinking why does our work at the CEF matter? What drives our team to devote our energy to constantly improving?

Designed by Cvetka Mozoli based on text.

Well, we support capacity development for finance officials in South East Europe through learning and knowledge sharing. We do this because we believe that officials concerned with public finance can make things happen.

Let me explain in three simple points how we approach our work.

First, we believe that the capacity of a country rests on each individual who works towards making things better.

Everyone can significantly contribute to the quality of work done by their institution. We want to support public officials in delivering the best services to their citizens. This way they can contribute to their country’s development.

Second, our program focuses around three technical areas: public financial management, tax policy and administration, and central banking. We want to strengthen their impact by focusing also on a fourth, non-technical area of leadership for managing reforms.

For sure, there is no good governance without sound finances. However, we believe that focusing on the technical perspective alone does not bring results. Therefore we devote a lot of attention to supporting people and relationships among them. We support public officials in becoming leaders and creating—or being part of— teams who are able to make difficult things happen.

Third, we offer a platform for these public officials to meet and connect.

We are eager to provide them with a welcoming environment. We make sure our learning space is stimulating and fun, and that they remain connected in a regional network of experts that can become their support group.

So, why do we care so much?

Well, we want to equip public officials with knowledge and a network that will give them confidence, so that they can feel inspired and empowered to approach challenging tasks and make a difference for their team, their institution, and their country.