Description and Objectives
As in 2012, this year’s meeting of the CEF Advisory Board will take place back to back with the meeting of the CEF Coordinators who will be joined by other CEF key liaison officers. It is also planned to be the last meeting of the Advisory Board before the CEF becomes a full-fledged international organization.
The objectives of the meeting are to exchange views on trends, capacity development needs in public financial management, taxation and central banking among CEF Coordinators, partner institutions and the CEF; explore how partner institutions can leverage the CEF's mandate; shape the functioning of the Advisory Board in the new governance structure; network, build and strengthen cooperation among meeting participants.
In the morning session, the Advisory Board meeting participants will be joined by the CEF Coordinators together with other key CEF liaison officers. They will report on the outcomes of the Coordinators’ meeting concerning capacity development needs of their institutions, how to address them and further strengthen regional cooperation.
Next session will be dedicated to reviewing recommendations the Advisory Board made to the CEF last year. The participants will hear how the CEF incorporated them in its activities and what challenges remain. At the same time, they will learn more about CEF’s role as a knowledge broker, its current and upcoming projects and opportunities for collaboration. The Advisory Board meeting participants will continue to discuss how cooperation and coordination among the CEF partners can be enhanced for the benefit of our members.
To conclude, the participants will be updated on the CEF’s change of status to international organization and propose the functioning of the CEF Advisory Board in the future.
Background
The CEF is a leading regional capacity development institute in South East Europe (SEE). Our mission is to promote awareness of international standards and best practice in public financial management through designing high-quality, practical and learning-centered specialization programs and training events; by promoting networks of professionals; and by stimulating regional cooperation.
We partner with multilateral and bilateral agencies, knowledge institutions, and peer organizations that represent the CEF Advisory Board. The Advisory Board advises the Supervisory Board and management on the guidelines of our learning activity and prepares periodic assessments of our operations. The Advisory Board that meets annually and is currently chaired by Mr. Jan Willem van den Wall Bake of the Dutch Ministry of Finance.
The CEF Coordinators are regional representatives responsible for capacity development and strategic management of human capital within their respective institutions. At this year’s Coordinators’ meeting that will take place from September 24 -26, they will be joined by several other groups of key liaison officers at CEF member institutions - members of the newly established program committee on central banking, representatives of tax administrations, local coordinators of our certification programs, as well as the experts advising us on the delivery of strategic planning and budgeting training and networking activities.
The Agreement on Establishing the Center of Excellence in Finance as international organization was signed last September in Bled by five countries – Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Slovenia. Since then three more countries became founding members of CEF International – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, and Romania. The Agreement enters into force when three countries ratify it. Slovenia was the first member to do so on June 19, 2014. Current CEF members that will not become founding members of CEF International will remain beneficiaries of the CEF program; however they will not be represented in the Governing Board of CEF International and thus influence its strategy, program and finances. Membership in CEF International will stay open to new member countries as well as international organizations.
The Advisory Board membership of CEF International is open upon invitation to donors active in the SEE and other institutions collaborating with the CEF. Every three years, the Advisory Board will select up to three representatives to represent the Advisory Board in the Governing Board. Each year representatives of the Advisory Board to the Governing Board will select among themselves a Chair person.
