The National Assembly Budget Office co-hosted the 1st annual conference of the Asian Network of Parliamentary Budget Officials (PBOs) with the OECD from October 11th (Wednesday) to October 13th (Friday).
The Network of Asian PBOs was established by NABO Office in collaboration with the OECD to share the current situation of PBOs in Asia and discuss ways to promote credible public finance management.
At the launch event held on Thursday, October 12, Kevin Page, Canada’s first Parliamentary Budget Officer, delivered a keynote speech, presenting examples of increased transparency in public finance management since the introduction of a PBO and principles for effective operation of such institution, emphasizing the need for PBOs to continue to serve as spokespeople for fiscal responsibility in the medium to long term.
In the panel discussion that followed, Mr. Romulo Emmanuel Miral, Director General of the Congressional Policy and Budgetary Research Department of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, suggested supporting parliamentary activities by providing summaries with published reports and establishing networks with related organizations to secure basic data, while Ms. Katie Hill, Chief of Staff at the Parliamentary Budget Office in New South Wales, Australia, suggested enhancing the expertise of analysts and strengthening public communication by producing and publishing videos to promote the organization.
In the afternoon, three sessions were held to share the current situation of Asian PBOs, OECD best practices for PBOs, and to discuss the future development of the network.
On Friday, October 13, a workshop moderated by NABO and eight bilateral meetings between participants were held to discuss key issues, including medium- and long-term fiscal projections and analysis of the economic impacts of climate change.
"The establishment of the Asian PBOs Network in collaboration with the OECD on the occasion of our 20th anniversary is significant in that it consolidates our position as the leading parliamentary budget office in Asia, and we hope that the network will contribute not only to enhancing cooperation among Asian countries, but also to fulfilling our role as a bridge between the OECD and Asian countries," said Chief Cho.