The significance of an integrated approach to annual budgeting and its positive impact on financial performance of government entities, was highlighted at a workshop organized by Abu Dhabi’s Department of Finance.

The workshop, which focused on developing an integrated Government Budget for the 2010 fiscal year, was held under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Department of Finance, in coordination with the General Secretariat of the Executive Council.

Attended by over 134 employees from the finance and strategy sections of government bodies in Abu Dhabi, the workshop stressed the importance of integrating the strategic, recurrent and capital levels of annual budgeting, under the activity-based budgeting methodology. The system is specifically designed to ensure greater financial discipline and better socio-economic benefits.

Commenting on the event, His Excellency Hamad Al Hurr Al Suwaidi, Under-Secretary of the Department of Finance, said that the workshop is in line with the Department’s mission to develop a common and standardized financial framework. This will facilitate a gradual transition to the decentralized financial management model of the Abu Dhabi government." Elaborating further, His Excellency Mohammed Sultan Al Hameli, Executive Director of the Department of Finance, said, "The workshop is part of DOF’s plan to promote a culture of integration through meetings with representatives of Abu Dhabi’s government bodies. These initiatives are aimed at enhancing the financial performance of those bodies within the domains of strategic planning and allocation of financial resources." The workshop comes close on the heels of another seminar conducted by DOF on developing a unified and integrated financial framework for Abu Dhabi’s governmental bodies, attended by a large number of representatives from Abu Dhabi-based government entities.

The forum emphasized the synergy between the financial framework and the government’s public policy agenda. It also stressed the importance of bringing up-to-date the government’s budgeting structure, accounting standards and accountability measures for the financial system in Abu Dhabi.
 

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