Sharjah Award for Public Finance organises 2nd AFF in Tunisia

The opening ceremony was attended by Dr. Nasser Al Hatlan Al Qahtani, Director-General of the ARAD and Deputy Chairman of the Board of Trustees; Waleed Al Sayegh, Director General of Sharjah Finance Department (SFD) and Member of the Board of Trustees; HE Sheikh Rashid bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Director of SFD and Secretary General of the Award, Dr. Iman Ahmed Al Salami, UAE Ambassador to Tunisia, Dr. Hassan Diab, Forum Director, Hassan Basha, Award Advisor, along with several senior officials in the governmental financial sector across the Arab world, as well as a group of experts and academics in the financial, administrative, and technological fields.

Thematic Focus and Specialized Sessions

The themes and sessions of the forum center around digital financial technologies and their role in developing public finance. The agenda includes six sessions, including the opening and closing sessions, a session for keynote speakers, and three specialized sessions. These sessions will cover diverse topics related to the challenges of digital transformation, the use of artificial intelligence in government financial services, information security, and supporting data, as well as showcasing models of electronic and smart financial systems and applications, initiatives for digital payment and digital currency, and assessing the alignment of these systems with legislation and policies, along with many vital related issues.

Continuing the Development of Government Financial Work

In his opening speech, HE Sheikh Rashid bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Director of SFD and Secretary General of the Award, stated: "The second Arab Financial Forum for the Award comes as a continuation of the success achieved by the first forum held in the sisterly Republic of Egypt in December of last year. It aims to continue its mission to develop Arab governmental financial work and to seek to establish plans and mechanisms for enhancing public finance in all Arab countries, in order to promote and advance the process of construction and development, utilizing all efforts to sustain comprehensive and sustainable development, in line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah - may God protect and guide him."

Enhancing Communication and Strengthening Partnerships

He added: "Through organizing this forum, we aspire to expand and activate communication channels, strengthen partnerships, and open avenues for constructive dialogue with Arab countries and various sectors benefiting from public finance. Additionally, we aim to establish a solid platform for exchanging experiences among these countries, discussing challenges in fiscal policy in light of current economic and financial developments, while simultaneously studying future opportunities and challenges for government financial work. This will enable governmental financial institutions to face and overcome current and future challenges in governmental financial work and meet the needs of Arab countries and their communities while anticipating future financial and economic landscapes."

Joint Support for Forum Objectives

Al Qasimi expressed his gratitude to the Republic of Tunisia, represented by the Ministry of Finance, for its appreciated efforts and active role in hosting and supporting the second financial forum. This has added value that contributes to ensuring optimal success in achieving its desired objectives for sustaining financial leadership in the Arab world. He also expressed his appreciation for the ongoing partnership and cooperation with the Arab League, represented by the ARADO, which has resulted in numerous initiatives and major projects in the financial sector at both local levels in the UAE and across the Arab world. He wished success and prosperity to all participants, experts, and speakers in the forum sessions and activities.

Impact of Digital Financial Technologies

During the opening session of the forum, under the patronage of Her Excellency Sihem Boughediri, Minister of Finance in Tunisia, and attended by His Excellency Zouheir Attallah, Head of the Ministry of Finance’s Office, by Dr. Nasser Al Hatlan Al Qahtani emphasized that the second edition of this forum will shed light on the best experiences and practices in digital financial technologies, aiming to enhance knowledge and experience exchange among states, positively reflecting on the development of public finance and addressing contemporary challenges and current issues facing ministries and governmental agencies managing public funds in the Arab world.

Addressing Challenges and Seizing Opportunities

He pointed to the importance of studying the challenges of fiscal policy in light of economic and financial developments affecting the government financial sector. This helps support government efforts to restore and strengthen recovery for activities and businesses in finance and the economy, which also requires encouraging the optimal utilization of financial resources through the best financial and administrative systems and applications regarding technology and digital transformation. Moreover, it is essential to establish financial measures to address challenges and seize opportunities related to managing public debt, explore ways to improve credit ratings, and study the risks associated with public finance amidst various economic and financial influences.

Main Session

Following that, the keynote speakers’ session was held, chaired by His Excellency Dr. Nasser Al-Hatlan Al-Qahtani, where speakers included His Excellency Dr. Ahmed Darwish, former Minister of Administrative Development and Chairman of the General Authority for the Economic Zone of the Suez Canal in Egypt, His Excellency Mariam Mohammed Al-Amiri, Assistant Undersecretary for the Government Financial Management Sector at the Ministry of Finance of the UAE, His Excellency Asad Al-Khalil, Director General of the General Authority for Managing the State Budget, and Mr. Yassine Al-Jamil, Director General of the Cyber Agency in Tunisia.

First Session

The first specialized session of the forum was chaired by His Excellency Dr. Ahmed Darwish, where Dr. Salah Al-Hamadi, Deputy Director for Academic Affairs and Research at the Arab Open University in Kuwait, discussed the role of universities in the challenges of digital transformation in financial services. Meanwhile, Ms. Huda Al-Yassi, Director of the Financial System Department at the Sharjah Finance Department, presented the financial systems and applications in public finance through the department's experience in implementing the government financial system model (Takamul). Additionally, Mr. Adnan Saad, Director General of the Information Technology and Payments Department at the Central Bank of Iraq, focused on developing digital payment systems and digital currencies, while Dr. Tarek Farouk Al-Hosari, Assistant Secretary of the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport in Egypt, concluded the session with a paper addressing program budgeting, performance, and digital technologies.

The second and third sessions will take place on the second day of the forum, followed by the closing session, which will issue the final statement of the forum and include the honoring of participants.