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The forum serves as a leading platform for exchanging expertise and knowledge among Arab countries. It brings together ministers, senior officials, decision-makers, and financial experts from across the region to highlight pioneering experiences and adopt global best practices in government financial management.
The opening session witnessed high-level participation and featured speeches delivered on behalf of Dr Amal El Falah El Saghrouchni, Minister Delegate to the Head of Government of Morocco in charge of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform, and Nadia Fettah Alaoui, Minister of Economy and Finance of Morocco.
In his keynote address, Dr Nasser Al Hatlan Al Qahtani, Director General of the Arab Administrative Development Organization, emphasized that the third edition of the forum brings together representatives from ministries, financial authorities, and institutions from 13 Arab countries. He noted that the forum provides a vital platform to showcase successful Arab experiences in advancing public finance and to foster collaboration among policymakers, experts, and practitioners for developing innovative financial policies in the Arab world.
For his part, Sheikh Rashid bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Secretary-General of the Sharjah Award for Public Finance, stated that public finance today stands as a cornerstone for ensuring societal stability and serves as a key instrument for achieving sustainable development—especially amid the rapidly changing global economic landscape.
He underscored that such forums act as strategic platforms for exchanging experiences, unifying visions, and formulating practical solutions to enhance the efficiency of Arab financial systems and their ability to address emerging challenges. He added that organizing this forum reflects the visionary leadership and continuous support of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, who has consistently emphasized the importance of investing in knowledge-building, strengthening Arab cooperation, and embedding transparency and efficiency in financial management.
Al Qasimi further noted that the discussions and case studies presented during the forum will help shape an Arab roadmap toward more effective and advanced financial systems.
Also speaking at the opening, Ahmed Al Omrani, Secretary-General of the National Authority for Integrity, Prevention and Combating Corruption, and Abdellatif Afailal, President of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services of Tangier–Tétouan–Al Hoceima, affirmed that this forum represents an advanced model of Arab cooperation in the development of public finance and opens broad horizons for enhancing financial and administrative reforms based on transparency and good governance.
Waleed Al Sayegh, Director General of the Sharjah Finance Department, presented Sharjah’s pioneering experience in implementing performance-based budgeting, illustrating how this transformation has improved financial planning efficiency and directed resources more effectively toward strategic objectives.
He emphasized that this approach reflects the vision of the Sharjah Government in promoting spending efficiency and adopting innovative financial tools that enhance transparency and sustainability in managing public funds.
Al Sayegh stated: “Sharjah’s experience in performance-based budgeting is not merely a change in the way budgets are prepared; it is a qualitative leap toward linking development plans with measurable real-world outcomes. At the Sharjah Finance Department, we view this step as part of our commitment to strengthening financial governance and adopting international best practices in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, to build a leading, sustainable financial system.”
He added: “For performance-based budgeting to succeed, there must be a strong and continuous political will, alongside the development of a dedicated framework that links strategy with results, institutional capacity building, and the activation of benchmarking across functional levels. Achieving a successful experience also requires a top-down mandate enforcing development and performance-linked budgeting, supported by continuous training programs to adapt to evolving challenges. Moreover, a dedicated system should be developed to collect requirements specific to each government entity, aligned with its nature, outputs, and goals to ensure maximum efficiency and effectiveness.”
Amer Al Mousa, Director General of Training and Beneficiary Empowerment at the National Center for Government Resource Systems – Ministry of Finance, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, showcased the experience of the Etimad Platform, highlighting its transformational impact on modernizing financial systems and streamlining government services.
Yasser Sobhi, Deputy Minister of Finance for Financial Policies, Ministry of Finance, Arab Republic of Egypt, discussed key aspects of financial policies and their role in advancing performance-based budgeting and achieving fiscal balance.
The session concluded with a presentation by the Tangier–Tétouan–Al Hoceima Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which shed light on advanced practices in local financial management, followed by an open discussion that facilitated broad knowledge exchange among participating countries and institutions.
The forum’s second session was chaired by Hussein Al Shuwaish, former Assistant Undersecretary for International Financial Affairs at the Ministry of Finance, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The session featured diverse regional experiences focused on developing public budgets and enhancing fiscal reforms.
The session began with Dr. Rachid Kari, Director General for Higher Education at University of Zitouna, Republic of Tunisia, who presented Tunisia’s experience in transitioning from input-based budgeting to performance-based budgeting, highlighting the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research as a leading model in linking budgets to performance and outcomes.
The session also covered the experience of the UAE Ministry of Finance, showcasing its advanced framework for modernizing financial operations and strengthening oversight and planning tools. Additionally, the Moroccan Ministry of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform presented its initiatives on accelerating financial and administrative reforms through digital transformation.
The session concluded with a presentation by Ms. Pauline Debb, Senior Auditor at the Court of Accounts, Republic of Lebanon, who discussed Lebanon’s efforts to enhance public financial management by integrating the Public Procurement Law with budget reform—supporting transparency and good governance principles.
This session served as a rich knowledge exchange platform that underscored the diversity of regional models and reaffirmed the importance of fiscal reforms and a shift toward results-based budgeting to improve public spending efficiency and align with global best practices in financial governance.
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