2008年-世界发展银行全球_Republic_of_Yemen___Public_Expenditure_Financial_Accountability_Assessment_96页_2mb

PEFA Assessment Summary: Republic of Yemen (June 2008)

Core Content

The Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) Assessment for the Republic of Yemen, conducted by the World Bank, provides a comprehensive evaluation of the country's Public Finance Management (PFM) systems, processes, and institutions. The assessment was carried out in accordance with the PEFA Performance Measurement Framework and focused on observable PFM practices in Yemen as of the time of the assessment.

Main Objectives

• To assess the status of PFM systems in Yemen at a given point in time.
• To establish a baseline for future PFM reforms.
• To support the Government in identifying reform priorities and sequencing reform activities.

Key Findings

1. Credibility of the Budget

• Revenue Performance: Revenue out-turn exceeded budget estimates in all three assessed fiscal years (FY 2004–2006), largely due to oil production.
• Revenue Composition: About 75% of government revenues come from oil, which is subject to price volatility. The government adopts a conservative revenue estimate to mitigate this volatility.
• Expenditure Management: Despite strong revenue performance, expenditure credibility is undermined due to:
  • Ex-post parliamentary approval of supplementary budgets.
  • Accumulation of arrears without proper tracking.
  • Inadequate value-for-money in procurement.
  • Weak salary expenditure controls.
  • Non-uniform implementation of commitment controls.
• Donor Funding: The Ministry of Planning is often left guessing about donor-funded investments due to lack of standard definitions and consistent tracking methods.

2. Comprehensiveness and Transparency

• Budget Documentation: Yemen has a fairly comprehensive budgetary process, with 38 volumes of budget documentation presented to parliament.
• Classification: The budget currently uses economic and administrative classification, with plans to transition to functional and programmatic classification based on GFS/COFOG standards.
• Transparency: Public access to budget and fiscal documents is limited, but there have been improvements in online availability of budgetary and fiscal information.
• Local Authorities: Budget processes and financial reporting for local authorities are well-integrated with central government procedures. However, the 2001 Local Authorities Law has not been fully operationalized, limiting the effectiveness of rule-based allocation.

3. Policy-Based Budgeting

• Multi-Year Framework: The Government of Yemen (GoY) has initiated a multi-year budget framework with the release of the DPPR (Socio-Economic Development Plan for Poverty Reduction).
• Fiscal Planning: The budget process is well-defined with clear guidelines, but lacks strong bottom-up inputs and sectoral integration.
• Debt Management: The GoY has effective debt management controls, with the Minister of Planning and International Cooperation as the sole authority for loan agreements. Debt sustainability analysis is regularly conducted, and a new debt management bill is under consideration.
• Budgetary Integration: There is a need for better alignment between sector strategies and fiscal forecasts, as sector costings often do not match aggregate fiscal projections.

4. Predictability and Control in Budget Execution

• Revenue Sources: Yemen's domestic revenue comes from oil (75%), income taxes, and customs.
• Cash Management: Although the country has access to essential elements for sound cash management (e.g., debt maturity profiles, updated cash balances), it lacks effective cash management practices.
• General Warrants: The use of general warrants for recurrent and capital expenditures suggests predictability, but adjustments are often made above the ministry level, undermining budget credibility.
• Virement Control: Virement control is strong, with transfers managed at the Ministry of Finance level. The Treasury Single Account (TSF) structure supports this, but manual commitment controls persist in many ministries.
• Procurement Reforms: A new Tender Law was passed in July 2007, addressing previous shortcomings in procurement oversight. However, procurement practices remain problematic, with issues such as fake competition, contract abuse, and lack of transparency.

5. Accounting, Recording, and Reporting

• Accounting Standards: Government accounting standards are applied consistently across ministries, though not all IPSAS standards are fully met.
• Accounting Systems: The CBY operates a Treasury Single Account with monthly budget release reports. AFMIS is being piloted in four ministries but lacks full implementation of commitment controls.
• Internal Audit: Internal audit in Yemen includes both resident and central units. The Ministry of Finance’s Internal Audit Unit conducts financial and value-for-money audits, but is limited by a small professional staff (16 full-time members) and limited follow-up on audit findings.
• Payroll Management: Despite improvements in personnel database management, reconciliation controls in payroll systems remain inadequate, leading to risks of ghost and double-dip employees.

Key Recommendations

• Strengthen fiscal discipline and transparency in budget execution.
• Implement effective cash management systems to ensure predictable budget releases.
• Enhance the integration of sector strategies with fiscal forecasts.
• Fully operationalize the Local Authorities Law and improve monitoring and evaluation.
• Improve donor coordination and tracking mechanisms for project implementation.
• Establish direct database links between personnel records and payroll systems.
• Strengthen internal audit capacity and follow-up on audit findings.

Conclusion

The PEFA Assessment highlights both progress and persistent challenges in Yemen’s PFM systems. While the country has made strides in budget comprehensiveness, transparency, and procurement reform, it still requires stronger fiscal discipline, improved cash management, and more effective integration of policy and financial planning. The assessment serves as a baseline for future PFM reforms and emphasizes the importance of continued dialogue and donor alignment to support sustainable improvements.