Jordan tops MENA region in sufficient budget transparency for 2019

AMMAN – Jordan topped the Middle East and North Africa regions in the sufficient budget transparency among 177 states surveyed in 2019.

The findings were released in the Open Budget Survey (OBS) 2019 that was prepared by International Budget Partnership (IBP).

The Open Budget Survey 2019 results include country-specific findings and recommendations on budget transparency, public participation, and oversight.

Jordan scored 61 points, making it the first country in the Middle E last and North African regions and the 31 among 117 countries that took part in the survey that occurs once every two years, according to IBP website.

The survey also revealed that four out of five of the 117 governments assessed in the OBS 2019 failed to reach the minimum threshold for adequate budget transparency and oversight, and even fewer provided opportunities for the public to participate in shaping budget policies or monitoring their implementation. But there are signs of progress.

Three quarters of the 117 countries surveyed do not have sufficient levels of budget transparency, according to the OBS 19 survey.

The Open Budget Survey (OBS) is the world’s only independent, comparative and fact-based research instrument that uses internationally accepted criteria to assess public access to central government budget information; formal opportunities for the public to participate in the national budget process; and the role of budget oversight institutions such as the legislature and auditor in the budget process.

The survey helps local civil society assess and confer with their government on the reporting and use of public funds. This seventh edition of the OBS covers 117 countries.

Based in Washington, DC, the IMP works in collaboration with multiple actors, including civil society, state actors, international institutions, and the private sector, to bring about a world in which empowered citizens participate in open, inclusive budgeting processes to shape policies and practices that promote equity and justice on a sustainable basis.