Government leaders forum kicks off in Jordan

The seventh Government Leaders’ Forum, organised by the Ministry of Public Sector Development, kicked off on Saturday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour
The forum aims at informing executive leaders in the government apparatus of the best practices in the field of public work and provide opportunities for exchanging experiences and knowledge.
Minister of Public Sector Development, Khlaif Khawaldeh, said that the meeting is being held to take advantage of Finland's experience in the field of public administration reform and control of public spending.
He noted that the forum allows executive leaders in the government apparatus to identify the most prominent international experiences and the most important experiences of some countries that have succeeded in achieving high growth rates, such as Finland, as a result of its public administration development.
Khawaldeh pointed to the importance of empowering government officials with authoritative reference in decision-making and policy formulation of the state.
Deputy Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Mari Kiviniemi, briefed the meeting on the Finnish experience in government administration and best practices in that area.
Kiviniemi, a former Prime Minister of Finland, mentioned the relationship with Jordan in the field of government administration and how to benefit from Helsinki's experience, indicating that the OECD aims to develop policies that contribute to raising the standard of living in all parts of the world, especially since there are challenges facing many countries in fighting corruption and tax evasion.
Kiviniemi noted that Jordan will implement one of the organization's recommendations concerning international investment and cooperation with multinational companies. The organization has provided recommendations and guidance regarding investment friendly environment. An initiative to help Jordan to implement that recommendation was launched, she added.
Support for Improvement in Governance and Management (SIGMA) is a joint initiative of the European Union and the OECD and aims at building the capacity of the Ministry of Finance, auditing and budget set up process. Kiviniemi said SIGMA is planning to work in Jordan with the Ministry of Finance and the Audit Bureau regarding reforms, international and financial control, in addition to the Ombudsman Bureau‏, in the first half of this year, and with the anti-Corruption Commission in the second half of the year.
The Prime Minister met, on the sidelines of the forum, with Kiviniemi, in the presence of the Minister of Public Sector Development.
Ensour and Kiviniemi discussed ways to increase cooperation between his government and the OECD, as well as to take advantage of the organization's experience and expertise in the field of public sector reform and municipal sector.