Launch of the Open Budget Index 2008

Friday 13^th February 2009 · 9.30am – 11.00am · Corus Hotel, KL

The Open Budget Index 2008 is an index that rates countries on how open their budget books are to their citizens. 85 countries around the world are ranked in this initiative, and Malaysia is included in the index for the first time. The OBI provides citizens, legislators, and civil society advocates with the comprehensive and practical information needed to gauge a government’s commitment to budget transparency and accountability. Armed with this kind of information, lenders, development advocates, and aid organizations can identify meaningful budget reforms needed in specific countries, and increase the impact of their development work.

The Open Budget Index 2008 was calculated by the International Budget Project based on detailed questionnaires completed by local experts in 85 participating countries from every continent. The Centre for Public Policy Studies conducted this research in Malaysia, and Malaysia scored 35% in the Open Budget Index 2008. The Index assesses the availability of key budget documents, the quantity of information they provide, and the timeliness of their dissemination to citizens in order to provide reliable information on each country’s commitment to open budgeting.

The aim of the Open Budget Index is to make budget systems more transparent and accountable to the public. By doing so, budget systems become more responsive to the needs of society – especially those within the poor and low-income communities. This launch will highlight key issues in the OBI and more broadly, issues pertaining to the challenges, strengths, weaknesses and opportunities to enhance accountability structures of the budget. Join us on Friday, 13th February 2009 at the Corus Hotel, Kuala Lumpur from 9:30am to 11:00am for the launch.

Date:      13th February 2009 (Friday)

Time:      9.30am - 11.00am

Venue:    Ballroom 2 - Level 1, Corus Hotel, Jalan Ampang 50450 Kuala Lumpur

Please do not hesitate to contact us at cpps@cpps.org.my or (603) 2093 2820/2869, should you require further assistance and/or information.