Minister Jaber’s positions came during his chairmanship, in his capacity as Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Middle East Regional Technical Assistance Center (METAC), the committee’s annual meeting, which opened its work this morning in the Moroccan capital, Rabat, by the Center’s director, Monique Newiac, with the participation of finance ministers and senior officials in member states, along with representatives of the International Monetary Fund, donors, and international partners.
In the speech he delivered at the opening of the committee’s work, Jaber stressed that the true test of any institution lies not only in its ability to achieve achievements in normal circumstances, but also in its ability to maintain knowledge, experience and professional standards and continue to serve the public interest during periods of change and uncertainty, stressing that established institutions are the ones that leave a sustainable legacy for future generations.
He pointed out that METAC has succeeded, over more than two decades, in consolidating this approach by keeping pace with public institutions in member states and enhancing their capabilities, pointing out that the center implemented 173 technical assistance activities during the past fiscal year, with an implementation rate of 99.4 percent, which reflects the efficiency of its management and the trust it enjoys from member states and its development partners.
Jaber said that the relationship between Lebanon and METAC went beyond the concept of hosting a regional technical assistance center many years ago, to become a real institutional partnership that contributed to strengthening the capabilities of the Lebanese public administration, explaining that the center has become part of Lebanon’s institutional history, after it continued to perform its duties during the various economic, political and security crises it witnessed.
The country, and maintained its presence and cooperation with the Lebanese administrations at stages when this support was most needed.
He added that the war that the region witnessed caused a huge humanitarian and economic cost, and reignited the conflict in Lebanon, causing huge losses and deepening the economic challenges. However, METAC’s continued provision of technical support during that stage constituted a model of true partnership, because maintaining the continuity of institutional work is no less important than any financial or economic support.
He stressed that one of the most prominent fruits of this cooperation was Lebanon’s success, after a two-year hiatus, in resuming the preparation and publication of Public Finance Observatory statistics according to methodologies developed with the support of the Centre, considering that this achievement is not limited to issuing financial statements, but rather reflects the preservation of institutional knowledge and the continuity of professional competencies, in a way that enhances transparency and consolidates the foundations of sound financial management.
Jaber stressed that the cooperation between Lebanon and METAC was not unidirectional, but was based on the exchange of experiences, as a number of Lebanese experts, especially from the Ministry of Finance, contributed to developing the center’s programs in the fields of tax administration, tax policies, public finance management, financial oversight and regulation. Lebanese experts also assumed responsibilities in managing financial affairs at the International Monetary Fund, which contributed to the transfer of knowledge and the dissemination of best practices at the region level.
He believed that the Steering Committee meeting constitutes an essential step for charting the features of the next phase of the Centre’s work, calling for the new five-year plan to respond to the rapid changes taking place in the region, and for flexibility and speed of response to become an integral part of the METAC work model, and not just exceptional measures adopted in times of crisis.
Jaber expressed his hope that Beirut will host the next meeting of the Steering Committee, reflecting the renewed confidence in Lebanon and its institutions. He also thanked the European Union, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Switzerland, and to the contributing countries Algeria, Egypt and Morocco, appreciating their continued support for the Center and capacity-building programs in the region, stressing that it is this commitment that has maintained the continuity of institutional cooperation in times when levels of international engagement in the region have declined.
It is noteworthy that the meeting of the METAC Steering Committee, which lasts over two days, discusses the outcome of the center’s work during the past fiscal year, and the experiences of Yemen, Syria, and Morocco in the areas of capacity building and institutional reform, in addition to the results of the interim evaluation of the current phase of the center’s work program, and preparation for the sixth phase, which extends for five years, by defining strategic priorities, developing mechanisms for providing technical assistance, and enhancing cooperation with member states and international partners, in a way that supports economic and financial reforms and enhances the efficiency of public institutions in the region.
