Verité Research discusses importance of budget transparency and accountability

21 April 2015 08:57 am

Verité Research hosted a seminar and discussion on the topic “Budget Transparency in Sri Lanka: Learning from the Open Budget Survey” on the 2nd of April, presented by Nilangika Fernando. 
Starting off with Sri Lanka’s current budget process and the importance of a budget, Nilangika gave an overview of the Open Budget Survey which ranks the transparency of budgets across different countries. As of the latest survey conducted in 2012, Sri Lanka ranks 53 out of 100 countries. 
This ranking is based on the accessibility of key budgetary documents such as the Budget Estimate, Citizen’s Report and Audit Report to the general public. It was discussed that the underline importance of budget transparency is its role in creating accountability, which is the right of citizens to hold decision makers responsible for their actions. 
Verité leads the initiative to implement the Open Budget Survey in Sri Lanka.
The Dialogues and Education segment of Verité Research hosts weekly seminars that engage on issues of public importance.