Funded through a World Bank multi-donor trust fund, the Public Financial Management Capacity Building Programme (PFMCBP) in Timor-Leste was a five year coordinated program of targeted capacity building in planning, economic governance and financial management (PFM). The program focuses on core aspects of PFM, including policy and administration in revenue and macro-economics, budget preparation and expenditure management.

Following an intensive, participatory design process during 2004-05 and Bank approval in November 2006, implementation of PFMCBP languished. In part this was a result of the tumultuous events in Timor Leste in 2006, and the hiatus until the new government took office in August 2007, but it also reflected the Bank’s failure to provide continuity of staff and expertise to support establishment of the program.

Mokoro consultant, Mary Betley, was a member of a World Bank mission to restructure the PFMCBP in line with renewed Ministry of Finance priorities. Full functionality of the programme required it’s alignment with a restructured Ministry of Finance, and step by step, integration of the programme’s planning, procurement and finance management systems with those of the restructured Ministry.