Sharjah Award for public finance opens the Third Arab Financial Forum in Tangier

The third edition of the Arab Financial Forum for the Sharjah Award for Public Finance kicked off in Tangier, Morocco, on 8^th October - 2025 organised by the Sharjah Finance Department (SFD) in collaboration with the Arab Administrative Development Organization (ARADO), under the theme “Distinguished Experiences in Developing Public Finance.”

The forum serves as a leading platform for exchanging expertise and knowledge among Arab countries. It brings together ministers, senior officials, decision-makers, and financial experts from across the region to highlight pioneering experiences and adopt global best practices in government financial management.

The opening session witnessed high-level participation and featured speeches delivered on behalf of Dr Amal El Falah El Saghrouchni, Minister Delegate to the Head of Government of Morocco in charge of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform, and H.E. Nadia Fettah Alaoui, Minister of Economy and Finance of Morocco.

In his keynote address, Dr Nasser Al Hatlan Al Qahtani, Director General of the Arab Administrative Development Organisation, emphasized that the third edition of the forum brings together representatives from ministries, financial authorities, and institutions from 13 Arab countries. He noted that the forum provides a vital platform to showcase successful Arab experiences in advancing public finance and to foster collaboration among policymakers, experts, and practitioners for developing innovative financial policies in the Arab world.

For his part, Sheikh Rashid bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Secretary-General of the Sharjah Award for Public Finance, stated that public finance today stands as a cornerstone for ensuring societal stability and serves as a key instrument for achieving sustainable development—especially amid the rapidly changing global economic landscape.

He underscored that such forums act as strategic platforms for exchanging experiences, unifying visions, and formulating practical solutions to enhance the efficiency of Arab financial systems and their ability to address emerging challenges.

He added that organising this forum reflects the visionary leadership and continuous support of Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, who has consistently emphasized the importance of investing in knowledge-building, strengthening Arab cooperation, and embedding transparency and efficiency in financial management.

Al Qasimi further noted that the discussions and case studies presented during the forum will help shape an Arab roadmap toward more effective and advanced financial systems.

H.E. Waleed Al Sayegh, Director General of the Sharjah Finance Department, presented Sharjah’s pioneering experience in implementing performance-based budgeting, illustrating how this transformation has improved financial planning efficiency and more effectively directed resources toward strategic objectives.

He emphasised that this approach reflects the vision of the Sharjah Government in promoting spending efficiency and adopting innovative financial tools that enhance transparency and sustainability in the management of public funds.

Al Sayegh stated: “Sharjah’s experience in performance-based budgeting is not merely a change in the way budgets are prepared; it is a qualitative leap toward linking development plans with measurable, real-world outcomes. At the Sharjah Finance Department, we view this step as part of our commitment to strengthening financial governance and adopting international best practices, in line with the vision of Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, to build a leading, sustainable financial system.”

He added: “For performance-based budgeting to succeed, there must be strong and continuous political will, alongside the development of a dedicated framework that links strategy with results, institutional capacity building, and the activation of benchmarking across functional levels. Achieving success also requires a top-down mandate enforcing development and performance-linked budgeting, supported by continuous training programs to adapt to evolving challenges. Moreover, a dedicated system should be developed to collect the specific requirements of each government entity, aligned with its nature, outputs, and goals, to ensure maximum efficiency and effectiveness.”

This session served as a rich platform for knowledge exchange, highlighting the diversity of regional models and reaffirming the importance of fiscal reform and a shift toward results-based budgeting to improve public spending efficiency and align with global best practices in financial governance.