Third Conference of 
the International Budget Project

The conference series:  This is the third conference of the International Budget Project since its creation in 1997.  The first, which was an opportunity to build up the network and share concerns and experiences, took place in Washington DC in 1997 with 50 people attending from 15 countries.  At the second meeting in Cape Town in 1999 the theme was the budget process and the outcome a commitment to developing methods for assessing transparency in the budget process – a scorecard system, which is being taken up by groups in various countries across the world.

This third conference focuses on budget analysis techniques and objectives.  The conference was designed to clarify the role of budget and tax analysis in anti-poverty work and explore the relationship between budget analysis and grassroots work through examples from a variety of groups.  Further, the conference explored the growing interest in the combining budget and rights work. The conference also provided opportunities for networking and discussion in order to broaden and strengthen the network of researchers and activists working on budget issues.  

Themes included:

• The policy context for budget analysis work: poverty, globalization and political and economic systems;

•  The budget and human rights: areas of linkage for enhanced effectiveness;

• Revenue analysis: a poverty angle on tax issues;

• Representation and legitimacy: how do we represent the needs and concerns of the poor, directly or indirectly?

• Moving forward: the development of budget work in the various organizations and the changing role of the international network.

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Acknowledgements:  All three conferences have been funded by the Ford Foundation.  The conference was attended by more than 90 representatives from 26 countries.

Report from the Conference held  February 21-25, 1999, Cape Town, South Africa
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Groups
Find out about the organizations and individuals who attended the conference.
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Sessions
See the agenda of the workshop and write-ups of all the presentations, discussions and workshops:

	budget analysis
	policy context
	expenditure for poverty
	revenue analysis
	advocacy techniques
	moving forward

Papers
All of the papers presented at the workshop and recommended by participants on themes and issues relating to budget analysis, poverty and human rights.
List of papers and sessions by theme...

The New Delhi office of the Ford Foundation recognized the dedicated effort of many organizations and individuals in making the conference possible and worthwhile.  The variety of participants and resource people from more than two dozen countries ensured a high quality and richness of debate. 

In particular thanks go to the Indian organizations and colleagues who have inspired, and helped to plan, the conference: M D Mistry,  Vivek Pandit, Minar Pimple, John Samuel and Vinod Vyasulu.  The International Budget Project and Ford Foundation in New York have consistently supported and developed civil society budget work and the organization of these conferences.

Thanks to Samir Luthra and the team from Corbett Trails for their excellent job in handling the logistics.

Agenda