More than 770 public officials across Peru have this week started a virtual training course on "Transversal Management of Administrative and Functional Systems". The course was developed and is provided for free by the Basel Institute's Public Finance Management team, who implement an ambitious programme of the Swiss SECO Cooperation in Peru to strengthen public financial management in 11 subnational governments across the country.

The virtual course is particularly valuable in the current situation due to the coronavirus pandemic and restrictions on movement and gatherings. It was in fact always planned to be delivered virtually: a series of successful virtual training courses on other public financial management topics has shown the value and efficiency of this method of training. Over 3,350 officials and citizens in Peru have completed virtual training in tools for monitoring budget execution and open government during a previous phase of the programme, with excellent feedback and results.

This new course:

• explores the role of public-sector financial administration in strengthening public financial management and achieving the priorities and goals set out in Peru's national policies;
• covers its contribution to effective management of the public value chain and the principles of coordination, multi-year planning, sustainability and fiscal responsibility; 
• sets out recent rules and regulations that public officials should be aware of.

The aim is to help the officials apply their knowledge directly in their daily governmental work and coordinate effectively with other departments in their institutions.

The participants will undertake a total of seven sessions lasting approximately four hours each. Each session includes a virtual session plus reading assignments.

The digital tools covered in the course have been developed by public institutions in Peru including the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and its Secretariat for Decentralisation, and the National Accounting System, among others.

See the original news in Spanish on the Programa GFP Subnacional website.