FISCAL TRANSPARENCY IN GRENADA

UNCLAS GRENADA 000029 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CAR JON MITCHELL AND EEB/IFD/OMA JULIA JACOBY E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID ECON PREL GJ SUBJECT: FISCAL TRANSPARENCY IN GRENADA REF: STATE 28885 This cable responds to reftel request for information about fiscal transparency in Grenada. Responses are keyed to reftel questions. -- Is the central government expected to receive or is already receiving U.S. foreign assistance funded using FY 09 funds? Grenada benefits from some regional programs for the Eastern Caribbean funded out of USAID's Eastern Caribbean program, as well as a few targeted bilateral programs, but these funds are not provided directly to the central government. Although USAID is active in the region, it currently does not fund programs supporting fiscal transparency or good governance. The Caribbean Regional Technical Assistance Centre (CARTAC) is available to 19 Caribbean countries to assist these countries to achieve their macroeconomic, fiscal, and monetary policy objectives. This program operates as a UNDP project with the IMF serving as the executive agency. It is funded by the Canadian International Development Agency, the Inter-American Development Bank, Ireland, the IMF, and the UK Department for International Development, the UNDP, the EU, and the World Bank. -- Is the host country's budget publicly available? The Government of Grenada (GOG) practices fiscal transparency. Before the budget is delivered there is extensive public consultation throughout the country. The budget is delivered in an open forum, discussed in public and copies are available for purchase at the government print shop as well as on the government's website. -- Are incomes and expenditures included in the publicly-available budget? Yes. The publicly-available data are generally accurate and include all revenues and expenditures. MCISAAC