Government-by-Government Assessments: Palestinian Authority

During the review period, the Palestinian Authority made significant progress by publishing, within a reasonable period, audit reports that covered the entire annual budget and contained substantive findings, recommendations, and narratives.  The Palestinian Authority made its enacted budget public, but not within a reasonable period, and the data was incomplete and not approved by the legislature.  It also did not publish its executive budget proposal or end-of-year report within a reasonable period.   The Palestinian Authority published monthly budget execution reports that did not provide a substantially full picture of revenues and expenditures.  The limited information in the reports was generally reliable and accurate.  Information on debt obligations, including for PA-owned enterprises, was incomplete.  The supreme audit institution lacked independence, and its audit reports were not made publicly available within a reasonable period and did not cover the entire annual executed budget.

The Palestinian Authority’s fiscal transparency would be improved by:

• Making its executive budget proposal, complete enacted budget, and end-of-year report publicly available within a reasonable period;
• Publishing information on PA debt obligations, including for major PA-owned enterprises;
• Providing in budget documents a substantially complete picture of revenues and expenditures; and
• Ensuring the supreme audit institution meets international standards of independence, audits the government’s annual executed budget, and publishes its reports within a reasonable period.