The partnership's objective is to increase the capacity of policy makers and public finance managers in the selected countries to apply the methods and techniques of the training and resource materials to improve the management their public finances to more effectively control deficits and debt and thereby to increase resources for sustainable development programmes.

The aims and objectives of the partnership will be achieved through an integrated logical framework. This would entail a diagnostic study to assess directly the current skills and knowledge of public finance managers and the techniques and procedures they employ in fiscal management. This would be followed by the development of training modules in areas such as budget execution, financial programming and expenditure management that are informed by the diagnostic assessment. In addition, a complete reference guide will be developed for use by future trainees in their daily fiscal management activities. Thereafter, training workshops will be carried out in the selected countries in the areas contained in the modules and focused on balancing theory and practical, hands-on issues.

The project will ensure capacity of building and technology transfer through the training activity, the provision of a reference training manual for public finance managers to use in their day to day work. In addition, policy makers will be encouraged to implement necessary administrative upgrades to facilitate the incorporation of the skills and knowledge learned into daily fiscal management. This would include computer and information systems upgrades. Policy makers also will be encouraged to make provision for the training of new staff to ensure continuity and sustainability of the training. ECLAC and ILPES will remain available to provide necessary support.

The partnership will be governed by the ECLAC Port of Spain office in collaboration with the Programme Planning and Operations Division in ECLAC Headquarters in Chile. The two agencies will determine the allocation of tasks among the implementing agencies and consultants. These will include the development of the training modules in areas such as budget execution, financial programming and expenditure management; the conducting of the training and post-training evaluation to ensure that knowledge and techniques of the training are incorporated into public finance management systems to improve these systems and that ongoing training programme is implemented to ensure the sustainability of the project.

Instituto Latinamericano y del Caribe de Planificacion Economia y Social (ILPES), the University of the West Indies Consulting (UWI Consulting), CARTAC, Private Consultants and experts in the field.