Supporting public financial management (PFM) is a priority area for IFAC. It features as one of the two key actions in IFAC’s G20 Call to Action, and other advocacy efforts, including a ‘Point of View,’ on Greater Transparency and Accountability in the Public Sector. PFM was also the focus of a session during the annual IFAC Council meeting, which convened the executive leaders from IFAC’s 180 member and associate organizations across 135 countries and jurisdictions.

Helping to strengthen PFM globally is a significant opportunity for professional accountancy organizations (PAOs) to advance our profession’s public interest mandate, but it requires collaboration. This was a message that resonated throughout the council session, which brought together the perspectives from different key stakeholders. Participants heard a case study from Rwanda, and views from development partners the World Bank, Gavi, and The Global Fund.

These articles summarize the key messages from the session.

Laura Takamizawa
Laura Takamizawa

Principal, IFAC

Laura Takamizawa is a Principal in IFAC's thought leadership team, focusing on initiatives in support of finance and accounting professionals working in business and the public sector. She was previously an Audit Manager at Grant Thornton, specializing in public sector audit in the UK, and prior to that worked for the Audit Commission. She also spent a year on secondment to the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC), where she was responsible for managing their public sector and business network programs.

Laura is a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), and holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) degree in Mathematical Physics from the University of Nottingham (UK).

Darlene Nzorubara

Darlene Nzorubara is a Principal at IFAC. She manages the compliance and membership activities of IFAC's members and associates in Africa and supports the PAO Capacity Building Program as well as the MOSAIC (Memorandum of Understanding to Strengthen Accountancy and Improve Collaboration) Steering Committee. She also oversees Africa initiatives under IFAC’s MoU with Gavi, the Global Fund, and USAID to strengthen public finance management for greater accountability and transparency through the effective role of PAOs. 

Prior to joining IFAC, Darlene worked as a research assistant on governance at Baruch College in New York and worked for two years as a legal assistant for a law firm in Paris, France. Darlene has post graduate degrees in international economic law and in business and exportation law from Université René Descartes – Paris V and a Master in Public Administration from Baruch College.