Volume IV is not intended to be prescriptive in setting recommendations on reform priorities or sequencing.

Rather, it is intended to provide a guide for countries on the issues that need to be considered in developing effective reform initiatives, strategies, or action plans that are designed to address each country’s unique situation. In this context, it is important to take stock of relevant analytical work, the country’s development strategies, and other relevant documents. This stocktaking is essential for fully understanding the country context, including the technical and nontechnical constraints on and opportunities for reform. It is also essential for understanding the capacity constraints and the need to leverage the institutional links between finance ministries and other stakeholders involved in PFM reform.

The guidance calls for building on existing PFM reform and improvement strategies. It also suggests building on those reform elements that have been successful and addressing those that have been less successful (and drawing lessons from both).

While the PEFA Secretariat is available to provide more guidance on using PEFA assessments to support PFM improvement, such as training workshops to facilitate reform dialogue and action planning, it does not provide direct technical support for implementing PFM action plans or specific reform initiatives.