Amman, Sept. 1 (Petra) -- Fayez Nahar, chairman of the Service and Public Administration Commission (SPAC), said the Sharjah Award for Public Finance holds special importance in advancing government administration, describing it as a leading Arab model for embedding excellence, efficiency, governance, transparency and financial sustainability in public fund management.

Nahar made the remarks while sponsoring a training workshop on the award Tuesday, organized by the Arab League's Arab Administrative Development Organization (ARADO) in cooperation with the Sharjah government in the United Arab Emirates and SPAC.

He said the award's significance goes beyond recognition, serving as a knowledge and institutional platform for exchanging expertise and transferring successful practices. He noted the workshop comes amid national efforts to modernize public administration and shift from traditional resource management toward an approach based on efficiency, results and maximizing the impact of public spending.

Nahar said Jordanian institutions and professionals have proven their ability to compete and achieve distinguished results in the award. He noted that the Cabinet's approval of a list of national and international awards, whose recipients receive exceptional performance incentives based on SPAC's recommendation, marks an important step in embedding a culture of excellence in the public sector and linking incentives to achievement and impact.

He added that tying the public finance award to the exceptional performance incentive system enhances its standing and encourages institutions and employees to pursue measurable, high-quality results.

Nahar said the award reflects the depth of Arab partnership and the importance of exchanging expertise in developing public administration, advancing financial management practices and institutional excellence. He expressed appreciation for the efforts of the award delegation in supporting excellence and promoting a culture of institutional performance in the public sector.

Nasser Kashwani, director of the Financial Training Center at Sharjah's Central Finance Department said the launch of the fourth edition's promotional tour, starting in Jordan, reflects appreciation for the country and its expertise. He said the tour will cover Arab capitals to introduce the award's categories and criteria to public finance authorities.

Kashwani said the award marks a decade since its founding as the first Arab award specialized in public finance management. He reviewed its record over three previous editions, noting categories expanded from six in the first edition to 22 in the third, including 11 institutional and 11 individual categories.

The award drew 494 participants across the three editions, honoring 81 winners, and included 11 introductory seminars in 11 Arab countries during the third edition alone, along with four major Arab financial forums in Cairo, Tunis, Tangier and Istanbul involving more than 750 specialists.

He invited Jordanian financial institutions and professionals to compete for the award and thanked the government, represented by SPAC, and ARADO for their partnership.

Hassan Diab, Head of the Specialised Awards Group, speaking on behalf of the ARADO's director-general, Nasser Al-Qahtani, said the award has become a platform for embedding excellence in public finance management and a hub for best financial and administrative practices across Arab government agencies.

He said the award carries renewed importance in its fourth edition amid mounting economic challenges facing the Arab world, which require governments to strengthen governance, rationalize spending and develop sustainable financial solutions. He expressed hope for wider participation from more Arab countries and institutions.

Diab said the ARADO remains committed to its partnership with Sharjah's Central Finance Department to support Arab government performance, encourage optimal use of financial resources, promote performance-based budgeting and strengthen financial management systems.

The workshop aimed to introduce the award, its application requirements, objectives and evaluation criteria for selecting winning entities, in addition to reviewing best practices in public finance. It was attended by representatives from government bodies overseeing public fund management, as well as quality and institutional excellence.

//Petra// NQ