PEMNA

2026 PEMNA High-Level Plenary Conference

March 31-April 2, 2026 | Seoul, Korea

Hosted by the Ministry of Planning and Budget of the Republic of Korea, this year's High-Level Plenary Conference marked a pivotal milestone for the network, the official introduction of PEMNA Phase 3, centered on the theme of Digital Transformation in Public Financial Management (PFM). The conference convened over 170 participants from PEMNA member countries and international organizations.

Opening Session

The conference opened with remarks by the Minister of Planning and Budget of the Republic of Korea, followed by welcoming remarks from the Regional Practice Director of the Prosperity Practice Group, East Asia and Pacific, World Bank; the Minister-Counsellor and Head of Trade and Economic Section, Delegation of the European Union to Korea; and the President of the Korea Institute of Public Finance.

Joint session

The Joint Session, led by the PEMNA Steering Committee Co-Chairs, addressed the theme Harnessing Digital Transformation for Smarter Public Finance: Opportunities, Risks, and Early Country Experiences. The session concluded with a panel discussion featuring senior representatives from member countries:

Mr. Rolando U. Toledo — Secretary, Department of Budget and Management, the Philippines
Ms. Santina J.R.F. Viegas Cardoso — Minister of Finance, Timor-Leste
Mr. Soksensan Meas — Secretary of State, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Cambodia
Dr. Hoon Han — Former Vice Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Republic of Korea

CoP Sessions

Participants then convened within their respective Communities of Practice (CoPs) for two days of focused technical discussion, each organized around the theme of digital transformation.

• Budget preparation systems and IFMIS development
• Better targeting and execution of social assistance, welfare, and subsidy programs
• Data analytics and spending reviews supporting budget formulation and monitoring & evaluation

• Harnessing AI for a smarter treasury
• Fiscal sustainability reporting for service delivery
• Managing cybersecurity risks in treasury operations

• Digital transformation in tax administration
• Using behavioral insights to improve compliance
• Data integration and data sharing

Across all three Communities of Practice, participants engaged in substantive, experience-driven discussions, exchanging lessons learned, reform strategies, and practical insights from their respective country contexts. The conference reaffirmed PEMNA's role as a platform for peer learning and knowledge exchange, and set a strong foundation for the network's continued work under Phase 3.