On December 6, the Executive Secretary visited the School of Finance Administration – ESAF of Brazil, to follow up expansion of the Cooperation Agreement between ESAF and CIAT which should result in the establishment of a CIAT Regional Training Center at the school’s headquarters in Brasilia, Brazil.

In a joint cooperation effort between the Secretariat of Federal Revenues of Brazil, ESAF and CIAT this Center will allow for offering additional face-to-face and virtual courses in Portuguese, as well as increasing training activities offered by CIAT to its member countries which may be held at the ESAF facilities.

It also contemplates the holding of international events, new essay contests and the offer by ESAF, of CIAT courses to Portuguese-speaking countries, especially from the African continent.

As a result of this cooperation agreement signed with CIAT, ESAF already offered a course on Tax Administration in 2009, as part of the Brazilian Development Program for Finance Officials to 177 officials from the Brazilian federal treasury. It consisted of 260 hours of distance training and 24 hours of face-to-face training. By late 2010, some other 242 officials will be concluding the same course, whose main focus is the integrated vision of fundamental processes for an efficient and effective tax administration.

Show in the picture: Mr. Mauro Sérgio Bogéa Soares, General Director of the School of Finance; Mr. João Dias Neto, Deputy General Director; Mrs. Ana Maria Ribeiro dos Reis, Deputy General Director;    Mr. Márcio F. Vérdi, CIAT Executive Secretary and his team.