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I N T E R N A T I O N A L M O N E T A R Y F U N D

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FOR CAPACITY DEVELO

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I N T E R N A T I O N A L M O N E T A R Y F U N DI N T E R N A T I O N A L M O N E T A R Y F U N D

Regional Training Program Technical Assistance Office1

IMF HeadquartersRegional Technical Assistance Center (RTAC)Regional Training Center (RTC)

1Thailand Technical Assistance Office for the Lao P.D.R. and the Republic of the Union of Myanmar

THE IMF’S INSTITUTE FOR CAPACITY DEVELOPMENTCapacity development is a core mandate, along with surveillance and lending, of the International Monetary Fund. The Institute for Capacity Development (ICD) is responsible for:

❱ Strengthening the IMF’s strategic approach to technical assistance (TA) and training, the two pillars of IMF capacity development;

❱ Delivering world-class training to the IMF’s global membership, and overseeing the network of regional technical assistance and training centers;

❱ Capitalizing on synergies between TA and training, and conducting periodic reviews on the effectiveness of these activities; and

❱ Forging partnerships with donors to meet capacity development needs around the world.

The IMF work on capacity development is managed from the headquarters in Washington, D.C. and from a large global network of regional technical assistance and training centers. This regional approach has important benefits:

❱ Enhanced ability to meet specific regional needs and to respond quickly to changing economic priorities;

❱ Close coordination with the surveillance and lending activities of IMF area departments; and

❱ Increased cooperation with other TA and training providers and donors.

Stronger institutions and skills for better macroeconomic policymaking

“ “Building better institutions is key to help achieve macroeconomic stability, strengthen the resilience to shocks, and promote sustainable growth, all essential to raising living standards.

NEMAT SHAFIK, Deputy Managing Director, International Monetary Fund




A GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP WITH A GLOBAL REACHThe IMF continues to develop partnerships with donors to expand capacity development for IMF member countries. Capacity development now accounts for about one-quarter of the IMF’s operating budget. More than three-quarters of field delivery of TA and one-half of training are financed by donors.

The Institute for Capacity Development is the IMF’s primary interface with donors:

❱ It works with donors and other key stakeholders to support the IMF’s capacity development strategy;

❱ It ensures careful stewardship of donor funds; and

❱ It keeps donors informed about progress toward meeting countries’ TA and training needs.

Donors and RTC/RTAC Host Countries African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, Australia, Austria, Barbados, Belgium, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Brazil, Central American Bank for Economic Integration, Canada, Caribbean Development Bank, China, Côte d’Ivoire, Denmark, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, European Investment Bank, European Union, Fiji, France, Ghana, Gabon, Germany, Guatemala, Islamic Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, Italy, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Mauritius, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States.




“TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING IMF technical assistance helps member countries develop more effective institutions, legal frameworks, and policies to promote economic stability and growth.

❱ The IMF provides TA in its areas of expertise, including macroeconomic policy, tax policy and revenue administration, expenditure management, debt sustainability analysis and public debt management, central banking, regulation and supervision, statistics, and anti-money laundering.

❱ Spending on TA reached approximately $210 million in FY2013; the strong expansion of TA delivery since FY2009 (about 55 percent) has nearly all been financed by donors.

❱ The IMF delivers TA from its headquarters and through nine regional technical assistance centers.

IMF training strengthens the ability of officials to analyze economic developments and formulate and implement effective policies.

❱ Training spans macro-financial linkages, monetary and fiscal policy, balance-of-payments issues, financial markets and institutions, as well as statistical and legal frameworks in these areas.

❱ Courses are regularly updated and new ones added to meet the training needs of country officials. To keep the curriculum relevant, the ICD engages in constant dialogue with member countries.

❱ Donor financing has supported a steady expansion of the IMF training program since FY2009, reaching about 7,700 officials dur-ing 12,100 weeks of training in FY2013.

❱ Training is conducted through delivery of courses at IMF headquarters, a global network of seven regional training centers, and programs and in cooperation with other training partners.

What sets IMF courses apart?

❱ Strong policy orientation drawn from the IMF’s surveillance and program work;

❱ Emphasis on practical learning and peer-to-peer exchanges through hands-on workshops using actual country data; and

❱ Lasting networks among officials.

“We aim to tailor provision of training and technical assistance tightly to the individual needs of our member countries and to deliver such support in a well-coordinated manner.

SHARMINI COOREY, Director, Institute for Capacity Development

A TRACK RECORD OF EXCELLENCEThe IMF relies on a robust monitoring and evaluation program to ensure that its TA and training meet the needs of member countries. The number of evaluations and assessments have been expanded to ensure that the IMF is responding to changing needs in the aftermath of the global crisis, and to assure donors that the benefits from TA and training are sustained.

Results of Technical Assistance:

❱ Improved capacity to design and implement sound macroeconomic policies;

❱ Improved macroeconomic stability, public finance management systems, and financial governance;

❱ Higher revenue and effective, transparent use of resources/budget support;

❱ More growth-oriented financial systems;

❱ Progress toward regional economic integration; and

❱ Better economic data to underpin country policy design and monitoring.

Evaluation of technical assistance: Indepen-dent external evaluations of regional technical assistance centers and topical trust funds are conducted toward the end of each funding cycle, informing the next program. The IMF is adopting a results-based management approach that allows for systematic planning and monitoring of technical assistance.

❱ Eighty-five percent of TA recipients across RTACs rated the efficacy of TA either “good” or “excellent” in these independent evaluations.

Results of Training:

❱ Recipients of training do their jobs better;

❱ The ability of officials to analyze economic developments, to forecast, and to provide policy advice is strengthened;

❱ Officials share their new knowledge with colleagues; and

❱ Officials have been given added responsibili-ties and their career opportunities have im-proved as a result of the training, increasing the likelihood that they will remain and utilize their added skills in government service.

Evaluation of training: The IMF uses quantitative and qualitative evaluations of training from par-ticipants at the end of every course and surveys conducted by an independent market research firm. The feedback through all these evaluation channels is very positive.

❱ In the 2012 survey of agencies that sent officials to training, 98 percent of respon-dents expressed satisfaction with the train-ing received — the highest approval in the program’s history.

❱ Ninety-two percent of responding agencies said that their staff values IMF training more than training by other providers on similar topics.

CONTACT THE INSTITUTE FOR CAPACITY DEVELOPMENTAddress: Institute for Capacity DevelopmentInternational Monetary Fund700 19th Street, NWWashington, DC 20431U.S.A.

Telephone: + (202) 623-6660Fax: + (202) 623-6490

E-mail: [email protected]

IMF training catalog: www.imf.org/institute

IMF technical assistance and training: http://www.imf.org/TA-Training

TESTIMONIALS “ This course has greatly improved my ability to forecast the impact of macroeconomic policy and development projects on my country’s economy. The knowledge I received from attend-ing this workshop has impressed my superiors to the point that I have been given greater respon-sibility and the opportunity for promotion.” Participant in “Macroeconomic Management and Fiscal Policy” course, 2010

“ The diversity of experiences and perspectives that everyone brought to the discussions pushed each of us out of our comfort zone of conventional thinking and into much deeper analysis.” Participant in “Financial Programming and Policies through Distance Learning” course, 2006

“ I am truly grateful to the IMF Institute for providing us this opportunity to learn and gain valuable insights into the world of finance and macroeconomics, particularly at a time when the world appears to have emerged from the greatest financial crisis we have ever seen….I would like to express my deep appreciation for the work of the IMF Institute, in terms of its efforts to impart and share knowledge across the globe and in contributing to the development of human capital.” Participant in “Finance for Macroeconomists” course, 2011

“ I find it hard to suggest improvements to the way the mission was carried out. The members held discussions with a wide range of stake-holders. They worked very hard and showed an impressive willingness and ability to get ac-quainted with our situation and empathy with the enormity of the tasks facing us.”TA recipient, Iceland, 2011

“ The mission was very positive and provided a framework for increased revenue collections in the future. The team also comprehensively covered areas in revenue administration reform which have been particularly useful, and the aide memoire can be used as a guide for tax reform in the future.” TA recipient, Timor-Leste, 2011

“ Critical to our reform was the crafting of the public financial management laws. The IMF fielded a technical advisor for more than a year that worked with us, discussed the details, nuances, and challenges, and was with us during the process of the legislative review and approval. What this has done is put together an overarching frame of laws for public finan-cial management.”TA recipient, Liberia, 2012

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