IMF | Capacity Development Office in Thailand

December 9 – 11: Course on Central Bank Policy Communications and Transparency

The South Asia Regional Training and Technical Assistance Center (SARTTAC) and CDOT jointly delivered a regional course on Central Bank Policy Communications and Transparency in Bangkok, Thailand, on December 9-11, 2024. The course was attended by 36 participants from 10 central banks: Cambodia, Lao PDR, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines.

This course was led by Giorgi Barbakadze, CDOT Advisor, with the purpose to explore the challenges faced by central banks in emerging markets and developing economies regarding policy communications and transparency. Topics included the role of modern central bank communication, transparency and accountability, communication tools, channels and audiences, the communication of monetary and FX policies and operations, and classification of central bank communications using machine learning tools. The program consisted of a blend of lectures, discussions, and case studies from Canada, Czechia, and Thailand. Simulation exercises were discussed during the workshop.

July 15 - 26: Course on Monetary Policy

The IMF Singapore Regional Training Institute (STI) and CDOT delivered a regional course on Monetary Policy at Novotel Bangkok Ploenchit Sukhumvit Hotel. The course lectures consisted of various monetary policy frameworks, monetary policy transmission mechanisms, forecasting and central bank commumications. The workshop were conducted in plenary sessions where the mission chief provided a demo of the simulations and guided participants to help them explain the transmission channels. This was followed by breakout group sessions where they practiced and worked on the case studies for different monetary policy regimes.

Participants were 34 officials from central banks and other agencies of Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Vietnam.

July 10: Webinar on Data Adequacy Assessment and Data Provision to the Fund for Surveillance Purposes

The IMF’s Statistics (STA) and Strategy, Policy, and Review (SPR) departments held a webinar to present updates in the IMF Data Provision Framework (DPF) recently endorsed by the IMF Executive Board. The webinar was divided in two sections, dedicated to the two main updates of the DPF: the new Data Adequacy Assessment (DAA) framework, and the new mandatory data categories that will need to be provided by IMF member countries. It also included a panel discussion covering the experience of an IMF country team of the region employing the new DAA framework. The ensuing discussion highlighted the continuous importance to integrate data, Capacity Development and Surveillance. There were about 60 participants from Cambodia, Lao P.D.R., and Vietnam.

March 4 - 7: Government Finance Statistics (GFS) Workshop

The IMF Statistics Department (STA) and CDOT hosted a regional Government Finance Statistics (GFS) workshop from March 4-7, 2024, in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia. The workshop included a series of lectures and a multi-part group exercise focusing on various aspects of GFS compilation. Key topics covered (i) balance sheets, (ii) the recording of interest, (iii) valuation of assets and liabilities, (iv) public-private partnerships, (v) contingent liabilities / guaranteed debt, and (vi) public sector debt. This workshop was a part of the ongoing the capacity building project in Government Finance Statistics (GFS) and Public Sector Debt Statistics (PSDS), funded by the Government of Japan. There were 28 participants from Cambodia, Lao P.D.R., Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.