IMF courses, workshops, and seminars are conducted by staff of the IMF Institute for Capacity Development (ICD), the IMF’s main training department, and by staff of other IMF functional departments. Most training activities take place at IMF Headquarters in Washington, D.C., and at seven Regional Training Centers (RTCs), thereby achieving better and more effective targeting of training. Selected national and regional courses are also organized in cooperation with national authorities and regional training organizations. Each RTC is operated in collaboration with and cofinanced by a cosponsor, with substantial contributions also from Australia and Japan for the center in Singapore. As of 2011, about 62,250 people days of IMF training are provided annually.

Africa

The Joint Partnership for Africa (JPA) was established in 2010, in collaboration with the African Development Bank (AfDB). The JPA continues the cooperation on enhancing capacity building of sub-Saharan African officials through courses and seminars in macroeconomic management held in Tunis. The JPA follows the joint venture on training in Africa between the IMF and the AfDB.

The Africa Training Institute (ATI). The IMF and the Mauritian authorities set up the financial foundations of a new training institute in Africa in December 2012. The ATI, which is set to start its operations in mid-2013, will support capacity development in sub-Saharan Africa by better integrating training and technical assistance on the ground. 

Asia and Pacific

The IMF-Singapore Regional Training Institute (STI) was established in Singapore in 1998 as a joint initiative of the IMF and the Government of Singapore. The mission of the STI is to enhance the economic and policymaking capacity of countries in the Asia-Pacific region. To that end, the STI provides training in the formulation and implementation of macroeconomic and financial policies to government officials through courses and seminars held in Singapore and, on occasion, elsewhere in the region. Financial support for the STI is provided by Singapore and Japan, with important additional support from the Government of  Australia.

The Joint China-IMF Training Program (CTP) was established by the IMF and the People’s Bank of China (PBC) in 2000 to provide policy-oriented training in economics and related operational fields to Chinese officials. CTP training events initially were held in various cities in China before the establishment of a permanent location for the program in Dalian in 2003. The CTP’s annual training program is jointly determined by the PBC and the IMF and is typically concentrated in areas which address economic issues of prime concern to China. Financial support for the CTP is provided by China.

Europe and Central Asia

The Joint Vienna Institute (JVI) anchors the IMF’s training activities in Europe and Central Asia. It is an international organization established in 1992 by the IMF and Austria (represented by the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Oesterreichische Nationalbank). Several other international training-providing institutions and organizations belong to the JVI, which thus enables its stakeholders to take full advantage of the synergies and complementarities of a multilateral approach to training. Partly in response to increased demand for IMF training related to the crisis of 2007–08, the IMF and Austria agreed in April 2010 to expand training at the JVI to offer more advanced courses and to open selected courses to a broader audience. Financial support for the JVI is primarily provided by Austria and the IMF.

Middle East

The IMF-Middle East Center for Economics and Finance (CEF) is hosted and funded by Kuwait and started operations in March 2011. It organizes courses for officials from Arab League member countries. The primary purpose of the CEF is to strengthen the skills of officials in economic analysis and diagnosis, and in formulating and implementing effective economic and financial policies. The IMF is the principal training provider for the CEF in the area of macroeconomic management. Training outside the core areas of expertise of the IMF is delivered by other organizations, such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization. There is also an agreement for some training activities to be conducted jointly by the CEF and the Arab Monetary Fund in Abu Dhabi.

Western Hemisphere

The Joint Regional Training Center for Latin America (Brazil Training Center, BTC) was originally established in 2001 as an agreement between the IMF Institute and the Brazilian government. Currently, the center operates with Brazil’s central bank (through UniBacen, the central bank corporate university).Officials from Latin America participate in the center’s activities which are jointly arranged by UniBacen and the IMF. The center also serves as a platform to disseminate Fund and country policy experiences and challenges.