Press Release No. 06/119

Press Release: Tonga Begins Participation in the IMF's General Data Dissemination System

June 6, 2006

Tonga has begun participating in the International Monetary Fund's General Data Dissemination System (GDDS), marking an important step forward in the development of the country's statistical system. Comprehensive information on Tonga's statistical production and dissemination practices were published on the IMF's Dissemination Standards Bulletin Board (DSBB) on May 30, 2006.

In announcing participation in the GDDS, Tonga's Acting Government Statistician and GDDS Coordinator, Mr. Ata'ata M. Finau, noted that participation in the GDDS represents an important milestone in the development of the country's statistical system. Such participation will pave the way for Tonga to produce and disseminate its official statistics in accordance with international guidelines. It will also support efforts to improve the quality of its official statistics.

Mr. Robert W. Edwards, Director of the IMF Statistics Department, noted: "Tonga's participation in the GDDS will allow the country to take full advantage of this framework for developing its economic, financial, and socio-demographic data. Currently, Tonga receives technical assistance in statistics under the GDDS Project of the Pacific Financial Technical Assistance Center (PFTAC). The objective of the project is to assist countries in the region to produce and disseminate reliable, timely, and relevant macroeconomic and socio-demographic statistics. Tonga is the fourth member of the PFTAC to participate in the GDDS."

The GDDS, established by the IMF in 1997, provides a framework to assist IMF member countries to develop their statistical systems with the objective of producing comprehensive and accurate statistics for policymaking and analysis. It addresses the quality and the dissemination of data. Tonga's plans for statistical improvement and related technical assistance needs are posted on the IMF's DSBB. This information provides the international community with a useful framework to coordinate statistical technical assistance for Tonga.