## Mid-Year Report to the D4D Fund Steering Committee (June-December 2021)

## Source details

**Canonical URL:** [Mid-Year Report to the D4D Fund Steering Committee (June-December 2021)](https://www.imf.org/-/media/files/capacity-developement/d4d/mid-year-check-in-meeting/mid-year-report-to-d4d-sc-2022.pdf)

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### Program implementation and work-plan delivery
- The 18-month work program (May 2020 to October 2021) comprises 196 activities; 120 activities are planned to be conducted in FY 2022 (which ends April 30, 2022).
- Activities completed (May–December 2021): 44; Activities completed (May–December 2020): 38.
- Close to two-thirds of the 18-month work program is planned for FY 2022.
- Implementation remained robust despite travel restrictions; more activities were conducted during May–December 2021 than over the same period in 2020.
- Delivery was particularly intense in:
  - the real sector statistics sub-module (national accounts workstream), and
  - the external sector statistics sub-module.
- Demand patterns:
  - Medium-term-oriented CD on fiscal and debt reporting was lower than expected.
  - Demand for short ad-hoc advisory services doubled compared to the same period last year, with a clear focus on government finance statistics (GFS).
- Two out of three workshops under Module 2 - Financial Access Survey (FAS) were conducted.
- The mid-term independent evaluation process is on track to deliver its final report by summer 2022.

### Financial Access Survey (Module 2) outcomes and dissemination
- The 2021 FAS results were released in November 2021, accompanied by a press release and the annual publication “FAS 2021 Trends and Developments”.
- As of mid-December 2021, 166 jurisdictions submitted data to the 2021 FAS round.
- Number of jurisdictions reporting gender-disaggregated data: 71 — a ten percent increase relative to the 2020 round.
- Number of jurisdictions reporting data on the use of mobile money: 83 jurisdictions.
- Coverage statement: 83 reporters account for almost universal coverage with roughly 90 percent of countries where mobile money services are available included in the database.
- Outreach and capacity activities:
  - Two FAS webinars were conducted for the Middle East and Central Asia region in July 2021.
  - A webinar for the Africa region was planned for January 2022.
- Analytical outputs using FAS data:
  - IMF Working Paper “Is Mobile Money Part of Money? Understanding the Trends and Measurement” published July 2021.
  - IMF COVID-19 Special Series Note “Women’s Financial Access in Times of COVID-19” published November 2021; analysis incorporated into the IMF Financial Access COVID-19 Policy Tracker.
- Key analytic finding: Based on the analysis, there seems to have been a slowdown in narrowing the gender gap during the COVID-19 pandemic.

### Online learning curriculum development and uptake (Module 3)
- Recent course releases and language rollouts:
  - NASx launched in June 2021.
  - PSDSx offered in French and Spanish in September 2021.
  - Planned: GFSx and BOP-IIPx online courses in French and Spanish by end-FY 2022 and early FY 2023 respectively.
  - CPIx development on track for an end-FY 2022 release.
  - QNA/HFIx and EDSx development started earlier than initially planned.
- Participation statistics:
  - From June to December 2021: 2,300 active participants benefited from ten offerings of D4D-funded online courses.
  - Since inception and after release of four out of ten courses: over 4,900 active participants registered.
  - Participant composition: More than half are from low- and lower middle-income countries; one fourth from Africa; one sixth from fragile states.
- Micro-learning and video dissemination:
  - Micro-learning clips prepared from course video material to showcase best statistical practices.
  - Video clips for PSDSx, GFSx, and BOP-IIPx available as playlists on the YouTube IMF Institute Learning Channel.
  - YouTube channel subscribers exceeded 8.7k by end-2021.
- Training modality impact:
  - High-quality video material facilitated remote training and blended learning; microlearning clips used to familiarize participants with basic concepts at their own pace.

### Coordination with other statistics capacity-development partners
- The IMF’s Statistics Department engaged with World Bank, PARIS21, UNSD, and OECD to maximize synergies and impact.
- Specific coordination examples:
  - Dialogue with the World Bank to coordinate statistics CD efforts and foster cross-fertilization; Somalia example: an upcoming World Bank and Statistics Sweden project on national accounts will use IMF inputs for development of GDP by production to allow first-ever estimates of GDP by expenditure.
  - UNSD invited to contribute to the online learning curriculum (CPIx and NASx); UNSD experts reviewed the NASx overview component and the UNSD Director provided introductory remarks on national accounts. UNSD’s network expected to expand audiences for poverty-related statistics training.

### Mid-term program evaluation status
- The mid-term program evaluation is expected to be completed by summer 2022 and will assess program performance relative to original objectives and provide insights to enhance D4D Fund impact.
- Evaluation governance and contractor:
  - The Evaluation Sub-Committee (ESC) began work in December 2020 and reviewed draft terms of reference finalized in Spring 2021.
  - SEO-Amsterdam Economics was contracted in July 2021 to undertake the evaluation.
  - The draft inception note was reviewed by the ESC and the final version was shared with the ESC in December 2021.
- Evaluation methods and data sources include:
  - in-depth review of strategic/program documents;
  - interviews (IMF, SC members, development partners, beneficiary countries);
  - portfolio analysis of RBM data (milestones, outcomes);
  - financial and resource data;
  - a survey to CD recipients, providers, and donors.
- Implementation challenge noted: With the pandemic, additional efforts may be needed to secure meaningful survey responses from recipient countries, given competing obligations.

### Looking ahead to the June 2022 Steering Committee meeting
- The annual Steering Committee meeting expected in June 2022 will discuss:
  - D4D Fund implementation;
  - the work program and resources;
  - possible extension of Phase I;
  - further augmentation of the online learning curriculum.
- D4D Fund donors will receive briefing materials ahead of the meeting.

### Annex — Remote ad-hoc assistance (June–November 2021)
- Background: In June 2020, the Steering Committee approved allocating a lump sum equal to 10 percent of the budget of Module 1 (equivalent to $292,000) to support remote ad-hoc assistance. This assistance is limited to engagements that take less than one business day of staff time per case and limited to countries eligible for D4D Fund financing.
- From June to November 2021:
  - Number of ad-hoc assistance requests fulfilled: 57 (against 26 for the same period in 2020).
  - Total expense: $45,629 (against $14,963 for the same period in 2020).
  - Most interventions related to GFS; a few related to ESS and RSS.
  - Common topics: recording of transactions related to the 2021 allocation of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), recording debt transactions, preparing monthly indicators of economic activity, preparing annual GDP.
- Examples of remote ad-hoc assistance provided by the IMF’s Statistics Department:
  - On GFS: advised Algeria on debt transactions with state-owned enterprises; discussed with Angola the time of recording for arrears payments; helped the Democratic Republic of the Congo on recording transfer of SDRs from the central bank in the government accounts; assisted Eritrea in recording SDRs in the government accounts; supported Kenya in recording back-dated expenditure and other corresponding accounts payable at the end of fiscal year; provided advice to the Kyrgyz Republic on recording of Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust debt relief; reviewed donor-funded project classification mapping with Lesotho’s Ministry of Finance; guided Madagascar on recording SDR allocation retrocession in GFS; helped Papua New Guinea record transfer of SDRs from the central bank to central government; assisted the Philippines in accounting treatment of SDR allocations; advised Rwanda on implications of use of SDR allocations for budget financing, on accrued interest calculation, on recording central bank holding of Eurobond issued by the government, and provided comments on the Memorandum of Understanding between the central bank and the Ministry of Finance on the recording of the SDR allocation; advised Senegal on debt buybacks in macro-framework and debt sustainability analysis and on recording government equity participation in the West African Economic and Monetary Union; helped Tajikistan record exceptional grant financing in GFS; advised Togo on recording cross debt transactions between government and a public corporation; guided Uganda in recording central bank debt payment on behalf of government; supported Ukraine in recording transfers in consolidated deficit of the general government and an oil state-owned enterprise; discussed with Zimbabwe the recording of SDRs in government accounting.
  - On ESS: discussed with Egypt the recording of the SDR allocation; reviewed the recording of IMF transactions in the balance of payments of The Gambia.
  - On RSS: supported Mongolia in preparing a monthly indicator of economic activity; advised Somalia on preparing GDP for 2019 and 2020.

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_Source: https://www.imf.org/-/media/files/capacity-developement/d4d/mid-year-check-in-meeting/mid-year-report-to-d4d-sc-2022.pdf_