## Public Information Notice: IMF Executive Board Reviews the Fund’s Capacity Development Strategy

_IMF News, June 27, 2013_

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**Canonical URL:** [Public Information Notice: IMF Executive Board Reviews the Fund’s Capacity Development Strategy](https://www.imf.org/en/news/articles/2015/09/28/04/53/pn1372)

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## Bibliographic details
- Published: June 27, 2013

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### Background
- Publication date: June 27, 2013.
- Public Information Notice (PIN) No. 13/72.
- On June 12, 2013, the Executive Board considered the staff report “The Fund’s Capacity Development Strategy—Better Policies through Stronger Institutions.”
- Key context and definitions:
  - Capacity development (CD) services comprise technical assistance (TA) and training focused on the Fund’s core macroeconomic and financial mandates.
  - CD is one of the Fund’s core activities alongside surveillance and lending.
  - The quality of economic institutions (ministries of finance, central banks, statistical agencies) depends on people, policymaking approaches, and legal and governance structures.

### Executive Board assessment — overarching messages
- Directors welcomed the discussion and reaffirmed the main objective of the Fund CD program: to help build institutions and capacity in member countries to formulate and implement sound economic and financial policies.
- Directors reiterated support for the key attributes of Fund technical assistance as defined in the 2011 TA review and agreed these attributes apply to training as well:
  - (i) focused on the Fund’s core macroeconomic and financial mandate;
  - (ii) integrated with other core responsibilities of the Fund;
  - (iii) nimble in response to changes in country needs;
  - (iv) effective in strengthening institutional capacity.
- Directors noted training and TA share many conceptual elements, allowing integration into an overall CD strategy.
- Directors endorsed updating the policy statement covering CD services and putting CD on an equal footing with surveillance and lending by mandating regular and well-integrated reviews.

### Prioritization, planning, and country demand
- Prioritization is a key element of the CD strategy.
- Principles and proposals endorsed by Directors:
  - CD activities should be driven by country demand.
  - Allocation of scarce CD resources across regions and topics should take into account the Fund’s overall strategic priorities as elaborated in the context of the global policy agenda (GPA).
  - Endorsement of a two-level prioritization system reflecting both individual country demands and the Fund’s overall objectives.
  - Development of staff guidance on preparation of regional strategy notes.
  - Importance of ensuring authorities’ views are fully reflected in the Fund’s CD prioritization process.

### Funding and donor coordination
- Observations and endorsements:
  - Donor funding has emerged as an important source for Fund CD financing and is likely to continue.
  - Donor-financed projects should be fully integrated into the Fund’s strategic planning and budget process.
  - Endorsed a set of funding principles for CD covering the role of the Fund, the role of donors, and the additionality of donor funding.
  - Funding principles should aim to:
    - ensure adequate funding for CD in crisis situations;
    - allow donor funding where objectives coincide;
    - rely on Fund financing when donor support is not available.
  - Emphasis on maintaining close and flexible coordination among the Fund, donors, and recipient countries.
  - Importance of integrating the Fund’s TA and training activities with those of other international institutions and collaboration with regional and national organizations.

### Monitoring, evaluation, and results-based management
- Directors considered regular evaluation crucial for learning and accountability.
- Endorsements and plans:
  - Strengthen the monitoring and evaluation framework, including using evaluation feedback in prioritization and delivery of CD.
  - Merit seen in a unified approach to evaluation to distill lessons, including independent external assessments as appropriate.
  - Continue implementing results-based management with increasing emphasis on outcomes and clear objectives.
  - The Fund uses a number of different evaluation instruments.

### Information and communications technology, dissemination, and visibility
- Directors supported leveraging advances in information and communication technology to enhance effectiveness and reach of Fund CD.
  - Favorable view of further development of online courses.
  - Some Directors stressed finding the right balance between online and face-to-face training.
- Directors observed Fund CD activities are relatively less well-known than other areas of Fund work and encouraged further efforts to promote this line of work.
- Dissemination principles reaffirmed:
  - Reaffirmation of the 2008 principles for dissemination of TA information.
  - Some Directors noted sensitivities related to CD activities in some countries; others encouraged wider dissemination subject to voluntary publication.

### Implementation timing
- It is expected that the next review of the Fund’s capacity development activities will be completed no later than June 2017.

*Public Information Notice No. 13/72, June 27, 2013.*

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## Content in this bundle

- [101911pdf (PDF)](/-/media/websites/imf/imported/external/np/pp/eng/2011/_101911pdf.pdf){rel="external" type="application/pdf"}

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## References

- [Public Information Notices](https://www.imf.org/en/news/searchnews)
- [http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/misc/qualifiers.htm](https://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/misc/qualifiers.htm)
- [The Fund’s Capacity Development Strategy—Better Policies through Stronger Institutions](https://www.imf.org/external/pp/longres.aspx?id=4778)
- [2008](https://www.imf.org/external/pp/longres.aspx?id=4249)
- [2008 review of training](https://www.imf.org/external/pp/longres.aspx?id=4257)
- [https://www.imf.org/en/home](https://www.imf.org/en/home)

_Source: https://www.imf.org/en/news/articles/2015/09/28/04/53/pn1372_