Press Release No. 06/213

Press Release: Resumption of Operations at the IMF's Middle East Technical Assistance Center (METAC) in Beirut, Lebanon

October 5, 2006

The Middle East Technical Assistance Center (METAC) is resuming its full operations from its Beirut office. Following a temporary move to offices at International Monetary Fund (IMF) Headquarters in Washington, DC, the METAC staff are returning to Beirut given the normalization of security conditions in Beirut and the resumption of regular operations at Beirut International Airport.

METAC was officially inaugurated on October 25, 2004 by His Excellency Fouad Siniora, then Minister of Finance of the Republic of Lebanon, and Mr. Rodrigo de Rato, Managing Director of the IMF (see Press Release No. 04/244 ).

METAC is one of five IMF regional technical assistance centers, and it is the only center in the Middle East North Africa region. It serves Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Sudan, Syria, West Bank/Gaza, and Yemen. METAC is staffed by an IMF Coordinator, six resident experts, and five local staff. The resident advisors deliver advice and training in banking supervision, public financial management, multi-sector statistics, and revenue administration. METAC experts are available for "on the spot" advice and coordinate closely with other technical assistance providers in the donor community. METAC also uses short-term experts for specific tasks.