Delivery of IMF Expertise and Training on the Rise

Spending on capacity development up for fourth straight year

74,000 days of technical assistance and 54,000 days of training delivered

Donors give $181 million in new funding for IMF capacity development

The recent global crisis demonstrated that all member countries, including advanced economies, need to address institutional weaknesses and adapt to rapid global economic and financial developments. In addition to economic monitoring and lending, the IMF provides support to its member countries through what it calls capacity development—technical assistance (in-country expert advice on specific topics for limited periods) and training for country officials to advance their economic skills and policy understanding.

During the financial year covered in the report (May 1, 2013–April 30, 2014), IMF direct spending on capacity development grew for the fourth consecutive year, to $235 million, up from $160 million in 2011, and almost half of the total was financed by member countries, notably Japan (see Figure).

The spending enabled the IMF to deliver 285 “person-years” of technical assistance—the equivalent of one expert working for 285 years, or more than 74,000 days of expert advice. Fiscal issues made up the largest share of the technical assistance delivered, followed by monetary and financial sector issues. The total amount of advice delivered increased across all regions and categories of income, whether low-income, emerging-market, or advanced economies.

With the support of external donors and training partners, during the year over 6,300 officials received training at 178 events, for a total of 10,856 “participant-weeks”— the equivalent of more than 54,000 days of training. Emerging market economies received the largest share, at about 60 percent; among regions, the Middle East and Central Asia, and Asia and the Pacific had the highest numbers.

Meeting urgent needs

The IMF continued to respond swiftly to meet urgent needs for technical assistance in a broad set of countries, delivered through its nine Regional Technical Assistance Centers as well as IMF headquarters. For instance, the IMF advised on rationalizing spending and strengthening social safety nets in the face of a major economic crisis in Ukraine. In Cyprus, it helped the authorities improve tax policy and administrations, reform public financial management, and prioritize public expenditures. In Albania, the IMF helped the authorities control expenditure arrears, improve...