The IMF-Caucasus, Central Asia, and Mongolia Regional Capacity Development Center (IMF CCAMTAC) and Joint Vienna Institute (JVI) successfully concluded the online segment and two-week workshop in Almaty on Financial Programming and Policies (FPP) as part of the joint blended macroeconomic cohort training program. A three-week online segment was followed by the face-to-face workshop in Almaty that gathered 30 young officials from CCAMTAC member countries and Moldova on December 4-15, 2023.
The course team for online and in-person segments of the cohort training on FPP comprised Norbert Funke, Aliya Kistaubayeva, Nurdaulet Abilov (all-CCAMTAC), and Tatiana Evdokimova (JVI).
CCAMTAC hosted two regional workshops on Government Finance Statistics (GFS) and Public Sector Debt Statistics (PSDS) between July and November 2023. The topic of each workshop had been selected by the participants and aimed at improving fiscal statistics in their countries. The workshop which took place during July 10-14, included for the first time the topic of PSDS. The workshop conducted on November 20-24 focused on expanding of the countries fiscal reporting by: i) including accrual elements in the currently prevailing cash recording and ii) compiling GFS for non-market state owned enterprises.
Video prepared for the official opening ceremony of CCAMTAC on June 9, 2023. Economic fragmentation. Inflation. Geopolitical tensions. The IMF’s role as a partner in capacity development and technical assistance is more important than ever. CCAMTAC is the newest addition to the IMF’s global network of 16 centers to deepen our engagement with regional partners and help them identify new opportunities for economic growth. Together with donors and nine member countries, the IMF has established the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Mongolia Regional Capacity Development Center.
Regional Workshop: Monetary Operations and Central Bank Money (March 13 – 15, 2023). This was the first in-person workshop in the monetary operations area since the opening of the CCAMTAC. The workshop was focused on new concepts of digital money and their implications on monetary policy, delivered by MCM, the CCAMTAC advisor and an expert. Overall, 23 central bankers from nine countries attended the workshop and participants from each country shared their experience and challenges. Sessions covered issues on recent trends and challenges in monetary policy implementation, digital money and its implications on central bank operations and balance sheet. Extensive discussions revolved around new forms of money, how they may impact central bank operations, seigniorage, transactional velocity of digital money, potential implication of financial innovations on cash in circulation and M0, M1 and M2 monetary aggregates. Each presentation was followed by engaging discussions among participants.
Tax Expenditures (March 6 – 8, 2023). The IMF FAD and CCAMTAC hosted a regional workshop in Almaty, to build capacity in estimating and publishing tax expenditures (TEs) in the region. 25 officials from nine countries attended the workshop. A set of slides and template models were provided to the participants mainly covering (corporate and personal) income taxes and the valueadded tax (VAT). Specific topics included: the 'benchmark tax system', data requirement, estimation techniques, microsimulation models, evaluation of TEs, current practices of TEs in the region, and the establishment of a tax policy unit. Presentations by the workshop experts provided general guidance while discussions during nine presentations by the authorities addressed country-specific issues at a high-level and fostered peer-to-peer learning.
An in-person workshop for revenue administrations was held in Almaty from January 30 to February 1, 2023. Twenty-four officials from all nine CCAM member tax administrations participated in the three-day event which focused on developing understanding of compliance risk management (CRM) and introduced the concept of peer networking as a mechanism for future sharing of local experience and technical assistance. Participants were provided with an understanding of the strategic role of CRM, the risk management process itself, and the importance of data and data management. There were sessions explaining organizational and governance arrangements and emphasizing the role of headquarters in managing compliance risks.
Twenty-seven participants from various Government institutes of eight CCAMTAC member countries attended the first in person workshop on Government Finance Statistics (GFS) and Public Sector Debt Statistics (PSDS) held in Almaty during November 21-25, 2022. The workshop focused on practical aspects of the integrated GFS framework and recording in GFS of selected operations (such as policy lending; government guarantees and debt assumption, dividends and super-dividends) undertaken by Governments. The workshop participants learned how to apply the acquired knowledge of recording of specific government operations, while ensuring the consistency and integrity of the GFS analytic framework.
