Policy Papers
2005
June 10, 2005
Strengthening the Fund's Ability to Assist Low-Income Countries Meet Balance of Payments Needs Arising from Sudden and Exogenous Shocks
Description: At the Executive Board discussion on the role of the Fund in low-income countries, Directors requested proposals to address the absence of concessional instruments other than the PRGF in the Fund's financial assistance to low-income members facing exogenous shocks. Against this background, this paper analyses the main issues in designing such a window within the PRGF Trust.
June 7, 2005
Guide on Resource Revenue Transparency
Description: This guide gives a framework that covers the resource-specific issues to be considered in a fiscal transparency assessment, for example as part of a fiscal Report on the Observance of Standards and Codes (ROSCs). Equally importantly, it provides a summary overview of generally recognized good or best practices for transparency of resource revenue management that can be used by countries themselves, as well as by the IMF, the World Bank, and others providing technical support.
Notes: The views expressed in this paper are those of the staff and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Executive Board of the IMF.
May 25, 2005
Review of the Fund's Transparency Policy
Description: This review analyzes trends in publication of IMF documents and experience with various aspects of the transparency policy since July 2003, based on: Fund-wide data on publication; records of changes made to published staff reports; a survey of mission chiefs; and ten country case studies involving interviews with staff and Executive Directors.
May 11, 2005
Post-Program Monitoring - Proposed Decision on Countries
Notes: The Proposed Decision in this document has been approved by the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund.
April 12, 2005
Progress Report to the International Monetary and Financial Committee on Crisis Resolution
April 1, 2005
Report of the Independent Panel on Safeguards Assessments
Description: In its March 2002 review of the Safeguards Assessments (SA) policy, the Executive Board of the IMF indicated that an independent panel should be involved in the next review of the SA policy in early 2005. To meet this requirement, a panel of four deputy central bank governors from different regions was convened (see Attachment I). The panel was asked to determine whether safeguards assessments have been successful in meeting their stated objectives, and what, if any, improvements could be made to the safeguards policy and process going forward. The panel’s terms of reference are included as Attachment II.
April 1, 2005
AFRITACs - Independent Midterm Evaluation - Volume 1-Final Report
Description: The evaluation focus was on three main objectives: Assessing whether the AFRITACs have provided value added to beneficiary countries; Assessing the extent to which the AFRITACs’ objectives have been achieved; and Assessing whether the AFRITACs have enhanced cooperation between stakeholders in their respective regions.
April 1, 2005
Public Investment and Fiscal Policy - Lessons From the Pilot Country Studies
Description: This paper reports on findings from eight pilot country studies on public investment that were carried out during the second half of 2004. The pilot country studies covered a diverse group of countries. Specifically, they included countries in Latin America (Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Peru), Africa (Ethiopia and Ghana), the Middle East (Jordan), and Asia (India).
March 31, 2005
Safeguards Assessments - Review of Experience
Description: The safeguards assessments policy was introduced in March 2000 to provide reasonable assurance that central banks have adequate financial control systems in place to manage their resources and Fund disbursements. The safeguards policy’s main objective is to minimize the possibility of misreporting or misuse of Fund resources associated with the Fund’s lending activities. Safeguards assessments apply to all member countries that have a Fund arrangement.