Press Release No. 11/367

Press Release: The Republic of Maldives Begins Participation in the IMF’s General Data Dissemination System

October 14, 2011

The Republic of Maldives began participating in the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) General Data Dissemination System (GDDS) on October 14, 2011, marking a major step forward in the development of its statistical system. Comprehensive information on the Maldives’ statistical production and dissemination practices now appears on the IMF’s Dissemination Standards Bulletin Board (http://dsbb.imf.org/Applications/web/gdds/gddscountrylist/).

To mark the occasion, Mr. Ahmed Naseer, Minister of State for Finance and Treasury, noted: “The Republic of Maldives is committed to use the IMF’s General Data Dissemination System as a general framework to continue developing the national statistical system consistent with best international practices. The participation of the Maldives in the GDDS will also lead to the production and dissemination of more reliable and timely statistics.”

Ms. Adelheid Burgi-Schmelz, Director of the IMF Statistics Department, welcomed the Maldives’ participation in the GDDS and observed: “The Republic of Maldives’ participation in the GDDS is a major milestone in the country’s statistical development. I am confident that the Maldives will benefit from using the GDDS as a framework for further development of its statistical system.”

The GDDS was established by the IMF in 1997. It provides a framework to help countries to develop their statistical systems to produce comprehensive and accurate statistics for policymaking and analysis. The Republic of Maldives is the 102^nd GDDS participant (excluding the countries that have graduated from the GDDS to the Special Data Dissemination Standard).