Policy Papers
2012
October 4, 2012
Revisions to the Special Data Dissemination Standard and Establishment of the Special Data Dissemination Standard Plus—Proposed Decisions
Description:
The purpose of the Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS) is to guide member countries in the dissemination of comprehensive, timely, accessible, and reliable economic and financial statistical data in the context of increasing economic and financial integration. The SDDS not only prescribes that subscribers disseminate certain data categories, but also prescribes that subscribers disseminate the relevant metadata to promote public knowledge and understanding of their compilation practices with respect to the required data categories. The purpose of the Special Data Dissemination Standard Plus (SDDS Plus) is to reinforce and supplement the Fund’s Data Standards Initiatives and assist Fund members who decide to adhere to the SDDS Plus with regard to the publication of comprehensive, timely, accessible, and reliable economic and financial statistical data in a world of continuing economic and financial integration. The SDDS Plus also requires adherents to disseminate metadata to promote public knowledge and understanding of their compilation practices with respect to the required data categories. The Fund decided that the existing rules governing the SDDS are superseded by the new SDDS legal text. The Fund established the SDDS Plus, which is governed by the rules in the SDDS Plus legal text.
October 4, 2012
Update on the Financing of the Fund's Concessional Assistance and Debt Relief to Low-Income Member Countries
Description: New commitments under PRGT-supported programs are expected to increase to about SDR 2 billion in 2012, in part reflecting the large ECF commitment (SDR 0.6 billion) for Bangladesh approved in April. Commitments in the first eight months of 2012 amounted to SDR 1.4 billion and a further SDR 0.6 billion is expected to be committed by year end. This compares to total commitments of SDR 1.2 billion in each of 2010 and 2011. If all elements of the 2009 financing package are secured, the PRGT will have an annual average lending capacity of SDR 2.2 billion remaining under this package for the period 2013–14. Additional
October 3, 2012
Proposed Amendment on the Reform of the IMF Executive Board and Fourteenth General Review of Quotas - Status of Acceptances and Consents
Description: This status report reviews progress toward implementation of the 2010 Governance and Quota Reforms. It updates the status of consents to the proposed quota increases under the 14th General Review of Quotas and of acceptances of the Proposed Seventh Amendment on the Reform of the Executive Board (“Board Reform Amendment” or “Seventh Amendment”) as set out in the Board of Governors Resolution No. 66-2.
September 24, 2012
Fifth Periodic Monitoring Report on the Status of Implementation Plans in Response to Board-Endorsed IEO Recommendations
Description: Periodic Monitoring Reports update the status on Management Implementation Plans (MIPs) in response to Executive Board-endorsed IEO recommendations. The last Periodic Monitoring Report (PMR) was discussed by the Board Evaluation Committee (EVC) and then agreed by the Board in August 2011. That report concluded that all key performance benchmarks related to the MIPs covered in that report had either been met or were on track for timely completion, that no new remedial actions were proposed, and that there were no outstanding performance benchmarks to be reviewed in the next PMR. In their assessment to the Executive Board, the EVC did, however, note that further work was needed on three other issues—staff mobility, enhanced coverage of previous implementation plans, and the process for following up on IEO recommendations. This fifth report therefore updates work on these three issues, including a consolidated picture of recent progress on all Board-endorsed recommendations made since the first PMR in 2007. This PMR also presents progress on the Implementation Plan in response to Board-endorsed recommendations arising from the IEO Evaluation of IMF Interactions with Member Countries (hereafter, Interactions Evaluation).
September 17, 2012
Proposal to Distribute Remaining Windfall Gold Sales Profits and Strategy to Make the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust Sustainable
Description:
This paper revisits the use of the remaining gold sales windfall profits (SDR 1.75 billion). Directors previously considered three main options: using them as part of a strategy to boost the capacity of the PRGT; counting them towards precautionary balances; or investing them in the Investment Account’s endowment. In past discussions, Directors expressed a wide range of views on these options, and the resources have continued to be held in the Investment Account pending a decision by the Executive Board.
This paper proposes a decision that the remaining gold sales windfall profits be distributed to the membership as part of a strategy to facilitate subsidy resources to ensure the longer-term sustainability of the PRGT. This would involve the same indirect approach that has been used for the partial distribution of SDR 0.7 billion, approved in February 2012. The distribution proposed in this paper will be effected only after members have provided satisfactory assurances that new amounts equivalent to at least 90 percent of the amount distributed—i.e., SDR 1.575 billion—will be transferred, or otherwise provided, to the PRGT.
September 11, 2012
Bhutan - Assessment Letter for the World Bank
Description:
Bhutan's growth has remained robust, but the current account deficit has widened.
• Bhutan's economy has expanded at a robust pace driven by the hydropower sector developments. GDP growth is estimated at nearly 8 percent in 2011/12 (from 8.5 percent in 2010/11), and is projected to reach 12.5 percent in 2012/13 due to the acceleration in hydropower-related construction. Inflation has risen, reaching 13.5 percent in 2012Q2, with both food and nonfood components accelerating. Bhutan’s medium-term outlook is favorable, as growth should remain strong at around 8-9 percent over the medium term, driven by developments in the hydropower sector, manufacturing, and domestic services.
September 10, 2012
Proposed Amendment on the Reform of the IMF Executive Board and Fourteenth General Review of Quotas - Status of Acceptances and Consents
Description: This status report reviews progress toward implementation of the 2010 Governance and Quota Reforms. It updates the status of consents to the proposed quota increases under the 14th General Review of Quotas and of acceptances of the Proposed Seventh Amendment on the Reform of the Executive Board (“Board Reform Amendment” or “Seventh Amendment”) as set out in the Board of Governors Resolution No. 66-2.
September 4, 2012
Quota Formula Review - Additional Considerations
Description:
In July, the Executive Board held its second formal discussion on the quota formula review. Directors agreed on the principles that should guide the review and the importance of meeting the January 2013 deadline, and there were indications of an emerging consensus in a few areas. However, views continued to diverge on several other key issues, and Directors stressed that completing the review will require a spirit of flexibility and compromise on all sides.
This paper seeks to provide a basis for the next discussion, taking account of the views expressed in July. It begins by taking stock of the discussions to date. Based on this stock take, it seeks to highlight areas where a relatively broad consensus appears to be emerging. The paper also discusses possible options for addressing concerns raised about the openness variable and provides a range of simulations that seek to illustrate the effects of potential reforms to the formula. The simulations focus on those issues that have garnered the most attention in the discussions to date.
August 31, 2012
Safeguards Assessments - 2012 Update
Description: The safeguards policy was introduced in 2000 to reduce the risks of misuse of Fund resources and misreporting of program monetary data to the Fund. It supports the Fund’s approach to prudent lending and complements other safeguards such as program design, conditionality, and access limits, to name a few. Some 242 assessments of 92 central banks have been completed since 2000. Assessments are followed by a period of monitoring for as long as Fund credit is outstanding.
August 30, 2012
The Fund's Income Position for FY 2012 - Actual Outcome
Description: This paper presents the Fund’s net income for FY 2012. The actual outcome reported in this paper follows the closing of the Fund’s accounts for the financial year and completion of the FY 2012 external audit conducted by Deloitte & Touche, the Fund’s external auditor.