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UPDATED FRAMEWORK ON THE DISSEMINATION OF CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT INFORMATION
January 2022
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Title page
UPDATED FRAMEWORK ON THE DISSEMINATION OF CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT INFORMATION
January 7, 2022
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The IMF’s capacity development (CD) information dissemination policy needs to adapt to a new landscape. The Fund is providing more CD and producing greater and more diverse types of CD-related information. Meanwhile, the external landscape has also evolved, as members, partners, and other CD providers increasingly expect greater transparency and access to information.
The 2018 CD Strategy Review advocated for wider dissemination of CD information, while protecting staff candor and the role as trusted advisor. Dissemination yields many benefits, including fostering stronger ownership, improving coordination internally as well as with other CD providers and financing partners, promoting accountability, and advancing the Fund’s contribution to knowledge as a global public good. The 2018 Review concluded that, while there had been progress in the dissemination of CD information to a wider range of stakeholders, publication rates of technical assistance (TA) reports remained low, and the dissemination policy had gaps in coverage.
This framework paper sets forth updates to the policy. The outlines of the TA dissemination policy were originally set out in a background paper on Dissemination of Technical Assistance Information (“2008 Framework Paper”) that informed a Board discussion on enhancing the impact of Fund technical assistance. The policy was then formalized in the 2009 Staff Operational Guidelines on Dissemination of Technical Assistance Information (“Operational Guidelines”), which were updated in 2013 and 2020. This paper sets out envisaged reforms to further widen the dissemination and publication of CD information. The specific reforms include:
Broadening the CD dissemination policy’s scope, including by creating a category of “final CD output,” which expands coverage to all CD information, including TA advice, training, and other forms of CD output.
Moving towards the default publication of high-level summaries of strategic final CD outputs on a lapse-of-time basis with streamlined internal processes for producing such summaries.
Simplifying the publication process for final CD outputs by eliminating post-transmittal corrections and deletions.
Improving CD surveillance integration by enabling CD department staff to further share CD information relevant to program work or surveillance with staff in other departments.
Reducing delays in the dissemination of final CD outputs to direct financing partners and Executive Directors by introducing Fund-wide norms and shortening the timeline for lapse-of-time consent.
Clarifying the policy on the dissemination of Fund assessment (including evaluation) information to improve consistency in its application.
Clarifying the policy on the dissemination of CDMAP information beyond Fund staff, including to direct financing partners and Executive Directors.
Approved By
Roger Nord and Rhoda Weeks-Brown
Prepared by the Institute for Capacity Development (ICD) and Legal Department in consultation with other departments, under the guidance of Michaela Erbenova (ICD) and Bernhard Steinki (LEG).
Contents
CONTEXT
ISSUES WITH THE CURRENT POLICY
A. Some Types of CD Output are Not Covered by the Current Policy
B. Publication Rates of Final TA Reports Remain Very Low
C. Revisiting the Corrections and Deletions Rules
D. Delays and Gaps in Dissemination of Final TA Reports
E. Lack of Clarity Over Other Types of CD Information
PLANNED POLICY REFORMS
A Expanding the Scope of the Policy
B. Raising Publication Rates of Final CD Output
C. Limiting Post-Transmittal Modifications
D. Increasing the Timeliness and Coverage of Dissemination of CD Information
E. Clarifying Policy for Existing CD Information Types
IMPLEMENTATION
BOX
1. Treatment of CD Information Under Fund Policies
FIGURES
1. Capacity Development Spending
2. IMF Training Participants
3. Field and Virtual CD Missions
4. Publication Statistics
5. TA Reports in the System, 2020
6. Lags in Dissemination of TA Reports
7. Dissemination Process Timeline, 2020
8. Downloads of Fund Documents
ANNEX
I. Dissemination Policy by Information Type and Non-Fund Staff Audience