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Joint IMF-UNCTAD virtual regional Public Sector Debt Statistics workshop
CAPTAC-DR and DMFAS
The IMF’s Regional Center of Technical Assistance of Central America, Panama and Dominican Republic (CAPTAC-DR) based in Guatemala organized, jointly with UNCTAD DMFAS Programme, a virtual regional public sector debt statistics workshop from 19 to 23 October 2020.
It was aimed at preparing CAPTAC-DR countries (Panama, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua), all of them DMFAS user countries, to improve their Public Sector Debt Statistics (PSDS). Nearly 120 participants from CAPTAC-DR member countries connected and benefited from this virtual training which included 30 sessions from 8:30 am to noon Guatemala time.
The workshop was conducted by the CAPTAC-DR experts, Ismael Ahamdanech Zarco and Bruno Da Rocha, with assistance from Kariana Villagra, and by UNCTAD's DMFAS experts, Cecilia Caligiuri, Ricardo Murillo and Manuela Jander. The virtual workshop was opened by CAPTAC Coordinator Lisandro Ábrego and the DMFAS Chief, Gerry Teeling.
The workshop focused extensively on the valuation of debt instruments at nominal value through the calculation of accrual of interest in line with international standards. DMFAS experts gave practical examples in the use of DMFAS 6 for calculating nominal value, for producing data validation reports and in generating a PSDS statistical table.
Examples were presented on how to increase coverage and how to facilitate the production of information in accordance with international best practices. Furthermore, there were also active discussions about the future of debt management after a brief presentation on the new version of the DMFAS software, DMFAS 7.
The workshop also reviewed in detail the use of nominal classification in the context of debt statistics as well as stock and flow reconciliations. Countries, for example El Salvador and Honduras, presented how they are making headway in using the DMFAS 6 software to produce official debt statistics with nominal value. The next release 6.1.4.2 of the DMFAS software (expected for end 2020) will include a specific functionality to assist DMFAS users in producing statistics in nominal value (a main enhancement related to debt securities that are not issued at par).
During the workshop, lots of useful feedback from the users was exchanged as each country was given space to present a wealth of quality information about their progress in institutional arrangements for the production of debt statistics.
The participants expressed their high level of satisfaction with the workshop, and both CAPTAC-DR and the DMFAS Programme appreciated having this opportunity to work together with the countries of the region on these important topics.
