The Millennium Development Goals, capacity building, and the role of the IMF

This IMF Working Paper explores how the IMF supports capacity building in its member countries. Beginning with a description of the emerging framework for capacity building elaborated by the UNDP it briefly explores how IFIs in general support capacity building in the context of this framework before discussing the specific role of the IMF. Finally the paper looks more narrowly at the role of the IMF Institute in building capacity.

The paper concludes that overall the current operations of the IMF support capacity building at all levels of the framework. Three specific operations are identified

• IMF Institute training builds capacity at the individual level
• Technical assistance by specialised IMF departments supports capacity building at the organisational level
• Article IV consultations, program negotiations and implementation and the PRSP, ROSC and FSAP processes support capacity building at the system level.