Posted by Suhas Joshi[1]
PFM capacity in the Caribbean was recently given a boost by the delivery of a regional Seminar on Cash and Debt Management and Commitment Control. The event was held in St. Lucia under the aegis of the IMF’s Financial Management in the Caribbean Program (FMCP). The FMCP is a technical assistance program, funded by Canada, and focuses on some heavily-indebted Caribbean countries. The program supports reforms and capacity building in budget and treasury management through legal and institutional modernization, using a range of advisory and capacity building tools. Its focus is on countries in the ECCU[2] that are supported by IMF programs, such as Grenada, Dominica, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, and St. Kitts & Nevis. But the program also covers other fiscally vulnerable countries in the region, such as Barbados and Belize. In addition to addressing the specific needs of these countries, the FMCP utilizes regional approaches where there is a benefit to be gained from collaboration.
This first FMCP Regional Seminar was held in St. Lucia from 29 May to 2 June 2017, and was inaugurated by the Minister of Finance of St. Lucia. The Minister pointed out the importance of building fiscal capacity in the region, especially given the high level of indebtedness. Sessions were delivered by the FMCP PFM Regional Advisor, the IMFs Regional Debt Advisor, and two other experts. Details of the program can be found here.
