BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF AND LINKS TO INFORMATION ACTIVITIES:

Data Collection, Observation, Monitoring

Data are provided on a regular basis to the Fund by its member countries or are collected by staff during the course of mission work. Data are normally collected directly from national authorities.

The Fund collects macroeconomic data including national accounts information, balance of payments, fiscal and monetary data.

The Fund's data collection is coordinated through formal and informal consultations with the ACC's Statistical Committee and the UNSTAT's Working Group on International Statistical Programmes and Coordination.

Methodologies, Quality Control, Harmonization
 

Assessment and Analysis
The Fund carries out assessment and analysis of structural and macroeconomic policies in support of its surveillance and programme work. This analysis and assessment is with respect to the following chapters of Agenda 21: Chapter 2-Sustainable Development, Chapter 3-Poverty, Chapter 4-Consumption Patterns, Chapter 8-Integrating Environment and Development, Chapter 11-Deforestation, Chapter 14-Agriculture and Rural Development, Chapter 33-Financial Resources, Chapter 36-Education, Public Awareness and Training, Chapter 37-Capacity Building, Chapter 38- Institutional Arrangement and Chapter 40-Information for Decision-Making.

The Fund's main relationship is with its member countries - in servicing these needs it also cooperates in all of these areas with UN agencies, the World Bank, the OECD, the GATT and other multilateral agencies.

Indicators

Modelling

Expert Systems/Decision-support systems

Early Warning Mechanisms
Do exist. The IMF's surveillance activities under Article IV of the Articles of Agreement of the Fund monitor the structural and macroeconomic policies of its member countries. These activities are in respect of the chapters of Agenda 21 mentioned above. In addition, countries agree to performance criteria that are monitored regularly during the course of economic stabilization and adjustment programmes that are supported by the Fund.

Reports/Information dissemination

i. The data collection in the area of government financial statistics, international finance statistics, direction of trade and balance of payments statistics is disseminated through publications, periodicals, and electronic media (tape and CD-ROM). Macroeconomic data are also disseminated through the release of working papers, occasional papers, staff papers, and the Fund's Annual Report.
ii. As of October 1996, the IMF opened a Web Site on the Internet. The public now has on-line access to IMF press releases, information on IMF lending, the complete text of the IMF's latest Annual Report, the IMF Survey supplement on the IMF and selected articles from regular IMF Survey issues and a range of other material about the IMF. The address of the IMF Web Site is: http://www.imf.org
iii. The public can also access through the IMF Web Site, the Special Data Dissemination Standard, an electronic bulletin board designed to provide information about the data dissemination practices of subscribing member countries. Subscriber countries undertake to follow sound practices regarding the coverage, periodicity, and timeliness of data; access by the public to this data; the integrity of the data; and the quality of the data. The bulletin board also identifies a contact person or persons in the subscribing country and provides information on how to obtain the data.

The information is made available to Members of the Fund, other multilateral agencies, and interested subscribers. The Fund has established a database of qualitative information on environmental conditions and policies in member countries.

The Fund provides technical assistance and training to promote the development and use of macroeconomic information. In addition, the Fund publishes the information in hard-copy and electronic form.

Chapter 40 of Agenda 21 addresses information issues such as sustainable development indicators, improving data collection and analysis, developing mechanisms for the transfer of data collection and information technologies to developing countries, etc. In this area, the Fund participates in analytical work relating to the preparation of environmentally oriented national accounts at the UN and other organizations. The Fund, in its mission and technical assistance work, promotes the development of macroeconomica data.

Network Development and Support

Capacity-Building
The Fund provides technical assistance and training in the use of macroeconomic data to decision-makers.

The Fund provides technical assistance and training in the collection, assessment and transformation of macroeconomic data.

The Fund identifies gaps in existing data and assists in alleviating these gaps through technical assistance and programme work.

Internet Access

http://www.imf.org
IMF press releases, information on IMF lending, the complete text of the IMF's latest Annual Report, the IMF Survey supplement on the IMF and selected articles from regular IMF Survey issues and a range of other material about the IMF.

Responsible Office/Person (for inquiries or follow-up):
Mr Justin B. Zulu
Special Representative to the UN
IMF
One United Nations Plaza
New York, N.Y. 10017, USA
Tel: +212 963 6009
Fax: +212 319 9040
jzulu@imf.org

For questions concerning the Fund's macroeconomic statistics:
Ms. Carol S. Carson
Director, Statistics Department
IMF
700 19th Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20431, USA
Tel: +202 623 7900
Fax: +202 623 6460
ccarson@imf.org

For other questions:
Mr Ved Gandhi
Assistant Director
Fiscal Affairs Department
IMF
700 19th Street N.W.
Washington, D.C. 2043l, USA
Tel: +202 623 8563
Fax: +202 623 4199
vgandhi@imf.org

Mr Ron McMorran
Economist
Fiscal Affairs Department
IMF
700 19th Street N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20431, USA
Tel: +202 623 4002
Fax: +202 623 4199
rmcmorran@imf.org

Date of preparation: February 1997

ORGANIZATION: International Monetary Fund (IMF)