IMF | CEF

Target Audience: Mid- to Senior level banking supervisors and central bankers involved in Crypto Assets regulation, licensing and supervision.

Qualifications: Participants are actively involved in banking supervision and possess a strong understanding of bank regulation and supervision matters.

Language: The course is conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic.

Course Description: The course provides a comprehensive overview of the legal, regulatory, and supervisory frameworks for crypto‑assets, drawing on international standards and lessons from country experiences. Designed for policymakers, regulators, and supervisors, the course examines the challenges posed by rapidly evolving crypto markets and outlines practical approaches for developing sound and proportionate regulatory regimes. The course highlights key principles for establishing a coherent legal and regulatory perimeter, mitigating financial integrity and consumer protection risks, addressing financial stability concerns, and ensuring effective cross‑border cooperation. The course also addresses tokenization, consistent with the IMF and Financial Stability Board (FSB) definitions of crypto‑assets, and discusses its implications for regulation, market integrity, and financial stability. Through lectures, case studies, and interactive discussions, participants will explore policy trade‑offs, institutional coordination challenges, and sequencing considerations in developing and implementing effective crypto‑asset regulatory and supervisory frameworks. They will gain an understanding of global standards and recommendations relevant to crypto‑assets, including guidance from international standard‑setting bodies. The course aims to equip authorities with practical tools to promote innovation while safeguarding financial stability, integrity, and consumer protection.

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:

• Designing and implementing licensing and authorization regimes for crypto‑asset service providers (CASPs)
• Developing regulatory and supervisory frameworks for stablecoin issuers, with attention to governance, reserve management, disclosure, and risk management
• Building risk‑based supervisory approaches tailored to the specific operational, technological, and market risks of crypto participants
• Strengthening supervisory tools, data collection, and reporting frameworks necessary for monitoring crypto markets and managing systemic risks.

Experts:

• Nehmat Hantas, METAC Banking Regulation and Supervision Advisor
• Speaker: Puja Singh, IMF Senior Financial Sector Analyst, Monetary and Capital Markets Financial Regulation and Supervision Division (MCMFR)
• Additional speakers could be invited.

For additional information concerning the content of the course, please address your inquiries to Ms. Nehmat Hantas, Banking Regulation and Supervision Advisor, METAC @ nhantas@imf.org.

Target Audience: Officials from ministries of finance, central banks, and related public institutions involved in debt management, fiscal policy, or sustainable finance. The course is particularly relevant for staff working on sovereign issuance, Islamic finance, and public investment planning who seek to strengthen their capacity to design and implement thematic bonds and sukuk.

Qualifications: Participants are expected to have a foundational understanding of public debt management or fiscal policy and familiarity with sovereign issuance processes; no prior experience with thematic or green instruments is required.

Language: The course is conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic.

Course Description: The course, presented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), helps government officials understand why thematic sovereign bonds and sukuk are powerful tools to finance national priorities while attracting responsible and Sharia-compliant investors. Participants learn how to design and implement these instruments through clear, step-by-step guidance—from project identification and framework preparation to governance, external review, and impact reporting. The course focuses on what practical tools and international standards can be applied to ensure credible, transparent issuance processes. By combining expert insights, regional examples, and hands-on exercises, it offers a concrete opportunity for participants to strengthen fiscal innovation, diversify financing sources, and link public finance to measurable sustainable development outcomes.

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:

• Understand the role of thematic bonds and sukuk in linking fiscal policy, sustainable development, and Islamic finance principles.
• Identify and explain the sequenced steps, roles, and governance mechanisms involved in issuing sovereign thematic instruments.
• Apply a project screening tool to evaluate project eligibility, sustainability alignment, and readiness for inclusion in thematic issuance frameworks.
• Assess how thematic bonds and sukuk can diversify financing sources, strengthen public debt management, and attract ethical and sustainability-oriented investors.
• Apply international best practices for governance, transparency, and impact reporting to enhance credibility and investor confidence.

Target Audience: Mid- to senior officials in central banks and ministries of finance or economy who are directly involved in diagnosing the state of the macroeconomy and making projections.

Qualifications: Participants are expected to have an advanced degree in economics or equivalent experience, good quantitative skills, and proficiency in the use of Microsoft Excel. It is strongly recommended for applicants to have completed the online Financial Programming and Policies, Part 1: Macroeconomic Accounts and Analysis (FPP.1x), or the online Macroeconomic Diagnostics (MDSx) course.

Language: The course is conducted in English only. Due to the technical nature of the course, English proficiency is a prerequisite.

Course Description: The course is designed to strengthen participants’ ability to comprehensively assess a country’s macroeconomic situation, including the current state of the economy, the stance of fiscal and monetary policy, financial stability, exchange rate misalignments, vulnerabilities in the different sectors, and the medium-term outlook, especially the sustainability of public and external debt.

The course emphasizes practical tools for use in day-to-day macroeconomic analysis and relies on case studies relevant to the region, where the course is given, to illustrate how these tools are applied and can contribute to the policymaking process.

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:

• Analyze potential output, calculate output gaps, and diagnose the outlook for the economy.
• Assess the stance of current fiscal, monetary, exchange rate, and financial policies.
• Assess macro-financial linkages, including through the analysis of financial sector soundness indicators.
• Assess the medium-term prospects of the economy, especially the sustainability of public and external debt.
• Identify possible external and internal economic risks and vulnerabilities to economic growth and identify policies to address them.

Target Audience: Officials from FCSs who work at ministries of finance, economy, planning and central banks, who advise on or help in designing and implementing macro-economic and financial policies.

Qualifications: Participants are expected to have a degree in economics or equivalent experience and be proficient in the use of Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. It is recommended that applicants have practical exposure to basic macro-economic forecasting in their line of work, including in analyzing key economic developments and indicators, oversight of official policy reports or similar publications, and/or are involved in designing and providing policy advice on fiscal, monetary, financial, structural, and other relevant economic policies in their respective institutions. 

Language: The course is conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic.

Course Description: This course, presented by the Institute for Capacity Development, explains how to diagnose macro-economic imbalances in FCSs and correct them through a coordinated set of adjustment policies. It covers the principal features of the four main macro-economic sectors (real, fiscal, external, and monetary) and their interlinkages, highlighting both accounting identities and behavioral relationships, and using data from a country case study.

The course applies standard concepts taught in traditional FPP training with a focus on challenges faced by FCSs in macroeconomic management beyond the control of policymakers, primarily as a result of external and internal factors that complicate the policy mix. 

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:

• Create consistent macro-economic baseline projections on the assumption that policies do not change, while respecting accounting and behavioral links among economic variables.
• Analyze the baseline macro-economic scenario, to understand economic and financial developments, and diagnose macro-economic imbalances. 
• Identify economic vulnerabilities and risks in the baseline scenario and articulate policy measures to address them.
• Prepare an adjustment scenario that reflects the policy measures and their macro-economic impact.
• Negotiate an economic adjustment program with the respective counterparty in a role-playing simulation exercise.
• Identify further policy goals and measures that will be incorporated into a medium-term framework.

Target Audience: Junior and middle-level officials from ministries of finance, central banks, and other interested public institutions. 

Qualifications: Participants are expected to have an advanced degree in economics or equivalent experience, a basic understanding of time-series econometrics and be comfortable using EViews (econometric software package). 

Language: The course is conducted in English only. Due to the technical nature of the course, English proficiency is a prerequisite.

Course Description: This course provides participants with cutting-edge nowcasting tools that familiarize them with the concepts and methods to incorporate high-frequency economic indicators into the forecasting process, while integrating this training into technical assistance on data compilation and dissemination. Each topic is complemented by hands-on workshops and assignments designed to illuminate the steps required to formulate a nowcasting model and generate a nowcast. 

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:  

• Explain the techniques required to manage time-series data in EViews, estimate an OLS regression, and calculate its associated forecasts in EViews.  
• Formulate nowcasting models using several approaches (such as Bridge, MIDAS, and U-MIDAS estimators, etc.) and appropriate high-frequency indicators.  
• Generate nowcasts from various models and evaluate their accuracy using several forecasting performance indicators.   Apply the nowcasting tools to their own country data and interpret the nowcast appropriately in policy-making settings.

Target Audience: Regulators, central bank supervisors, capital management specialists, CFOs, and risk officers of Islamic banks. 

Qualifications: Participants are expected to have a foundational understanding of banking regulation, banking supervision/inspection, financial risk management, or prudential supervision, along with familiarity with bank balance sheets and regulatory frameworks. Prior familiarity with capital adequacy frameworks/ Basel framework is required.

Language: The course is conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic.

Course Description: This course examines the revised capital adequacy requirements for Islamic banks in light of Basel III reforms issued by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision and their adaptation for Shariah-compliant institutions. It highlights the treatment of profit-sharing investment accounts (PSIA), capital buffers, leverage ratio considerations, and risk-weighted asset calculations specific to Islamic contracts. The training includes hands-on exercises for capital computation and supervisory review processes. 

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:

• Interpret Basel III components and their relevance to Islamic banking structures.
• Calculate capital adequacy ratios considering PSIA, Sukuk exposures, and equity-based financing. 

Target Audience: The course is specifically tailored to benefit senior government officials and policymakers, including director-level officials, senior policymakers, and technical practitioners from ministries, agencies, and organizations involved in social protection reforms and implementation across the MENA and GCC regions.

Qualifications: Specifically, participants are expected to have a strong understanding of their country’s social protection system, demonstrate a keen interest in learning from practices in other contexts, and proactively reflect on lessons and experiences that may be applicable to their country’s context.

Language: The course is conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic.

Approach: The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is spearheading a range of Social Protection (SP) innovations, while facing persistent challenges. The Social Protection Design and Implementation Park (SP-DIP) is a training course designed to support MENA countries’ governments in enhancing their SP programs and strengthening their SP systems It draws on both regional and global knowledge, focusing on key reforms and best practices applicable to the local context of MENA and GCC Countries.

The SP-DIP fuses critical features of a “core course” and those of a “community of practice” to create a unique, dynamic learning experience geared towards policymakers and technical experts designing and leading the implementation of Social Protection (SP) reforms in their respective countries. This training provides its participants with technical knowledge on frontier issues in Social Protection, while incorporating participatory engagement modalities, including group exercise and country case studies showcasing success stories and experiences from select countries.

Over the five-day training course, participants will be involved in ways that make them both recipients of knowledge and sources of know-how for their peers. It is anticipated that participants will attend in person at the IMF-CEF’s Kuwait training/capacity-building center, while other nominated delegates will join via an online connection.

Course Description: Based on extensive regional and global courses designed and delivered by  World Bank experts around the world, the SP-DIP is a five-day, face-to-face training designed for 36 select government officials (the capacity of the IMF training center),  with the possibility for additional participants to join online to ensure wider outreach and learning across various MENA and GCC Countries. Specifically, the course will:

• Offer curated content based on regional and global practices.
• Feature experts and speakers from the World Bank, other development institutions, and governments (some in-person, others virtually).
• Cover thematic areas on key social protection components, including social assistance, social insurance, active labor market policies and programs, and social protection delivery systems.
• Facilitate knowledge exchange through interactions among participants from various countries, sharing their success stories and experiences.

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:

• Enhance social protection systems through robust and innovative practices.
• Provide a collaborative platform for informed discussions on both operational and strategic issues.
• Offer a vehicle for knowledge exchange and continuous learning, both regionally and globally.
• Provide practical examples and exercises to complement the theoretical content presented in the course.

For additional information concerning the content of the course, please address your inquiries to Ugo Gentilini (Lead Economist, co-TTL) at ugentilini@worldbank.org , Ekaterina Pankratova (Senior Social Protection Specialist and GCC SPJ Program Coordinator, co-TTL) at epankratova@worldbank.org , and Dana Alrayess (Labor and Skills Specialist) at dalrayess@worldbank.org.

Target Audience: Prosecutors, Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) officials; criminal justice officials; and other government officials involved in money laundering investigations and prosecutions, in their respective countries. 

Qualifications: Participants are expected to have a minimum of two years' experience in AML/CFT related issues.

Language: The course is conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic. 

Course Description: This one-week course, presented by the IMF’s Legal Department. The course will focus on the roles and responsibilities of these players and how they each contribute to the prevention and detection, investigation and prosecution of money laundering and other financial crimes. The course will focus on regional case studies that bring out best practices and key features of successful investigatory, prosecutorial and confiscatory regimes, including cross border asset recovery.

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:

• Identify key considerations in money laundering investigations and prosecutions, consistent with the FATF Recommendations.
• Highlight major challenges practitioners face in conducting effective ML investigations and securing convictions.
• Facilitate the exchange of experiences between experts and country practitioners, including lessons learned.
• Identify best practices for effective money laundering investigations and the confiscation of criminal assets.

The modalities of the course will include:

(i)           Key concepts and discussions at the strategic and policy levels to highlight international requirements, regional challenges, initiatives, and possible ways to advance the AML agenda at the national level.

(ii)          Practical and tabletop exercises at the operational level to apply the practices and strategies learned to complex ML cases.

(iii)         Country case studies in which participants share examples of successes and challenges within their national frameworks.

(iv)         A final-day summary of activities, observations, and recommendations.

Target Audience: This course is designed for senior-level government officials and technical representatives from national ministries in the MENA region who directly contribute to the Women Economic Opportunities agenda through their portfolios. It also targets representatives from other relevant multi-sectoral platforms (e.g. social funds, national women machineries) engaged in the gender and jobs agenda. Three representatives from each country will be selected.

Qualifications: Participants will be senior-level representatives from ministries of Labor, Economy, Industry, Social Protection, Planning or Women Affairs, who play a decision-making role in the design, implementation, oversight and/or evaluation of national projects, programs or policies related to women’s economic participation.

Language: The course is conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic.

Course Description: Women’s participation in the labor market is increasingly becoming a priority for governments in MENA. This course is designed to provide participants with the knowledge and inspiration needed to strengthen country-level policies and programs that directly contribute to creating a more enabling environment for women’s economic participation.

The objective of this proposed course is twofold: (i) to provide participants with a thorough understanding of key challenges/constraints women face females in joining and remaining in the labor market in the MENA region; and (ii) to share knowledge/best practices on innovative interventions aimed at improving women’s economic opportunities. The course will cover several themes including: legislative reforms, social norms, childcare provision, women’s economic opportunities in the private sector, the future of work, including opportunities in the digital and green economy, women and climate change, as well as the use of gender data and evidence to inform evidence-based policy making.

For additional information concerning the content of the course, please address your inquiries to the World Bank Task Team Leader responsible for the course: Ms. Nahla Zeitoun, Senior Social Protection Specialist nzeitoun@worldbank.org; Jonna Maria Lundvall, Senior Social Scientist jlundwall@worldbank.org; Souraya El Assiouty, Social Protection Specialist selassiouty@worldbank.org; and Angela Elzir Assy, Labor Market Specialist aelzir@worldbank.org

Target Audience: Mid- to senior-level officials working in the payment, legal, risk management, and technology departments at the central bank or supervisory authority and in positions with similar responsibilities. 

Qualifications: Participants should have experience in operations, policy, and/or oversight in one or more of the following areas: financial market infrastructures (such as payments systems, securities settlement systems, central securities depositories, central counterparties, and trade repositories), legal, risk management, and technology departments. 

Language: The course is conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic.

Course Description: This course focuses on the Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures (PFMI). The course is designed to be interactive by using a combination of lectures, case study simulations, group or individual presentations, and panel discussions. Lectures focus on the 24 principles and 5 responsibilities for authorities under the PFMI, the Disclosure Framework, and Assessment Methodology, and topical issues on cyber resiliency, distributed ledger technology, and relevant digital innovations. Participants, after gaining a basic understanding of the standards, apply them to a hypothetical country to assess the level of compliance of its payment system, securities settlement system, and central securities depository. The self-assessment exercises are based on targeted principles. After the hands-on self-assessment experience, results are discussed through group presentations and de-briefings. 

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:  

• Understand a framework of the Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures.  
• Apply the standards for the compliance of its payment system, securities settlement system, and central securities depository.  
• Enhance safety and efficiency in payments, clearing, settlement, and recording arrangements, and more broadly, to limit systemic risk and to foster transparency and financial stability.

Target Audience: Compilers of national accounts statistics.

Qualifications: Proficiency in Excel is required.

Language: The course will be conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic

Course Description: The course will concentrate on statistical methods already tested in FCS to establish a new GDP benchmark when comprehensive and reliable source data are lacking. The proposed method uses the supply and use tables framework, offering a thorough analytical approach to identify and fill data gaps while enhancing the quality and consistency of GDP estimates. Expected/proposed modes of delivery: In person. Names of the designated mission chiefs and lecturers: Greg Legoff plus one Lecturer: Mohamed Frigui.

Course Objectives: Build knowledge to compile a new national benchmark using scarce source data.

Target Audience: Mid-level senior officials responsible for monetary policy decision making and staff doing macroeconomic analysis and forecasting or operating macroeconomic models. 

Qualifications: Participants are expected to have an advanced degree in economics or equivalent experience. Participants are expected to be comfortable using quantitative software such as Matlab/Octave, although specific knowledge of these is not required

Language: The course is conducted in English only. Due to the technical nature of the course, English proficiency is a prerequisite.

Course Description: This course provides rigorous training on the use of simple Dynamic New Keynesian (DNK) models to conduct monetary policy analysis and forecasting. It emphasizes the analysis of monetary policy responses to macroeconomic imbalances and shocks. Participants are provided with the tools necessary to develop or extend the canonical model to fit their own monetary policy framework and selected features of their country’s economy. Country case studies are used to reinforce participants’ understanding and to help them compare and assess a variety of possible experiences. 

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:  

·       Customize a simple model of an economy that embodies the monetary policy transmission mechanism and the shocks this economy may face.  

·       Acquire and apply tools used in modern central banks to conduct monetary policy analysis and forecasting using small semi-structural models.  

• Use the small semi-structural model to develop consistent medium-term projections for key macro variables, e.g., output, inflation, interest rate, and exchange rate.  
• Identify risks to the baseline forecast and build alternative scenarios that assume certain risks may materialize.  
• Start building a simple model for monetary policy analysis and forecasting using their own country data when they return home.

Target Audience: Government officials in line ministries or agencies in charge of SME and entrepreneurship policies, social protection, fiscal policy. Representatives from private sector organizations with an important SME constituency are also welcome to apply.

Qualifications: Participants should oversee the design, implementation, and evaluation of policies in the areas of SME and entrepreneurship, social protection systems, fiscal policy, aiming to facilitate business and labor formalization.

Language: The course is conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic.

Course Description: The course is delivered by a team of OECD and international experts. The initial sections of the course will provide the necessary elements to analyze and understand the root causes of the informal economy and its impact on the overall economy and society. The course will discuss existing definitions of informal businesses and informal labor and methodologies for measuring the informal economy. The core sections of the course will consider best practice policy for labor and business formalization, from the perspective of different policy areas. These include business regulatory approaches, taxation mechanisms and incentives, the role of social protection to protect informal workers and as incentive for formalization and innovate mechanisms such as leveraging on the social economy to promote formalization. Case studies on best practices for the formalization of employment and SMEs implemented by peer countries will be presented.

Course Objectives: Upon completion of the course, participants should be able to:

• Present the practices and experience of their respective institutions and learn from peers.
• Gain knowledge of existing best practice policies to address informality with multidimensional strategies.
• Learn about available data to assess the extent of the informal economy in their respective countries.
• Understand the linkages between business regulation, social protection, taxation and innovative approaches for business creation and growth to encourage formalization.
• Expand their professional networks.

For additional information concerning the content of the course, please address your inquiries to Ms. Mariarosa Lunati, at: Mariarosa.Lunati@oecd.org

Target Audience: Mid-level to senior officials from the central bank and other government agencies dealing with regulation of the financial sector. Preference is given to applicants working on issues directly related to financial development and inclusion, as well as supervision and regulation of new financial technologies. 

Qualifications: Participants are expected to have an advanced degree in economics or finance or equivalent work experience. 

Language: The course is conducted in English only. Due to the technical nature of the course, English proficiency is a prerequisite.

Course Description: This course is designed to give participants a foundation in understanding new financial technologies (fintech) and the associated policy implications. After an overview of the fintech landscape, the course focuses on several areas that are rapidly developing in recent years: fintech payments, fintech funding, crypto assets and decentralized finance. It discusses risks arising from fintech developments in these areas and explores possible policy responses. In addition to lectures, the course makes use of extensive case studies and group work to ensure that participants could gain practical experience that is useful for their jobs. 

Course Objectives: Upon  completion of this course, participants should be able to:  

• Define and understand fundamental Fintech concepts.  
• Explain the economic rationale for various Fintech tools and their implications for financial service industry.  
• Identify key risks and regulatory concerns over financial stability, financial integrity, security, consumer protection, and other aspects. 
• Recognize international regulatory responses to Fintech developments.

Target Audience: The workshop is primarily designed for mid‑ to senior‑level officials from central banks and supervisory authorities involved in the development, implementation, and monitoring of prudential regulation and supervisory frameworks

Qualifications: Applicants are expected to be involved in the development of banking regulations or in the supervision of banks.

Language: The workshop is conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic.

Workshop Description: This workshop is presented by experts from the International Monetary Fund Monetary and Capital Markets Department and METAC. Upon completing this workshop, participants will have a better understanding of:

• How Basel III liquidity standards can be integrated into banks’ internal liquidity risk management frameworks
• The role of ILAAP‑type internal liquidity assessments in supporting regulatory liquidity requirements
• Forward‑looking liquidity risk analysis, stress testing, funding resilience, and governance
• How internal frameworks complement regulatory standards in line with Basel supervisory expectations

Workshop Objectives: The training aims to strengthen participants’ understanding of Basel III liquidity standards, clarify the role of internal liquidity adequacy assessment frameworks, and promote alignment between regulatory requirements, internal risk management practices, and supervisory oversight.

For additional information concerning the content of the workshop, please address your inquiries to Ms. Lusine Margaryan, METAC Banking Supervision and Regulation Expert at lmargaryan@imf.org

Target Audience: TBD

Qualifications: TBD

Language: TBD

Course Description: TBD  

Course Objectives: TBD

Target Audience: Mid- to senior-level economists and policymakers involved in macro‑financial surveillance, who monitor and assess country‑wide and multi‑sectoral vulnerabilities and risks, including in the fiscal, financial, or external sectors.

Qualifications: Participants are expected to have an advanced degree in economics, or equivalent professional experience, and basic background in econometrics. They should also be familiar with econometric softwares (particularly EViews) and applications.

Language: The course is conducted in English only. Due to the technical nature of the course, English proficiency is a prerequisite.

Course Description: This workshop provides officials with a rigorous foundation for understanding the different types of financial crises, including banking, sovereign debt, and currency crises. A central component of the workshop focuses on the development of Early Warning System (EWS) models designed to assess the likelihood of future crises and support proactive policymaking. The course examines both the conceptual and empirical aspects of crisis prediction, with particular emphasis on static binary-response models such as Logit and Probit specifications. Participants will learn how to select relevant explanatory variables, estimate crisis probabilities, and interpret model outputs. The workshop includes a hands-on practical exercises and real country data, focused on estimating EWS models, assessing their forecasting performance, and interpreting results for policy analysis.  

Course Objectives: By the end of the course, participants will be equipped with the analytical tools necessary to develop, evaluate, and implement crisis early warning frameworks in their respective institutions. They should be able to:

• Identify the different types of crises, their detection and potential origins. A particular attention is paid to the sovereign debt crisis
• Use EViews software to apply modeling techniques to build a valid EWS model for crisis.
• Possess knowledge of next-generation crisis modeling techniques, including AI and machine learning (ML).
• Apply appropriate tools available in the EViews econometric package to their work or research.

Target Audience: Compilers of consumer price indexes (CPIs). 

Qualifications: Participants are expected to have a degree in economics or statistics; or equivalent experience. 

Language: The course is conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic.

Course Description: This course, presented by the Statistics Department, is intended to broaden participants’ understanding of the concepts, methods, and challenges of compiling CPIs. Concepts and methods introduced in the online CPIx are explored in greater detail to address actual compilation issues faced by participants. It provides an overview of the index number theory and the practical implications of choosing the index number formula at lower and higher levels of aggregation. The course covers the sources and methods for developing/validating weights; and practical applications of the methods used for sampling areas, items, outlets, and varieties. New and emerging data sources as well as new collection technologies are discussed. Frontier issues including how to better measure the digital economy are included. Linkages to the 2008 SNA are highlighted, including the related principles of scope, coverage, and valuation.

The course covers the following topics: 

• Calculating elementary and upper-level indexes; 
• Methods for handling temporarily and permanently missing prices;  
• Introducing new outlets, items, and varieties; 
• Adjusting prices for quality changes; 
• Chaining and linking indexes with updated weighting structures; and 
• Meeting data users’ needs to ensure relevancy. 

The course follows the principles and recommendations of the CPI Manual (2020). 

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:  

• Apply recommended index calculation methods. 
• Apply methods for dealing with such index compilation challenges such as unavailable items, quality change, and keeping an index up to date. 
• Assess how well a CPI meets international guidelines for best practice. 

Target Audience: Government Officials, Generalist intermediate level.

Qualifications: Government Officials directly (leading negotiations at sectoral or general level)  or indirectly involved in trade negotiations (feasibility studies, assessment and preparation of positions) either at bilateral, plurilateral or multilateral level. Participants should have a good knowledge of fundamentals rules and principles of the multilateral trading system and should be familiar with the formulation or implementation of trade policy.  

Language: The workshop is conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic.

Course Description: This Regional Workshop on Trade Negotiation Skills is designed to introduce participants to key trade negotiation theories and concepts while simultaneously providing practical negotiation techniques through a series of interactive exercises and simulation sessions. The program blends theoretical lectures with practical sessions, including a synopsis of past WTO negotiations and lessons learned therefrom of value for current and future discussions and real-time exercises that emphasize the application of negotiation theory within the bilateral, plurilateral and multilateral trade negotiation contexts. Participants engage in hands-on activities such as debriefings and simulation exercises; all aimed at enhancing their understanding of and skills in effective trade negotiations.

For additional information concerning the content of the workshop, please address your inquiries to Dr. Kenza Arfi Le Mentec, Head, Arab & Middle East and Central & Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus Regional Desks, Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation, World Trade Organization at kenza.lementec@wto.org

Target Audience: Senior and middle management levels in tax policy and administration at the central government level or regional governments with decision making in taxation—ministerial advisors, general directors and directors.

Qualifications: Participants are expected to have a degree in the fields of economics, business administration, or law, with emphasis on public policy and its enforcement. 

Language: The course will be conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic.

Course Description: Taxation plays a central role in defining the state, its capacity to spend and shape economic and social development. This course covers key topics in tax policy design and implementation. It mixes basic principles in tax design and implementation, with some practical and topical issues, such as how tax gaps can be used to shape policy and administration reforms, and how the legal framework of a tax system should be designed to ensure maximum transparency and clarity.

The course will focus on four areas:

• Trends in domestic revenue mobilization and basic design principles of the key taxes and tax procedural rules
• How to use various concepts of policy and administration gaps to think strategically about tax policy and compliance issues.
• What are good practices in enforcement and compliance, and how to use them to address fraud.
• How should the legal framework of tax policy and administration be set up to ensure good governance and maximize transparency, accountability, and efficiency. 

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:

• Understand the key principles in tax design, from an economic, legal, and administration perspectives.  
• Identify pragmatic policy and administration options to address weaknesses in tax systems.
• Understand how data analysis can help inform decision making. 

Target Audience: Compilers of national accounts statistics.

Qualifications: Proficiency in Excel is required.

Language: The course will be conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic.

Course Description: The course will concentrate on statistical methods already tested in FCS to establish a new GDP benchmark when comprehensive and reliable source data are lacking. The proposed method uses the supply and use tables framework, offering a thorough analytical approach to identify and fill data gaps while enhancing the quality and consistency of GDP estimates. Expected/proposed modes of delivery: In person. Names of the designated mission chiefs and lecturers: Greg Legoff plus one Lecturer: Mohamed Frigui.

Course Objectives: Build knowledge to compile a new national benchmark using scarce source data.

Target Audience: This course is designed for senior policymakers, economists, and technical experts from oil-exporting and resource-rich countries, particularly in the MENA region, who are involved in shaping strategies for economic diversification and industrial development. It is also relevant for professionals working in ministries of finance, economy, and planning, as well as central banks, development institutions, and sovereign wealth funds, who seek to apply global best practices—drawing on experiences from Europe, Latin America, and East Asia—to foster sustainable growth, innovation, and job creation amid the energy transition

Qualifications: Basic knowledge of economic theory, especially in development economics and international trade, and general concepts in national accounts and growth accounting such as Total Factor Productivity and finance are preferred.  

Language: The course is conducted in English only. Due to the technical nature of the course, English proficiency is a prerequisite.

Course Description: Over the past years, oil-exporting countries have understood the urgency of changing their growth model to achieve sustainable growth, create good jobs, and face mounting uncertainties amid the potential acceleration of the energy transition. This workshop will discuss the use of diversification and industrial policy to achieve these goals, applying the experience of countries in Europe, Latin America, and East Asia, in particular the Asian Miracles. It will emphasize industrial policy’s key principles, drawing lessons for resource-rich economies. The workshop will propose a framework to select sectors, the institutional setup needed to conduct industrial policy, the key policy tools, and the main challenges and priorities in today’s global context. Key issues in financial policy and how finance can be catalyzed for growth, innovation, and other macroeconomic objectives will also be analyzed.

Course Objectives: The objective of this course is to equip policymakers and practitioners from resource‑rich and emerging economies with a rigorous analytical and practical understanding of diversification and industrial policy as tools for achieving sustainable and inclusive growth. Drawing on international experience, particularly from Europe, Latin America, and East Asia—the course aims to strengthen participants’ capacity to design, implement, and assess industrial policy frameworks suited to today’s global economic environment. Special attention is given to the role of the state, innovative systems, institutions, and financial policies in fostering structural transformation and long-term growth.

Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:

• Analyze long-term growth and diversification challenges in resource‑rich and MENA economies, using stylized facts and comparative international evidence.
• Assess the role of the state and industrial policy in promoting structural transformation, including trade-offs between import substitution and export‑oriented strategies.
• Identify the key determinants of sustained growth, including technology, innovation, institutional quality, and the development of sophisticated industries.
• Design elements of an effective industrial policy framework, including sector selection, institutional arrangements, and policy instruments, with a focus on applicability to resource‑rich economies.
• Evaluate national systems of innovation, drawing lessons from the Asian Miracles and assessing their relevance for MENA economies.
• Understand the role of finance in industrial development, including the function of development banks and financial incentives in supporting export‑oriented and innovative sectors.
• Apply course concepts to country-specific contexts through workshops and group discussions focused on growth models, innovation systems, and financial structures in the MENA region.

Target Audience: The course is designed for senior-level government officials and technical representatives from national ministries who directly contribute to the electric mobility and decarbonization of the transport sector agenda through their portfolios, as well as representatives from other relevant public institutions engaged in development of sustainable transport combating climate change and decarbonization. Three to four representatives from each country will be selected. 

Qualifications: Participants will be senior-level representatives from Ministries of Transport, Economic Planning, Finance, and Investment or self-government authorities playing a decision-making role in the design, implementation, oversight, and/or evaluation of national and/or subnational transport projects, programs, or policies related to electric mobility and decarbonizing the transport sector.

Language and Mode of Delivery: The course will be delivered in English with simultaneous translation to Arabic and can be attended in-person or through a hybrid mode of delivery.

Course Description: Electric mobility is essential to the global effort to reduce carbon emissions and improve urban air quality. Although many Arab countries are large oil producers, they see the importance of diversifying their energy sources and supporting global sustainability goals. Moving to electric transport helps achieve these aims without risking energy security. Qatar has already deployed one of the region's biggest electric bus fleets, proving that this approach is practical and expandable.

Countries such as Jordan, Lebanon, and Tunisia lack sufficient domestic oil reserves and face high costs for fuel imports. Switching to electric passenger vehicles can ease their fiscal burden and boost energy independence. These countries also face urban congestion and air pollution, and electric mobility offers affordable solutions, especially when combined with renewable energy sources.

Electric vehicles (EVs) have lower operating costs and can capitalize on the region's abundant solar resources. The development of EV supply chains and charging infrastructure creates new employment opportunities.

These benefits materialize if planners and decision-makers understand how to plan for and adopt electric mobility for passenger transport, including economic and energy supply aspects.

This training will enhance technical capacity for policy design, financing models, and infrastructure planning, facilitate peer learning among Arab countries, and leverage success stories from Qatar, Morocco, China, and other countries. The training is aligned with IMF and World Bank priorities on sustainable growth and climate resilience.

Participants will develop the skills to craft country-specific action plans for e-mobility, strengthen regional collaboration and knowledge exchange on e-mobility, and identify investment opportunities for public and private sectors.

Target Audience: Mid-level to senior officials working on financial supervision or financial stability in central banks or other supervisory authorities.

Qualifications: Participants are expected to have experience with stress testing, Basel regulations, and financial stability analysis.

Language: The course is conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic. 

Course Description: The course, presented by the Monetary and Capital Markets Department (MCM), discusses recent developments in stress testing for banks, insurance companies and mutual funds. The course is also adapted to regional specificities, such as the one offered for the Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA) region includes analysis of Islamic finance. This course gives participants the opportunity to learn and apply new tools used or created by MCM for purposes of stress testing and systemic risk analysis. New emerging topics in stress testing, such as feedback loops between real and financial sectors, asset fire-sales, climate, systemwide liquidity and fintech related risks are also covered. Some of the tools are integral to the Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) and technical assistance missions. Moreover, the course allows participants to share their experiences on stress testing methodologies and financial stability analysis. In many cases, guest speakers from industry are also invited to discuss specific topics. The course reviews stress testing objectives, methodologies, techniques, and good practices. Much of the course consists of hands-on modules that expose participants to the entire stress testing cycle: from entering data and estimating macro-financial models to designing scenarios, selecting assumptions, running tests, integrating feedback loops between financial and real sectors, communicating the results, and incorporating them in policy decision making, for example, by informing the calibration of capital and liquidity buffers.

Throughout the course, the focus is on the scenario design, solvency and liquidity elements of the stress testing exercise and their interactions. The course concludes a roundtable discussion where participants exchange knowledge and share country experiences.

Course Objectives: Upon completion of the course, participants should be able to:

• Identify the main sources of financial stability risk.
• Summarize the principles for developing macro-financial stress scenarios.
• Link changes in macroeconomic and financial variables with financial results and measure their relative impact.
• Assess the resilience of individual entities and the financial system to solvency and liquidity stress.
• Develop and incorporate models that are capturing second round effects or interactions between different risk types.

Target Audience: Officials from ministries of finance, debt agencies, central banks, and other government agencies responsible for implementing macroeconomic and debt policies. 

Qualifications: Participants are expected to have a degree in economics or equivalent work experience and some familiarity with using spreadsheets. 

Language: The course is conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic.

Course Description: This course introduces the easy-to-use Excel-based Public Debt Dynamics Tool (DDT) and explains how to use this tool for projecting the stock of public debt for the baseline (most likely) and alternative scenarios, including natural-disaster scenarios and fan charts. The DDT is also used to estimate paths of fiscal adjustments consistent with a user-defined target level of debt. Participants are given preliminary data and are expected to present an analysis of the public debt situation in their country (or the country of their choice) at the end of the course. 

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:  

• Use real data to project public debt and compute measures of fiscal adjustments consistent with a public debt target.  
• Prepare a public debt report presenting the main driver of debt changes and a stress test to public debt projections.  
• Identify the main components of a debt sustainability analysis.  
• Analyze the risk of public debt distress

Target Audience: Junior to senior officials interested in understanding fiscal policy and its macroeconomic implications.

Qualifications: Participants are expected to have completed undergraduate courses in macroeconomics or have equivalent experience and have a basic background in microeconomics and econometrics. It is strongly recommended that applicants have completed the Financial Programming and Policies (FPP) course. Familiarity with Microsoft Excel is essential, as many workshops are conducted in Excel.

Language: The course is conducted in Arabic.

Course Description: This course, presented by the Institute for Capacity Development jointly with the Arab Monetary Fund, provides an overview of the concepts, tools, and techniques used to analyze how fiscal policy can help ensure macroeconomic stability and sustainable long-term growth.

This hands-on course focuses on the core macro-fiscal topics essential for analyzing fiscal policy. The learning units include general empirical findings, Microsoft Excel-based workshops, case studies, and selected topics of regional interest. The FPA course integrates post-COVID data, recent research, and policy discussions by the Fund. Additionally, it includes an inclusive growth component, featuring new units on climate change and gender inequality. The course also features selected non-core lectures on energy subsidy reform and fiscal frameworks for resource-rich economies, as well as review sessions and participant presentations.

The course will appeal to officials seeking to deepen their understanding of how fiscal policy impacts the economy and to learn about the related analytical tools.

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:

• Use fiscal policy to achieve key government objectives: macro-stability, equity, efficiency, and sustainable long-term growth.
• Apply the acquired tools and techniques to assess the country’s fiscal stance, fiscal multipliers, and fiscal sustainability.
• Assess the key elements of tax and expenditure policy, including revenue mobilization and fiscal projection.

Target Audience: Up to 30 officials of IMF members countries responsible for the development, implementation and monitoring of programs, policies, or action plans to prevent, confront, and sanction corrupt behavior, strengthen accountability, transparency, integrity, and the rule of law.

Qualifications: Participants are expected to have a minimum of five years' experience in Governance and Anti-Corruption related issues.

Language: The course is conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic.

Course Description: To support the implementation of the IMF’s 2018 Framework on Enhanced Engagement on Governance, the Legal Department (LEG) proposes organizing a workshop on confronting macro-critical corruption. Building on the achievements of earlier LEG workshops hosted by CEF, the workshop will leverage insights from past participants to deepen peer learning and inform practical approaches to reform.

Course Objectives: The workshop will provide a platform for dialogue on strengthening institutions to address macro-critical corruption vulnerabilities, with a focus on transparency, accountability, and reform effectiveness. Structured around four thematic modules—IMF engagement on governance and anti-corruption, the application of political economy analysis, overcoming implementation challenges, and sustaining reforms through stakeholder engagement—they will promote evidence-based, adaptive strategies to support durable institutional change.

Target Audience: This five-day course is for policymakers and procurement practitioners from eligible Arab League countries.

Qualifications: Participants will be senior level representatives, policy makers and procurement practitioners who play a decision-making role in the design and implementation of high value and complex infrastructure projects. Participants must meet the following criteria: (i) responsible for procurement and execution of high value and complex infrastructure projects (iii) ability to apply the learning and delivery training.

Language: The course is conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic. 

Course Description: Infrastructure projects, such as roads, bridges, rail network, energy plants, and water systems, include high value and complex contracts.     However, delays in procurement and contract execution of infrastructure projects are common with considerable time and cost overrun. The impact of delays on the outcomes of infrastructure investments can be considerable, in terms of the deferral of both broader economic benefits to the economy and more specific benefits to business and local communities. Therefore, effective Contract Management is critical for ensuring the supplier/contractor/consultant, and the Employers meet their contractual commitments to time, cost, quality, and other agreed matters. World Bank Procurement Regulations also require systematic and efficient planning, execution, monitoring, and evaluation of contracts with the ultimate goal of achieving Value for Money (VfM) and contractual results. 

This course will enhance participants’ knowledge in-depth understanding of Contract Management and Framework Agreements

The main topic of the technical training will focus on:

• Planning to develop optimal contracting strategy, risk mitigation plan, Selection of appropriate form of contract; and development of KPIs.
• Important provisions FIDIC Conditions (Red, Yellow and Silver Books); and World Bank’s ’s Plant Design Supply and Installation contracts.
• Tracking and monitoring cost, time, quality and deliverables.
• Managing variations/amendments, claims and disputes
• Use of Framework Agreements to achieve VfM.

For additional information concerning the content of the course, please address your inquiries to: Mr. Yash Gupta, Lead Procurement Specialist at ygupta@worldbank.org, and Ms. Guranda Elashvili, Procurement Specialist at gelashvi@worldbank.org. 

Target Audience: Compilers of consumer price indexes (CPIs).

Qualifications: Participants are expected to have a degree in economics or statistics; or equivalent experience.

Language: The course will be conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic.

Course Description: This course, presented by the Statistics Department, is intended to broaden participants’ understanding of the concepts and methods of compiling CPIs. It provides an overview of the index number theory and its practical implications in terms of choosing the index number formula at lower and higher levels of aggregation. The course covers the sources and methods for developing weights and sampling areas, items, outlets, and varieties. New and emerging data sources as well as new collection technologies are discussed. Frontier issues including how to better measure the digital economy are included. Linkages to the 2008 SNA are highlighted, including the related principles of scope, coverage, and valuation. 

The course covers the following topics: 
 

• Calculating elementary and upper-level indexes;
• Methods for handling temporarily and permanently missing prices; 
• Introducing new outlets, items, and varieties;
• Adjusting prices for quality changes;
• Chaining and linking indexes with updated weighting structures; and
• Meeting data users’ needs to ensure relevancy.

The course follows the principles and recommendations of the CPI Manual (2020).

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to: 

• Apply recommended index calculation methods.
• Apply methods for dealing with such index compilation challenges such as unavailable items, quality change, and keeping an index up to date.
• Assess how well a CPI meets international guidelines for best practice.

Target Audience: Junior to senior government officials involved in setting policy for the financial sector, particularly staff from central banks, financial regulators, and  other agencies responsible for micro- or macroprudential oversight.

Qualifications: Participants are expected to have an advanced degree in economics or finance, or equivalent work experience, along with a basic understanding of econometrics and the ability to interpret econometric results. It is strongly recommended that applicants have completed the online Financial Market Analysis (FMAx) course and possess working knowledge of Microsoft Excel. Additionally, it is  preferable for participants to have completed the Financial Sector Surveillance (FSS) course, as understanding and assessing financial sector risks is crucial for designing mitigating policies.

Language: The course is conducted in English only. Due to the technical nature of the course, English proficiency is a prerequisite.

Course Description: This course, presented by the Institute for Capacity Development, begins with an overview of financial risks and how they are transmitted within and between the financial system and the real sector. Participants will then examine the design and impact of financial sector policies to mitigate assessed vulnerabilities, starting with the rationale behind  micro-prudential and macroprudential policies. The interactions between macroeconomic and macro-prudential policies are also discussed. While the primary focus is on preventive strategies, the course also covers policies for managing situations of financial distress and contingency planning. Through a combination of lectures, case studies, and hands-on workshops, participants will have the opportunity to discuss and experiment with various policies to gauge their outcomes, intended and unintended. Those primarily interested in risk assessment are encouraged to take the Financial Sector Surveillance course, which primarily focuses on the quantitative aspect.

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:

• Identify the channels through which shocks are transmitted between the financial sector and the real economy, as well as within and between financial systems.
• Analyze relevant microprudential  and macroprudential policies, their likely interactions with other policies, and potential unintended consequences.
• Recommend macroprudential tools to prevent and mitigate systemic risks, while identifying possible implementation challenges.
• Assess the effectiveness of microprudential and macroprudential policies.

Target Audience: Officials from ministries of finance, economy, planning and central banks who advise on or help design and implement macroeconomic and financial policies. 

Qualifications: Participants are expected to have a degree in economics or equivalent experience and be proficient in the use of spreadsheets. 

Language: The course is conducted in Arabic.

Course Description: This course explains how to diagnose macroeconomic imbalances and correct them through a coordinated set of adjustment policies. It covers the principal features of the four main macroeconomic sectors (real, fiscal, external, and monetary) and their interlinkages, highlighting both accounting and behavioral relationships and using data from a country case study. 

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:  

• Create consistent macroeconomic baseline projections on the assumption that policies do not change, while respecting accounting and behavioral links among economic variables.  
• Analyze the baseline macroeconomic scenario, to understand economic and financial developments, and diagnose macroeconomic imbalances.  
• Identify economic vulnerabilities and risks in the baseline scenario and articulate how policy measures address them.  
• Prepare an adjustment scenario that reflects the policy measures and their macroeconomic impact.  
• Negotiate an economic adjustment program with the respective counterparty in a role-playing simulation exercise.  
• Identify further policy goals and measures that will be incorporated into a medium-term framework

Target Audience: Central bank officials serving on governance and oversight bodies, and/or senior central bank staff responsible for accounting, financial reporting, auditing, risk management, internal control, legal, or reserve management operations.

Qualifications: Participants are expected to have a university or postgraduate degree in accounting, business, economics, finance, or law, or have earned professional certifications in auditing (chartered or certified public accountants, internal auditors, information systems auditors) or finance (certified financial analysts).

Language: The course will be conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic.

Course Description: This  course, presented by the Finance and Legal Departments, is designed to give central bank officials interactive exposure to the IMF safeguards assessment methodology. It has a special focus on central bank governance and highlights the importance of independent oversight, transparency, and accountability for improving financial safeguards. It also provides a forum for central bank staff to exchange views on their experiences in reinforcing safeguards and governance frameworks and dealing with emerging issues. The course incorporates interactive lectures, discussions, and case studies addressing crucial assessment areas, especially external and internal audit mechanisms, financial reporting, the system of internal controls, management of international reserves, and reporting of monetary data to the IMF. The course also reviews the concepts underlying autonomy and good governance in central bank legislation.

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:

• Assess the strengths and vulnerabilities of their central banks’ safeguards and governance frameworks.
• Identify specific steps to improve financial safeguards.
• Use leading practices for central banks in the areas of good governance, central bank autonomy, accountability, and transparency.
• Describe and explain the requirements of the IMF safeguards policy and the importance of implementing safeguards recommendations.

Target Audience: Mid-level officials from central banks and regulatory agencies involved in banking regulation and/or financial stability analysis.

Qualifications: Participants are expected to have a degree in economics or finance and work experience related to financial regulation and supervision.

Language: The course is conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic.

Course Description: The course, presented by the Monetary and Capital Markets Department, examines selected issues in the evolving financial regulatory framework and takes a critical look at the evolving framework for banks. Topics include Basel III capital requirements, including the countercyclical capital buffer and buffers for systemically important banks, leverage and liquidity requirements, as well as macroprudential policies, regulation and supervision of climate-related financial risks, regulatory challenges around fintech, and ongoing international regulatory discussions. The course pays special attention to proportionality in bank regulation and supervision. It identifies the main operational issues and challenges when implementing the Basel framework and provides practical guidance. The training sessions are interactive, using case studies and group activities. Participants are invited to make presentations on selected topics that reflect their country’s experiences.

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:

• Summarize the main pieces of the prudential regulatory framework for bank, including emerging topics.
• Extract lessons from previous financial stability threats to prevent their recurrence.
• Identify regulatory measures to mitigate banking risks.

Target Audience: Government Officials, Specialist intermediate level.

Qualifications: Middle to senior level government officials working on WTO matters, particularly in relation to tariff bindings, as well as those who are, or are expected to be, involved in trade remedy work, including preparing notifications on anti-dumping, subsidies, and safeguards measures.

Language: The course will be conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic.

Course Description: The Regional Workshop will provide a practical and legal overview of trade remedies under WTO rules. It will cover WTO principles, the legal framework for anti-dumping, subsidies and countervailing measures, and safeguards, as well as the conditions for their application. Participants will learn about investigation procedures, transparency, and due process, as well as the duration and review of measures.

For additional information regarding the content of the workshop, please address your inquiries to Mr. Sagnik SINHA, dispute settlement lawyer, Rules Division, World Trade Organization. Sagnik.Sinha@wto.org

Target Audience: The workshop is primarily designed for: Executives (preferably Director Generals) or senior managers responsible for designing, developing, and monitoring the implementation of strategic, operational and reform plans in a tax administration. 

Qualifications: Applicants are expected to be involved in strategic and reform management at top leadership level. 

Language: The workshop is conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic.  

Workshop Description: This workshop is presented by experts from the International Monetary Fund Fiscal Affairs Department and METAC. Upon completing this workshop, participants will have a better understanding of:

• What is strategic management and why it is important?
• How to develop strategic plan?
• How to link a strategic plan to a reform program?
• How to develop, implement and monitor execution of a reform program?
• Why the reform program management is important?
• What is a program management framework?

Course Objectives: The primary objective of this workshop is to build knowledge and understanding on strategic and reform management in tax administrations.

For additional information concerning the content of the workshop, please address your inquiries to: Mr. Frank Van Driessche, METAC Tax Administration Advisor, at   fvandriessche@imf.org

and Ms. Sabine Corm, METAC Tax Administration Advisor at scorm@imf.org

Target Audience: TBD

Qualifications: TBD

Language: The course is conducted in English only. Due to the technical nature of the course, English proficiency is a prerequisite.

Course Description: TBD

Course Objectives: TBD

Target Audience: This course is designed for policymakers and senior-level representatives from relevant ministries who are interested in leveraging behavioral science to improve policies, programs, and communication. Participants should be committed to instilling an institutional change and have a desire to explore innovative, evidence-based approaches to policy challenges.

Qualifications: No prior knowledge of behavioral science is required—just an openness to learning and applying new approaches to enhance policy effectiveness.

Language:  The course is conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic.

Course Description: Policymakers are increasingly turning to behavioral science to tackle complex and persistent policy challenges. Traditional policy design often overlooks the contextual, psychological, and social factors that shape human decision-making. A behaviorally informed approach goes beyond economic incentives and regulations to consider the subtle, but powerful, influences embedded in bureaucracies, technologies, and service delivery—factors that can make or break the success of development programs, particularly in low-income contexts.

This course will equip participants with practical tools to diagnose behavioral barriers, design effective interventions, and implement behaviorally informed policies and programs. Through interactive, hands-on activities, participants will apply behavioral insights to real-world policy challenges, learning how to:

·       Identify cognitive biases and decision traps that affect both policymakers and the people they serve.

·       Improve the design and delivery of policies, programs, and services.

·       Develop low-cost, high-impact solutions to improve policy outcomes.

The course is led by experts from the World Bank’s Mind, Behavior, and Development (eMBeD) team, who bring extensive experience in applying behavioral insights to policy design and implementation across diverse sectors.

For additional information concerning the content of the course, please address your inquiries to eMBeD@worldbank.org

Target Audience: Mid-level to senior officials in central banks, regulatory agencies, supervisory authorities, ministries of finance, deposit insurance funds, and other agencies responsible for bank supervision, bank resolution, and the operation of their domestic financial safety net.

Qualifications: Participants are expected to have experience in bank supervision, bank resolution policies or operations or depositor protection. 

Language: The course is conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic.

Course Description: This course, presented by the Monetary and Capital Markets Department, provides a comprehensive overview of the conceptual and operational issues related to the resolution of weak banks, either through restructuring or liquidation. Among the topics discussed during the course are:

• Identification and supervision of weak banks: common causes of banking problems and how to identify them as well as early intervention tools and supervisory approaches for dealing with weak banks;
• Bank resolution through restructuring and liquidation: institutional foundations of a financial safety net and inter-agency coordination; building blocks of effective resolution regimes (guided by the Financial Stability Board’s Key Attributes of Effective Resolution Regimes); recovery and resolution planning; and the role of deposit insurance and depositor preference.

            - Crisis containment: Liquidity support and government guarantees.

            - Operational preparedness: Initiation of resolution proceedings; resolution options for systemically important and non-systemic banks; cross-border resolution; initiatives to test operational preparedness; system-wide diagnostics and restructuring strategies; and policy considerations and instruments for public capital support.

            - Dealing with distressed assets: Market failures and policy reforms; approaches for resolving nonperforming loans—including supervisory policies, insolvency and debt enforcement, distressed asset markets and the role of asset management companies.

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:

• Explain the building blocks of crisis preparedness and management.
• Identify weak banks and devise strategies for addressing them.
• Pinpoint key design features of effective resolution regimes and options for enhancing operational preparedeness.
• Identify stabilization options in response to financial panic and design credible strategies for bank restructuring and resolution, both at an individual and system-wide level.
• Compare options for addressing distressed assets.

Target Audience: Mid-level to senior officials from central banks, ministries of finance, and other government agencies tasked with the design and execution of policies in resource-rich countries (RRCs).

Qualifications: Participants are expected to have an advanced degree in economics or equivalent experience and be proficient in the use of Microsoft Excel. It is strongly recommended that applicants first complete the online Macroeconomic Management in Resource-Rich Countries (MRCx) course.

Language: The course is conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic.

Course Description: This course, presented by the Institute for Capacity Development jointly with the Arab Monetary Fund, discusses macroeconomic policy issues and challenges faced by RRCs. The course provides participants with an understanding of the macroeconomics of growth and diversification, fiscal policy management, macroeconomic policy coordination, and public-sector asset management in RRCs. The course incorporates lectures, hands-on workshops, debates, and case studies. 

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:

• Analyze economic performance in resource-rich countries, including in terms of growth, inclusiveness, diversification, and sustainability.
• Design appropriate fiscal frameworks, applying suitable fiscal benchmarks to determine whether to consume, save, and/or invest the proceeds from the sale of natural resources.
• Identify the appropriate macroeconomic policy responses to commodity price shocks.
• Design policies to promote transparency in the management of natural resources, including in terms of the appropriate institutional structures for sovereign wealth funds.

Target Audience: The course is primarily designed for Officials whose main responsibility has been compiling and disseminating GFS and who are regularly faced with complex GFS methodological and compilation issues

Qualifications: Participants are expected to have a degree in economics, public financial management or statistics or the equivalent.

Language: The course is conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic.  

Course Description: This course is presented by experts from the International Monetary Fund Statistics Department and METAC.  It will focus on the conceptual framework of government finance statistics (GFS) as presented in the Government Finance Statistics Manual 2014 (GFSM 2014), with an emphasis on new concepts introduced in GFSM 2014. The course requires that participants are familiar with the basic GFS framework and classification system. The course addresses complex cross-cutting GFS issues and provides insight into the borderline cases for revenues, expenses, financial transactions and public sector balance sheets. It also examines coverage of the public sector, giving special attention to complex cases and tools for delineation of the general government sector. The course discusses internal and intersectoral data consistency, as well as data presentation and communication with users. The format is lectures, exercises and discussions.

Course Objectives: The main objective of this course is to enhance knowledge and comprehension of the GFSM framework and its implementation within a national context. Upon completion of the course, participants should be able to:

• Explain the new concepts introduced in the GFSM 2014. 
• Apply the general principles in GFSM 2014 to complex cross-cutting GFS issues in the integrated framework, such as social protection, government employee pension liabilities, standardized guarantee schemes, social protection, standardized guarantee schemes, contracts, leases, licenses, public-private partnerships, and public sector balance sheets.

For additional information concerning the content of the course, please address your inquiries to Mr. Amir Hadziomeragic, METAC GFS/PSDS Advisor, at ahadziomeragic@imf.org

Target Audience: Compilers of consumer price indexes (CPIs).

Requirements and Qualifications: Participants are expected to have a degree in economics or statistics; or equivalent experience

Language: The course is conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic.

Course Description: This course, presented by the Statistics Department, is intended to broaden participants’ understanding of the concepts and methods of compiling CPIs. It provides an overview of the index number theory and its practical implications in terms of choosing the index number formula at lower and higher levels of aggregation. The course covers the sources and methods for developing weights and sampling areas, items, outlets, and varieties. New and emerging data sources as well as new collection technologies are discussed. Frontier issues including how to better measure the digital economy are included. Linkages to the 2008 SNA are highlighted, including the related principles of scope, coverage, and valuation. 

The course covers the following topics: 

• Calculating elementary and upper-level indexes;
• Methods for handling temporarily and permanently missing prices; 
• Introducing new outlets, items, and varieties;
• Adjusting prices for quality changes;
• Chaining and linking indexes with updated weighting structures; and
• Meeting data users’ needs to ensure relevancy.

The course follows the principles and recommendations of the CPI Manual (2020).

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to: 

• Apply recommended index calculation methods.
• Apply methods for dealing with such index compilation challenges such as unavailable items, quality change, and keeping an index up to date.
• Assess how well a CPI meets international guidelines for best practice.

Target Audience: This course is intended for technical staff and managers from national statistics offices and central banks who are involved in macroeconomic statistics, nowcasting, and data science projects. It is suitable for economists, statisticians, data scientists, and decision-makers overseeing related projects or teams.

Qualifications: Participants are expected to have a degree in economics, statistics, data science or equivalent experience. Working knowledge of advanced programming languages such as Python and R is strongly recommended. 

Language: The course is conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic.

Course Description: This course course is aimed at country officials from national statistics offices (NSOs) and central banks who are seeking to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to leverage Big Data and advanced technologies for generating high-frequency and detailed statistics to enhance macroeconomic monitoring and research in the region. The workshop is delivered by data scientists of the IMF Big Data Center through lectures and hands-on workshops covering various Big Data applications pertinent to macroeconomic statistics, offering insights from both producer and user standpoints. Furthermore, participants have the opportunity to present and discuss their use cases, engage in discussions, and benefit from shared insights and experiences. 

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:  

• Provide support in setting up Big Data architecture, encompassing data extraction, preprocessing, and visualization in their various organizations.  
• ·Demonstrate a practical knowledge of machine learning modeling, variable selection, performance analysis as well as model selection, for GDP nowcasting and trade monitoring (based on the IMF’s “PortWatch” platform).  
• Demonstrate practical skills in the use of Google Earth Engine (GEE), Dynamic World, Jupyter Notebook and other geospatial and data science packages to analyze satellite data and generate high-frequency macroeconomic statistics.  
• Carry out textual analysis with natural language processing (NLP) technologies to support macroeconomic analysis.   
• Demonstrate the application of these Big Data technologies and resources to improve timelines and granularity of their official statistics.
• Facilitate peer-learning on Big Data applications and explore collaborations between agencies working on projects of mutual interest.  
• Gain insights into setting up effective data science teams and developing institutional Big Data strategies to support innovation for macroeconomic statistics

Target Audience: Junior to mid-level government officials tasked with the surveillance of the financial sector, especially staff of central banks, financial regulators, and other agencies that engage in macroprudential oversight.

Qualifications: Participants are expected to have a degree in economics or finance, preferably at the master’s level, or equivalent work experience, good quantitative skills, and proficiency in the use of computers to analyze data. It is strongly recommended for applicants to have completed the online Financial Market Analysis (FMAx) course. Since many of the workshops use Microsoft Excel worksheets, familiarity with Excel basics is important.

Language: The course is conducted in English only. Due to the technical nature of the course, English proficiency is a prerequisite.

Course Description: This course introduces participants to key concepts and tools used in the identification and assessment of financial sector vulnerabilities and sources of strength. The course materials provide a basic toolkit to assess financial sector risks and measure them against existing capital and liquidity buffers in the financial system. The discussions focus on the early identification of macro-financial imbalances and the analysis of the transmission of financial distress across institutions, markets, and economic sectors, with the objective of reducing the likelihood and severity of financial crises. A combination of lectures and hands-on workshops allows participants to apply essential risk assessment techniques.

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:

• Measure the main risks facing banks (e.g. credit, market, funding) and their respective capital and liquidity buffers, from a systemic financial stability perspective.
• Design and perform basic stress tests of solvency and liquidity and interpret the results.
• Understand the main climate risk drivers and transmission channels to financial institutions’ balance sheets and perform basic climate stress tests
• Recognize the importance of nonbank financial intermediaries and their links to banks.
• Assess macro-financial linkages, including the links between the financial sector, the government, and the real economy, along with potential amplification mechanisms.
• Track the buildup of systemic risk and vulnerabilities associated with credit, real estate prices, leverage, balance sheet mismatches, and interconnectedness.
• Assess how shocks can amplify throughout the financial system, e.g., through adverse liquidity spirals or feedback effects between asset prices and leverage.

Target Audience: Mid-level to senior officials involved in economic and strategic planning, including the monitoring and evaluating of policies aimed at reducing poverty and inequality, addressing the distributional impacts of technological change and promoting job creation. 

Qualifications: Participants are expected to have a degree in economics or social sciences or equivalent experience. 

Language: The course is conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic.

Course Description: This course aims to deepen participants’ understanding of inclusive growth and equip them with analytical and operational tools—such as the Inclusive Growth Dashboard—to assess how macroeconomic policies affect growth, poverty, inequality, and job creation. It addresses economic opportunities and challenges arising from longer-term structural trends, including technological change (e.g., artificial intelligence), and demographic shifts. Lectures cover key concepts and metrics of inclusive growth, as well as fiscal, financial, and structural policies that support it–particularly those related to labor markets, human capital, and sustainable growth. Interactive workshops provide participants with hands-on experience in applying these concepts and designing inclusive growth strategies, drawing on country case studies. 

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:  

• Interpret measures of poverty and inequality.  
• Analyze how macroeconomic policies can promote growth, reduce poverty, and address inequality.  
• Understand the growth and distributional impact of long-term structural trends—such as artificial intelligence and demographic shifts—and the associated policy challenges and implications  
• Identify obstacles to inclusive growth and design reform strategies tailored to their country context

Target Audience: Officials whose main responsibility is compilating and disseminating fiscal statistics. 

Qualifications: Participants are expected to have a degree in economics, public financial management or statistics, or equivalent experience. 

Language: The course is conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic.

Course Description: This course focuses on both the conceptual framework of government finance statistics (GFS) as presented in the IMF’s Government Finance Statistics Manual 2014 (GFSM 2014) and on practical aspects of data compilation. Basic concepts, accounting principles, and detailed classifications are dealt with in the context of the GFSM 2014 methodology, which is harmonized with the System of National Accounts (SNA 2008). The course examines GFS coverage and accounting rules (including accrual accounting), valuation, classification, debt, balance sheets, and the sources and methods used for compiling the statistics. It also deals with reporting data to the IMF. Central to the course is a series of case studies. 

Course Objectives: Upon completion of the course, participants should be able to:  

• Explain the basic concepts, definitions, and accounting principles in the integrated GFS framework.  
• Classify basic government flows and stock positions according to GFSM 2014 and compile the relevant GFS statements and tables.  
• Apply general principles to classify an entity in the public sector and in relevant subsectors, such as the general government and public corporations.

Target Audience: Officials from debt management offices, central banks, and regulators that deal with topics related to the securities markets in middle and lowerincome countries. 

Qualifications: Participants are expected to have a degree in economics or finance, or equivalent experience. 

Language: The course is conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic.

Course Description: This course course covers an array of issues related to the development of local government bond markets. The recently revamped course is structured based on the new diagnostic on Guidance Note for Developing Government Local Currency Bond Markets jointly prepared by the IMF and World Bank. Officials are trained on the relevant macro-financial environment and key building blocks related to Money Market, Primary Market, Secondary Market, Investor Base, Legal and Regulatory Framework, and Market Infrastructure that support market development. The course helps to develop a deeper understanding of the interlinkages between each building block and the associated challenges around their development. Based on a set of metrics on outcome and policy indicators, participants are trained to undertake a self-assessment on the stage of market development for the building blocks to identify the gaps and key constraints. 

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:  

• Describe the importance of connected markets for the development of the government bond market.   Assess the main challenges to deepening a local debt market.  
• Explain the need for stakeholder coordination with a range of government agencies and market participants.  
• Develop effective investor relations practices and diversification of the investor base.  
• Undertake a self-assessment on the stage of market development to identify gaps and key constraints.

Target Audience: The course is designed for experienced securities regulators, supervisors and central bank officials, and debt management officers engaged in Islamic capital market development and sovereign financing strategies. 

Qualifications: Participants are expected to possess fundamental knowledge of debt securities, and preferably, prior exposure to Sukuk.

Language: The course will be conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic.

Course Description: This course provides authorities with a focused, practical, and fully integrated understanding of Sukuk structuring across, financial, legal and Shariah dimension within the broader context of international standard-setting and capital market oversight. It examines the macro-financial role of Sukuk in public finance and market development, while also covering the practical aspects of structuring, issuance, pricing, credit rating, and operationalization of Sharīʿah contracts.

The course emphasizes the operational application of key IFSB Standards to strengthen participants’ ability to evaluate Sukuk structures, assess disclosure practices, and support effective supervisory implementation in line with evolving market developments. Through case-based diagnostics, participants will examine the financial market infrastructure, apply relevant IFSB guidance in supervisory and disclosure assessments, liquidity management, and Sharīʿah governance, and identify vulnerabilities, disclosure gaps, and governance challenges in Sukuk markets.

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:

• Design and critically assess corporate and sovereign Sukuk structures by selecting appropriate Sharīʿah contracts evaluating structural features, and analyzing how pricing dynamics, credit rating considerations, and jurisdiction‑specific legal constraints influence investor expectations and regulatory capital treatment.
• Apply key IFSB standards in supervisory and regulatory assessments to assess the adequacy, transparency, and compliance of Sukuk offering documents, market disclosures, Sharīʿah governance frameworks, and supporting financial market infrastructure.
• Identify and diagnose structural vulnerabilities in Sukuk instruments from both regulatory and market perspectives, including asset transfer enforceability, commingling risks, credit-enhancement mechanisms, post-default remedies, material disclosure gaps that affect investor protection and systemic resilience.
• Evaluate the role of Sukuk and Sharīʿah-compliant instruments in liquidity management and assess the robustness, interoperability and supervisory relevance of financial market infrastructure (listing, trading, clearing, settlement, custody and depository function) within Islamic capital markets.
• Analyze the legal, regulatory, and supervisory implications of emerging innovations, including Green and ESG Sukuk, taxonomy and reporting requirements, as well as digital issuance technologies (blockchain, tokenization, smart contracts), and integrate these developments within a sound governance and risk management frameworks.

Target Audience: Junior to mid-level officials from emerging markets and low-income countries interested in understanding the conduct of monetary policy and its interaction with the rest of the economy. 

Qualifications: Participants are expected to have an advanced degree in economics or equivalent experience and be comfortable using Microsoft Excel. 

Language: The course is conducted in English only. Due to the technical nature of the course, English proficiency is a prerequisite.

Course Description: This course provides a comprehensive overview of monetary policy regimes, monetary transmission mechanisms, and the role of monetary policy in macroeconomic stabilization. The course bridges the gap between theory, empirical evidence, and operational experience by illustrating tradeoffs involved in monetary policy decisions. The learning process moves from lectures introducing the basic policy concepts to hands-on workshops with a special focus on practical policy challenges in emerging markets and developing economies. Case studies are used to reinforce participants’ understanding and to help them compare and assess policy responses to various shocks under different monetary policy regimes. The course recognizes the evolving nature of monetary frameworks and central bank mandates and recent crises that have dramatically changed the landscape in which central banks operate (beyond simple interest rate policies, with due consideration to Unconventional Monetary Policy and central bank communication). Recent evolution of central bank digital currencies and its implications for monetary policy transmission and operations are also discussed. 

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:   Analyze how monetary policy decisions are made under various regimes to deliver price stability and meet other objectives.   Identify how these decisions are transmitted to the real economy.   Evaluate how the economy and monetary policy respond to macroeconomic shocks under various monetary policy frameworks, demonstrated through a group presentation to their peers. Central bank practitioners should also be able to:   Design a sound monetary policy framework.   Prescribe policies consistent with the framework chosen

Target Audience: This five-day course is for policymakers and procurement practitioners from eligible Arab League countries.

Qualifications: Participants will be senior level representatives, policy makers and procurement practitioners who play a decision-making role in framing PPP policy; design, procurement, and implementation of PPP projects. Participants must meet the following criteria: (i) responsible for PPP policy (ii) procurement and execution of PPP/large infrastructure contracts (iii) ability to apply the learning and delivery training.

Language: The course is conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic. 

Course Description: PPP projects are long term agreements between government entities and private sector companies to finance, build, and operate projects that serve the public interest. PPPs enable governments to leverage private investment, reducing the immediate fiscal burden on public budgets while ensuring that critical infrastructure projects are funded and implemented. In addition to finance, the private sector often brings specialized expertise, innovative technologies, and efficient management practices that can enhance project quality and optimize operations. However, the procurement of PPP contracts is challenging and requires sound PPP framework and special skills to enter into long term agreements with private sectors.

This course will provide participants with a broad understanding of PPP concepts and enhance skills in procurement and implementation of PPP contracts.

The main topic of the technical training will focus on:

• key elements of the PPP and types of PPP models
• Structuring of PPP projects and Special Purpose Vehicle
• Selection of the Private partner,
• Key aspects of Managing PPP contracts.
• PPP for achieving value for Money.

For additional information concerning the content of the course, please address your inquiries to: Mr. Yash Gupta, Lead Procurement Specialist at ygupta@worldbank.org, and Ms. Guranda Elashvili, Procurement Specialist at gelashvi@worldbank.org. 

Target Audience: TBD

Qualifications: TBD

Language: TBD 

Course Description: TBD

Course Objective: TBD

Target Audience: TBD

Qualifications: TBD

Language: TBD

Course Description: TBD

Course Objective: TBD

Target Audience: Officials from central banks and supervisory agencies of the financial sector involved in the compilation and analysis of financial soundness indicators (FSIs). 

Qualifications: Participants are expected to have a degree in economics, statistics, accounting or an equivalent degree. 

Language: The course is conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic.

Course Description: This course provides participants with an in-depth understanding of compilation and analysis of FSIs. Researchers, analysts, and policymakers worldwide utilize these indicators to assess the health of financial systems. The IMF uses FSIs as a key input in financial sector assessment and macro-financial surveillance. The course covers methodological and practical issues in the compilation of FSIs, as discussed in the 2019 Financial Soundness Indicators Compilation Guide. The course takes an interactive approach using hands-on exercises in exploring key topics including:   Preparation of the sectoral financial statements and compilation of FSIs for deposit-takers, other financial corporations (OFCs), households, nonfinancial corporations (NFCs), and real estate markets.   Regulatory framework for deposit-takers.   Accounting principles and consolidation basis for the compilation of FSIs for deposit- takers.   Metadata compilation and reporting. 

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:  

• Prepare the sectoral financial statements to compile FSIs for deposit-takers.  
• Identify the source data to compile FSIs for OFCs, NFCs, households, and real estate markets.  
• Apply various consolidation bases for FSIs compilation.  
• Interpret the analytical value of core and additional FSIs.  
• Evaluate the use of FSIs in financial sector surveillance and macro-financial analysis.   Prepare and interpret FSIs metadata

Target Audience: TBD

Qualifications: TBD

Language: TBD 

Course Description: TBD

Course Objective: TBD

Target Audience: Economic staff in central banks and ministries of finance with communication roles, both internal (communication with principals) and external (communication with the broader public); staff involved in the forecasting, analysis, and implementation of macroeconomic policy (collaboration with communicators). Preference will be given to applicants who participate in IMF technical assistance on developing macroeconomic frameworks. 

Qualifications: Participants are expected to have a degree in economics or equivalent experience. They should be comfortable to speak, write, and present in English. It is recommended that applicants have completed a few general macroeconomic courses, such as Monetary Policy (MP), Fiscal Policy Analysis (FPA), and Macroeconomic Diagnostic (MDS), face-to-face or online. 

Language: The The course is conducted in English only. Due to the technical nature of the course, English proficiency is a prerequisite.. 

Course Description: This blended course provides hands-on training on all aspects of transparent and effective communication to improve the delivery of economic policy and to provide the basis for accountability of authorities’ actions. Participants are provided with key concepts and tools necessary to deliver well-designed policy communication. The course is offered in a blended format, consisting of two compulsory segments. Selected participants must first complete self-paced online learning modules before the in-person, hands-on portion of the course. 

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:  

• Identify the basic principles and best practices for transparency and for communicating their institutions’ macroeconomic policies and activities.  
• Design effective communication strategies and deliver well-designed outputs to various audiences, with a focus on monetary and macro-prudential policies (in the case of Central Banks), and fiscal policy (in the case of Ministries of Finance).  
• Identify drawbacks in their institutions’ existing communication practices.  
• Formulate action plans to take back to their institutions for implementation.   
• Describe strategies for responding effectively to media requests and public inquiries, mitigate public relations risks, and manage expectations about key policy actions, all of which can help shape public perceptions of institutions and their policies.

Target Audience: Officials of all levels in central banks, ministries of finance, and other governmental agencies with macro-fiscal units (e.g., cabinet office, parliament), who monitor and assess country-wide and regional multisectoral vulnerabilities and risks.

Qualifications: Participants are expected to have an advanced degree in economics or equivalent experience, a basic background in econometrics, and familiarity with the use of software for econometric applications. 

Language: The course is conducted in English only. Due to the technical nature of the course, English proficiency is a prerequisite.

Course Description: This course complements the Macroeconomic Diagnostics (MDS) course. It aims at enhancing participants’ ability to assess fiscal, financial, and external vulnerabilities in an integrated fashion, using several diagnostic tools and methods to capture tail risks. 

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:  

• Assess risks using fiscal, financial, external, and real sectors’ vulnerability indicators.  
• Describe how vulnerabilities can morph into distress, leading to crises as a result of adverse shocks or a flawed policy mix.  
• Use diagnostic tools (including tools currently employed in IMF surveillance) to track multi-sectoral vulnerabilities and predict indicators of tail risks.  
• Adapt diagnostic tools, organized as templates of country vulnerability reports, to country data.

Target Audience: This five-day course is for policymakers and procurement practitioners from eligible Arab League countries.

Qualifications: Participants will be senior level representatives, policy makers and procurement practitioners who play a decision-making role in framing PPP policy; design, procurement, and implementation of PPP projects. Participants must meet the following criteria: (i) responsible for PPP policy (ii) procurement and execution of PPP/large infrastructure contracts (iii) ability to apply the learning and delivery training.

Language: The course is conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic. 

Course Description: PPP projects are long term agreements between government entities and private sector companies to finance, build, and operate projects that serve the public interest. PPPs enable governments to leverage private investment, reducing the immediate fiscal burden on public budgets while ensuring that critical infrastructure projects are funded and implemented. In addition to finance, the private sector often brings specialized expertise, innovative technologies, and efficient management practices that can enhance project quality and optimize operations. However, the procurement of PPP contracts is challenging and requires sound PPP framework and special skills to enter into long term agreements with private sectors.

This course will provide participants with a broad understanding of PPP concepts and enhance skills in procurement and implementation of PPP contracts.

The main topic of the technical training will focus on:

• key elements of the PPP and types of PPP models
• Structuring of PPP projects and Special Purpose Vehicle
• Selection of the Private partner,
• Key aspects of Managing PPP contracts.
• PPP for achieving value for Money.

For additional information concerning the content of the course, please address your inquiries to: Mr. Yash Gupta, Lead Procurement Specialist at ygupta@worldbank.org, and Ms. Guranda Elashvili, Procurement Specialist at gelashvi@worldbank.org. 

Target Audience: Senior and mid-level officials from ministries of labor, interior, planning, finance, foreign affairs, migration agencies, and statistics offices.

Qualifications: Participants should have a background in public policy, economics, or statistics, and familiarity with basic data analysis and policy interpretation. 

Language: The course will be conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic. 

Course Description: This course aims to equip senior policymakers and practitioners in the MENAAP region with the knowledge and tools to design and implement strategies that connect their workforce with international labor market opportunities and harness the potential of their diaspora for national development. Participants will deepen their understanding of economic migration dynamics, the role of orderly and legal migration in supporting job creation and economic growth, and the developmental impact of remittances. The program raises awareness of methodologies for labor market assessment, skills development, and bilateral labor agreements, and approaches for inclusive reintegration of returning migrants. Participants will also learn how to strengthen evidence-based migration governance by identifying data gaps, improving data collection, and adopting integrated approaches to track migrants throughout their lifecycle. The course concludes with actionable strategies for diaspora engagement, drawing on best practices and peer experiences, and provides tools for assessing national readiness to leverage diaspora communities for development.

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:

• Day 1: Strategic Foundations for Migration Management

o   Develop a robust understanding of economic migration concepts, drivers, and patterns in the MENAAP region.

o   Recognize the evidence on how orderly and legal migration can contribute to job creation and economic growth.

o   Assess the economic and social significance of remittances and explore policy levers to amplify their developmental impact.

• Day 2: Pathways to Legal Migration—Skills, Markets, Agreements, and Return

o   Gain insight into tools and methodologies for labor market assessment and skills gap analysis and understand how these can inform strategic migration policy.

o   Explore models for skills development and upskilling, drawing on regional and international best practices

o   Understand the structure and benefits of bilateral labor agreements (BLAs), including best practices for negotiation and implementation.

o   Discuss strategies for supporting inclusive reintegration of returning migrants, including skills recognition and entrepreneurship support, and consider how targeted programs can enhance outcomes.

• Day 3: Data Needs for Strengthening National Migration Systems

o   Understand the critical data requirements for evidence-based migration governance and policy innovation.

o   Recognize common data gaps and harmonization challenges in migration governance.

o   Explore approaches and tools for tracking migrants across the entire lifecycle—pre-decision, pre-departure, while abroad, and upon return—and recognize the value of integrated data systems.

o   Become familiar with a range of data sources, including administrative, survey, and innovative digital solutions, and understand their strengths and limitations.

• Day 4: Diaspora Engagement—Strategies & Action Planning

o   Discover best practices for engaging the diaspora in national development, including mobilizing finance, facilitating knowledge transfer, and supporting trade and advocacy.

o   Learn from peer experiences across MENAAP countries, identifying actionable lessons and innovative approaches.

o   Utilize tools for assessing a country’s readiness to engage with the diaspora.

For additional information concerning the content of the course, please address your inquiries to Ganesh Seshan, Senior Economist, Prosperity-MENAAP-Poverty Equity (EMAPP), at gseshan@worldbank.org,  Aziz Atamanov, Senior Economist, Prosperity-MENAAP-Poverty Equity (EMAPP), at aatamanov@worldbank.org; Alan Fuchs, Lead Economist, Prosperity-MENAAP-Poverty Equity (EMAPP) , at afuchs@worldbank.org;  Tanida Arayavechkit, Senior Economist,  Prosperity-MENAAP-Poverty Equity (EMAPP), tarayavechkit@worldbank.org

Target Audience: Junior to senior officials in finance or economics ministries, fiscal councils and central banks who are engaged in policy planning, evaluation and research, and are interested in assessing fiscal policy and its macroeconomic implications. 

Qualifications: Participants are expected to have taken undergraduate courses in macroeconomics or have equivalent experience and have a basic background in microeconomics and econometrics. Familiarity with Microsoft Excel is essential as many workshops are conducted in Excel. 

Language: The course is conducted in Arabic.

Course Description: This course provides an overview of the concepts, tools, and techniques used to analyze how fiscal policy can help ensure macroeconomic stability and sustainable long-term growth. This hands-on course is built around the core macrofiscal topics needed to analyze fiscal policy. The learning units include general empirical findings, Microsoft Excel-based workshops, case studies, and selected topics of regional interest. The course integrates recent research findings and policy discussions by the Fund. It also includes an inclusive growth component, featuring new units on climate change and gender inequality. The course features selected non-core lectures on energy subsidy reform and fiscal frameworks for resource-rich economies. It also includes review sessions and participant presentations. The course will appeal to officials seeking to deepen their understanding of how fiscal policy impacts the economy and to learn about related analytical tools.

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:  

• Use fiscal policy to attain key government objectives: macro-stability, equity and efficiency, and sustainable long-term growth.  
• Apply the tools and techniques acquired to assess the country’s fiscal stance, fiscal multipliers, and fiscal sustainability.  
• Assess the key elements of tax and expenditure policy, including revenue mobilization and fiscal projection

Target Audience: Government officials from line ministries and public entities responsible for public procurement, infrastructure policies and projects

Qualifications: Officials with relevant experience in procurement and/or infrastructure projects who wish to enhance their knowledge and decision-making capacity for enacting policies related to these areas.

Language: The course is conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic.

Course Description: The goal of this four-day course is to deepen participants’ understanding and knowledge of the key principles, policies, tools, and instruments to enhance public procurement systems. These principles can be applied to all procurement projects, including infrastructure projects. This course also covers the entire procurement cycle from needs analysis to contract completion.

The course is jointly conducted by the OECD and the IMF, combining theory with case studies based on the experiences of the OECD and MENA countries. Participants are also encouraged to share their own national experiences. Speakers have a deep and varied knowledge of the topic from the public and private sectors. The course is delivered in an informal and open manner to foster active participation and lively discussions.

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:

• Gain in-depth knowledge of how to enhance public procurement systems and implement efficient policies.
• Learn how to manage complex procurement and infrastructure projects covering the entire procurement cycle: the preparation phase, the implementation phase, and the termination phase.
• ·Acquire in-depth knowledge of governance and risk assessment in procurement areas that are most vulnerable, including large infrastructure projects.
• Be provided with multiple concrete examples of projects and how to maximize success and value for money; the examples are based on OECD and peer experiences; and
• Expand their professional networks and learn from other participants.

For additional information concerning the content of the course, please address your inquiries to Ms. Kenza Khachani: Kenza.KHACHANI@oecd.org

Target Audience: This course is designed for experienced regulators and supervisors from banking regulatory and supervisory authorities (RSAs), with at least 5 years of relevant experience. Participants typically include mid-to senior-level officers involved in banking regulation, supervision, examiner, risk management and financial sector surveillance.

Qualifications: Attendees should be familiar with the Basel Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision (BCP). Familiarity with the IFSB Core Principles for Islamic Finance Regulation (Banking Segment) (CPIFR) is highly recommended. 

Language: The course will be conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic.

Course Description: The five-day course will be delivered in person, by the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB), in collaboration with the International Monetary Fund’s Middle East Center for Economics and Finance (IMF - CEF). This programme is designed to enhance the capacity of RSAs in deepening the participants’ understanding of the BCP, as the foundational benchmark for sound supervision, complemented with the IFSB CPIFR to address the unique risk characteristics of Islamic finance.  Focusing on assessing the financial system stability and ensuring compliance with the international standards, the course leverages the complementarity and close interlinkages between these frameworks.

Through a combination of expert‑led sessions, case studies, group work, and guided discussions, participants will engage in practical, scenario‑based exercises that replicate real‑world supervisory challenges. The training approach prioritizes hands‑on application to strengthen participants’ ability to assess risks, identify supervisory gaps, and formulate appropriate regulatory responses.

Course Objectives: Upon completion of the course, participants should be able to:

• Assess financial stability and institutional soundness using the BCP and IFSB CPIFR frameworks.
• Evaluate compliance with international standards and identify regulatory and supervisory gaps.
• Strengthen supervisory practices within their respective RSAs.
• Support the broader goal of fostering a resilient and sound global Islamic financial system.

Target Audience: Officials responsible for the compilation of external sector statistics (ESS)–Balance of Payments (BOP) and/or International Investment Position (IIP) statistics–who possess knowledge and experience in applying internationally accepted standards for these macroeconomic statistics. 

Qualifications: Participants are expected to have a degree in economics or statistics and at least two years of relevant compilation experience or should have completed the Online Balance of Payment and International Investment Position (BOP-IIPx) course. 

Language: The course is conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic. 

Course Description: This course aims to provide a deep understanding of the concepts, data sources and compilation techniques for BOP and IIP statistics. It focusses on their application in addressing complex methodological issues in accordance with the recently updated Integrated Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual, Seventh Edition (BPM7). The intermediate level of the course presupposes participants’ familiarity with the basic concepts. The course consists of a series of lectures and workshops analyzing country cases with a strong data component and is designed to allow peer learning and sharing of experiences. It acknowledges the challenges in compiling data in emerging areas of user interest, such as the identification of goods traded within global manufacturing arrangements and digital trade. The course examines themes and challenges emerging from developments in the global economy, and participants have the opportunity to discuss how these impact compilation work. Specific exercises are geared to integrate data compilation with Fund surveillance and policy advice; and to demonstrate the analytical uses of ESS.

 Course Objectives: Upon completion of the course, participants should be able to:  

• Apply knowledge gained in dealing with complex methodological and compilation issues related to BOP and IIP statistics.
• Identify potential data sources and compilation techniques to be used to improve the coverage in ESS of activities emerging from globalization.  
• Describe the analytical uses of BOP and IIP statistics.

Target Audience: Mid-level to senior officials in central banks, ministries of finance, and other interested ministries and agencies in countries that are part of one or multiple regional integration arrangements or planning to further deepen such arrangements. Staff from intergovernmental or supranational regional organizations are also invited. Participants are expected to have an advanced degree in economics or equivalent experience and be proficient in the use of spreadsheets.

Qualifications: Participants are expected to have an advanced degree in economics or equivalent experience and be proficient in the use of spreadsheets.

Language: The course is conducted in English only. Due to the technical nature of the course, English proficiency is a prerequisite. 

Course Description: The main objective of this course, presented by the IMF’s Institute for Capacity Development (ICD), is to broaden participants’ understanding of economic integration—particularly its trade, monetary, and financial dimensions—and its impact on investment and economic growth within the region and on the global economy. Drawing on economic theory and on case studies from experiences in several regions, the course discusses “requirements” for economic, monetary, and financial integration; and examines the economic and political consequences of regional integration. Workshops are designed to deepen participants’ knowledge of specific issues that may emerge in economic and monetary integration, especially those related to trade. Participants use case studies with country data to make assessments of benefits and challenges of regional integration and are expected to deliver their conclusions in short presentations.

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this workshop, participants should be able to:

• Analyze the various types of regional integration and discuss the new trends in regional integration and global economy, with special attention to trade.
• Identify and critically analyze the opportunities and challenges of various integration schemes for their countries.
• Assess the process of regional integration in terms of its implications on economic growth and inequality, and the level and pace of convergence in key macroeconomic variables in the run-up to deeper integration.
• Summarize economic and political arguments regarding integration that may affect their own country.

Target Audience: Government economists and public debt officials in low‑income and lower‑middle‑income countries, especially those working in: Ministries of Finance; Central banks; Debt management offices; Macro‑fiscal or budget departments who are or will be the primary users and counterparts in Low-income countries debt sustainability analyses.

Qualifications: Participants should be economists or public officials with a background in macroeconomics or public finance who are currently involved in, or expected to work on, debt sustainability analysis for low‑income countries. They should have basic familiarity with macro‑fiscal and debt concepts, experience working with quantitative data and Excel‑based tools, and first successfully complete the LIC DSFx self‑paced course.

Language: The course will be conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic.

Course Description: The LIC DSF course is part of the Macro-Surveillance Series offered under the Internal Economics Training. This course, offered in a blended format, combines lectures and workshops in an integrated manner to explain the IMF-World Bank LIC DSF.

The orientation session date will be determined at a later stage, which will introduce this blended course in a one-hour via MS Team meeting. 

The online self-paced learning in week one will introduce the Debt Sustainability Framework for Low-Income Countries (LIC DSF) through the edX online course LIC DSFx. Completing the LIC DSFx should take participants about 4-6 hours. The LIC DSFx provides an overview of the LIC DSF outputs, walking participants through the steps followed for constructing mechanical signals for the risk of debt distress. These lessons will help participants gain a solid foundation in debt sustainability that is critical for the second part of the course. Participants who have already completed the LIC DSFx (and present evidence of doing so) do not need to repeat the self-paced learning.

The in-person workshop in week two will present an overview of the LIC DSF Excel template. Working with data for a hypothetical country, the workshop will discuss debt coverage, financing assumptions, debt carrying capacity, realism tools, stress tests, mechanical risk signals, the role of judgement, and risk ratings, including the coverage of climate-change related debt risks and public domestic debt vulnerabilities, which have become more prominent in recent years.

Course Objectives: The training aims to strengthen participants’ conceptual understanding and practical capacity to apply the LIC‑DSF, interpret debt‑distress risks, and engage effectively in debt sustainability analysis and policy dialogue in low‑income countries.

Readings:              

• International Monetary Fund, 2017, “Review of the Debt Sustainability Framework for Low Income Countries: Proposed Reforms,” IMF Policy Paper (Washington), September. https://wd5.myworkday.com/imf/email-universal/inst/21037$1898/rel-task/2998$33471.htmld

•  2018, “Guidance Note on the Bank-Fund Debt Sustainability Framework for Low Income Countries,” IMF Policy Paper (Washington), February. https://wd5.myworkday.com/imf/email-universal/inst/21037$1899/rel-task/2998$33471.htmld

• International Monetary Fund and The World Bank Group, 2020, “User’s Manual for the LIC-DSF Template,” (Washington), March. https://wd5.myworkday.com/imf/email-universal/inst/21037$1900/rel-task/2998$33471.htmld

• International Monetary Fund, 2023, “Are We Heading for Another Debt Crisis in Low-Income Countries? Debt Vulnerabilities: Today vs the pre-HIPC Era,” IMF Working Paper 23/79 (Washington: International Monetary Fund). https://wd5.myworkday.com/imf/email-universal/inst/21037$1901/rel-task/2998$33471.htmld

• International Monetary Fund, 2024, “Macroeconomic Developments and Prospects for Low-Income Countries—2024,” IMF Policy Paper 2024/011 (Washington) March.https://0-www-imf-org.library.svsu.edu/-/media/Files/Publications/PP/2024/English/PPEA2024011.ashx

• International Monetary Fund, 2024, “Supplement to 2018 Guidance Note on the Bank-Fund Debt Sustainability Framework for Low Income Countries,” IMF Policy Paper (Washington), July. https://0-www-imf-org.library.svsu.edu/-/media/Files/Publications/PP/2024/English/PPEA2024039.ashx

International Monetary Fund, 2024, Video of Departmental In-Reach on 2024 Supplement to 2018 LIC-DSF Guidance Note, view here