GDDS PROJECTS

The General Data Dissemination System System (GDDS) projects are a statistical capacity building initiative of the Statistics Department of the IMF. They integrate participation in the GDDS by member countries with programs of technical assistance to help them implement the plans to improve the statistical systems identified in their metadata as posted on the Dissemination Standards Bulletin Board (DSBB). The GDDS projects are additional to the ongoing technical assistance program of the Statistics Department.

GDDS projects rebased on a regional approach, which draws on local expertise, and encourages close collaboration with strong regional institutions, such as regional central banks, and with other bilateral and multilateral agencies providing technical assistance in the region, such as AFRISTAT.

Technical assistance under GDDS projects covers, in a first stage, the drafting of metadata and, subsequently, the efforts by participating countries to strive toward the GDDS objectives of good statistical practice, based on the plans for improvement identified in the metadata. Within the overall GDDS framework, participating countries are encouraged to set their own priorities and make progress at a pace they feel they can sustain.

The assistance by the Fund is delivered over extended periods of time by a dedicated group of experts in economic and financial statistics, some of whom may be posted in the region on a continuous basis. Subject to resource availability, the World Bank is developing technical assistance projects in parallel to cover socio-demographic statistics. The GDDS projects are expected to be particularly useful for countries developing or monitoring poverty reduction and growth strategies.

The GDDS projects have benefited from generous financial support from Japan and the United Kingdom, and from close collaboration with the World Bank for activities related to socio-demographic statistics. Other donors are also encouraged to provide technical and financial support, either through the Fund or, directly, to the participating countries.

GDDS projects have been launched for a group of 22 Anglophone African countries, nine Pacific Island countries, and member countries of the West African Economic and Monetary Union. Financial contributions are sought to assure the viability of these projects over the medium term.