Government of The Republic Of Singapore and The International Monetary Fund The IMF and Singapore Launch the IMF-Singapore Regional Training Institute and Hold Inaugural International Seminar
30 Apr 1998... On Monday, May 4, 1998 the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Singapore will inaugurate the IMF-Singapore Regional Training Institute (STI) in Singapore. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), 14th Storey, 10 Shenton Way, Singapore at 10:00 a.m. and will be attended by Mr Michel Camdessus, Managing Director of the IMF, Dr Richard Hu, Minister for Finance, Republic of Singapore, Mr Koh Yong Guan, Managing Director, MAS, and Central Bank Governors and Finance Ministers from a number of Asian countries. Dr Donal J. Donovan of the IMF has been appointed Director of the STI (see curriculum vitae attached). The STI will allow the IMF to expand the training it offers in Asia. The courses will cover macroeconomic adjustment and reform policies, financial programming, issues facing transition economies, monetary and exchange operations, public finance, banking supervision, and macroeconomic statistics. In the first year of operations, it will offer 12 training courses. The STI will also hold seminars on topical issues relevant to the region. The first regular seminar on "Capital Account Convertibility" will take place on May 5-6, 1998. The STI will be administered by the IMF Institute, the department responsible for training provided by the IMF, in collaboration with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. For Singapore, the STI's training is conducted under the Singapore Co-operation Program run by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. International Seminar The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the STI will be followed by an inaugural seminar on "Capital Flows: Challenges and Opportunities for Asia" (see attached program). The seminar will open with addresses by Dr Richard Hu and Mr Michel Camdessus. Formal presentations will be made by Dr Teh Kok Peng, Deputy Managing Director, MAS; Dr Morris Goldstein, Institute of International Economics, Washington D.C.; and Professor Takatoshi Ito, Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo. Participants in the seminar will include Governors of Central Banks, Ministers of Finance, and senior officials who are directly involved in addressing the economic challenges arising from foreign capital flows. The seminar topics cover: causes of inflows; macroeconomic consequences; and appropriate policy responses, based on recent experiences in Asian countries. The seminar will also address issues related to the liberalization of international capital flows, and the circumstances in which countries have adopted capital controls. The ribbon-cutting ceremony and the inaugural seminar will be open for media coverage by invitation. There will be a Press Conference by Mr. Camdessus and Minister Hu at 2:00 p.m. in the 29th Storey Briefing Room at the Monetary Authority of Singapore. This joint press conference is open to all press and media representatives. Please confirm your attendance with MAS' Senior Press Officer, Mr Leong Sing Chiong at telephone number 65-62299203 or fax number 65-62279865 For more information on the inauguration events, please contact Mr Leong. For more information on the joint training courses, please contact STI Director, Dr Donal Donovan (tel number 65- 2255311) or Mr Anthony Chng, Director, Technical Co-operation Directorate, Ministry of Foreign Affairs , Singapore (tel number 65-3305761). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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