A follow-up technical assistance (TA) mission to the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) was conducted remotely during 12 days over the period of April 26–July 15, 20211. This activity was part of Cambodia’s participation in the Japan-funded Government Finance Statistics (GFS) and Public Sector Debt Statistics (PSDS) Project for selected Asian countries (JSA3)2. The mission liaised with Mr. Alexandros Mourmouras, Director of the Capacity Development Office in Thailand (CDOT), Mr. Rifaat Basanti, the IMF Regional JSA3 GFS/PSDS Project Manager, Ms. Delphine Anne Moretti, the IMF Regional Public Financial Management (PFM) Advisor for Southeast Asia, and Mr. Sean Craig, Macroeconomic Advisor – all in the CDOT, and Mr. Yasuhisa Ojima, the IMF’s Resident Representative for Cambodia. The mission would like to thank the authorities for their excellent collaboration and support.

The A remote technical assistance (TA) mission to the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) was conducted during ten days over the period of August 31–November 30, 2020.1 This activity was part of Cambodia’s participation in the Japan-funded Government Finance Statistics (GFS) and Public Sector Debt Statistics (PSDS) Project for selected Asian countries (JSA3)2. The overall goal of the JSA3 Project is to assist the MEF in strengthening compilation and dissemination of fiscal data in line with the GFS Manual 2014 and the PSDS: Guide for Compilers and Users to support macro-fiscal surveillance and decision making. The mission liaised with Mr. Alexandros Mourmouras, Director of the Capacity Development Office in Thailand (CDOT), Mr. Rifaat Basanti, the IMF Regional JSA3 GFS/PSDS Project Manager, Mr. Suhas Joshi, the IMF Regional Treasury Advisor—both in the CDOT, Mr. Yasuhisa Ojima, the IMF’s Resident Representative for Cambodia, and Ms. Magdalena Tomczynska-Smith, the IMF’s Budget Planning Advisor for Cambodia. The mission would like to thank the authorities for their excellent collaboration and support (Appendix I lists the main official contacts).

A technical assistance mission from the IMF's Statistics Department visited Cambodia during April 10-21, 2023, to support the authorities in continuing to improve the compilation and dissemination of government finance statistics (GFS) and public sector debt statistics (PSDS). The mission assisted the authorities to expand the coverage of fiscal statistics to the broader perimeter of Government, compiled experimental statistical balance sheet data for the budgetary central government and investigated ways to improve the consistency and quality of GFS data. The mission also provided training on how to compile functional expenditures of government and updated the country's action plan to improve fiscal data.

A remote follow-up technical assistance (TA) mission on government finance statistics (GFS) and public sector debt statistics (PSDS) was conducted, with the assistance of the Department of Finance (DOF), during October 19–27, 2020. The mission made further progress in implementing recommendations of previous TA missions in the area of GFS and PSDS. The mission was undertaken within the GFS/PSDS TA project for Asia, funded by the Government of Japan (JSA3).

This technical assistance (TA) mission on Government Finance Statistics (GFS) was conducted remotely during December 6, 2021-January 11, 2022. The main purpose of the mission was to review the progress made by the authorities in implementing previous TA recommendations and provide further support to strengthen the compilation and dissemination of GFS in line with international standards set out in the Government Finance Statistics Manual 2014 (GFSM 2014).

This technical assistance (TA) report on government finance statistics (GFS) covers the remote TA to the Ministry of Finance (MOF) during September 21–October 2 and December 14–18, 2020 and March 9–13 and April 19–23, 2021 (which was extended to May 2021). These peripatetic activities were conducted remotely due to the travel restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 situation. This report documents the main achievements from these activities. These activities were part of the GFS and Public Sector Debt Statistics (PSDS) project funded by the Government of Japan (JSA3) and implemented by the IMF Statistics Department (STA) and the IMF Capacity Development Office in Thailand (CDOT).

In consultation with the Ministry of Finance (MOF) of Lao PDR, a virtual technical assistance (TA) mission supported by the IMF’s Asia and Pacific Department (APD) was conducted during October 4–29, 2021, by the IMF Statistics Department (STA) and the Capacity Development Office in Thailand (CDOT). This ongoing peripatetic capacity development mission was delivered virtually by the CDOT-based LTX with staggered remote meetings. The TA mainly worked with the Fiscal Policy and Law Department (FPLD) and the External Finance and Debt Management Department (EFDMD) on compilation of government finance statistics (GFS) and public sector debt statistics (PSDS) in line with international standards, as the agreed work plan with the authorities in the April/May 2021 TA mission.

This technical assistance (TA) mission on Government Finance Statistics (GFS) was conducted remotely during February 2022-April 2022. The main purpose of the mission was to review the progress made by the authorities in implementing previous TA recommendations and provide further support to strengthen the compilation and dissemination of GFS in line with international standards set out in the Government Finance Statistics Manual 2014 (GFSM 2014).

Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) has made significant headway on its development path over the past three decades. The country’s sustained economic growth has been led by booming commodity exports and substantial inflows of external financing. Many Laotians have seen significant improvements in their well-being. Poverty has declined as household income has increased, and many important development goals in education and health have been achieved. In the face of macroeconomic challenges, a shift from commodity-driven growth to a more inclusive prosperity paradigm that emphasises the creation of broad-based opportunities, human capital development and green sustainability can unlock Lao PDR’s future development. This report presents priorities for overcoming the country’s current fiscal constraints and finding ways to fund this shift. Recommendations address strengthening Lao PDR’s sustainable finance and debt management, revenue generation and tax reform, investment promotion, and data capacity in order to tap into green finance mechanisms.

As part of Cambodia's participation in the Japan-funded Government Finance Statistics (GFS) and Public Sector Debt Statistics (PSDS) project for selected Asian countries (JSA3),1 this mission conducted an in-country workshop (December 2-4, 2019) and provided follow-up technical assistance (TA) on GFS and PSDS (December 5-13, 2019).2 Both activities were aimed at strengthening compilation and dissemination of fiscal data in line the GFS Manual 2014 (GFSM 2014) and the PSDS: Guide (PSDSG) to support surveillance and decision making. At the request of the authorities, the TA mission participated in the inter-agency workshop on data consistency in macroeconomic statistics conducted by the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) during December 5-6, 2019.