Global Working Group on Remittances

Thematic Area 1: Data

Neil Fantom, World Bank

Background

• G8 Sea Island Summit in 2004– Importance of remittances for development,

and call to improve data– Followed by G7 Finance Ministers request for

World Bank to coordinate international working group on data improvement

• International meeting in Washington DC, January 2005– Agreed work program priorities for international

effort

International Working Group on Improving Remittances Data, 2005-2008

• BoP definitions: – Benefit from existing Technical Sub-Group of the

Statistics of International Trade in Services Task Force (completed)

• BoP country data: – Luxembourg Group formed to develop practical

compilation guidance manual (completed)• Household surveys:

– Develop better guidance, support formation of “Suitland Group” (ongoing)

GRWG Thematic Area 1: Data

• An opportunity to make further improvements in remittances data

• Guided by Recommendation 1 of Berlin G8 Conference on Remittances, December 2007

• Also need to continue to support better household surveys - for all uses, not only BoP

Meeting objectives

• Launch the Remittances Compilation Guide• Exchange information about recent

developments, including emerging data needs and country efforts to improve data

• Identify what still needs to be done• Define and agree a work program and

structure for the GWRG TA1 framework

Some initial thoughts

• Sharing of detailed metadata about country practices

• Controlled exchange of “bilateral” data, to help countries examine asymmetries

• Regional initiatives (e.g. replication of CEMLA program in other regions)

• Country capacity building and technical assistance