Carilus Odumbe, Adviser, Debt Management Section participated in two workshops being held back-to-back at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington DC. The workshops, one on Designing Government Debt Management Strategies (November 9-13, 2009) and the other on Implementing Government Debt Management Strategies (November 16-20, 2009) were organised by the World Bank Treasury and Banking and Debt Management Department (the Latin America and the Caribbean Region Division) and aimed to guide policy makers drawn mostly from Emerging Market Economies through the rigorous processes of analyzing the financial risks of the debt portfolio, developing a debt management strategy and to build capacity in the execution of new borrowing from both domestic and external sources, including designing a cost-effective funding program that contributes to developing the domestic debt market.

The workshop on Designing Government Debt Management Strategies was attended by Debt 28 Debt Managers drawn from the Middle Office of Debt Management Departments in Ministries of Finance of fourteen countries (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica Republic, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago), one Debt Management Adviser from the Commonwealth Secretariat, one Debt Manager from Eastern Caribbean Central Bank and six Debt Specialists from the World Bank.
The Workshop on Implementing Government Debt Management Strategies was attended by twenty one Debt Managers drawn from Middle and Front Offices of Debt Management Departments in Ministries of Finance of fourteen countries (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Dominica Republic, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago), one Debt Management Adviser from the Commonwealth Secretariat, one Debt Manager from Eastern Caribbean Central Bank and four Debt Specialists from the World Bank.

The workshop facilitators were drawn from the World Bank Treasury, Banking and Debt Management Department of the Bank, IFC, and a consultant.