ECCB 2020-2021 Annual Report and Statement of Accounts

ORGANISATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS

Celebrating Caribbean Statistics Day and World Statistics Day The Bank joined with Caribbean and International Statisticians in celebrating a week of activities for Statistics, in October 2020, under the theme: Connecting The World With Statistics We Can Trust . In promoting information sharing and data visualisation, the Bank disseminated on its website and Facebook page a series of info-bytes/info graphics on topics such as:

ƒ COVID-19 threatens the economy of the ECCU ƒ ECCU Tourism Sector – the effects of COVID-19 ƒ Liquidity in the ECCU Banking Sector

The Bank also joined with Central Statistical Offices in ECCB member countries in supporting their activities including participating in Statistical Symposia. Consultative Meetings With ECCU Financial Secretaries Two consultative meetings were held with the Financial Secretaries which focused on fiscal measures undertaken by member governments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; collaboration for implementation of debt management software and advancement of key reforms such as secured transactions and insolvency to support access to credit. The meetings facilitated the sharing of information and experiences as well as participation of international partners such as The World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF). IMF 2021 ECCU Common Policies Consultation The IMF’s Annual Common Policies Consultation with the Bank took place virtually over the period January to February 2021. The Consultation is one aspect of the Fund’s Article IV discussions with its members. Staff of the Fund engaged in meetings with the Executive, management and staff of the Central Bank on regional economic and financial developments, issues and policies. Central to this year’s discussions were issues relating to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economies of the ECCB member countries, which included fiscal policy support in response to the economic and social fallout; financial stability; monetary stability; fiscal and debt stability; programmes and reforms to support recovery, resilience and transformation of the region’s economies. The Consultation culminated on 9 February 2021 with the Concluding Meeting, which was attended by the ECCU Financial Secretaries. As is customary, the IMF published its Staff Concluding Statement, which described the preliminary findings of the IMF staff from the mission. The detailed Staff Report was scheduled to be discussed at the IMF Board Meeting in late April 2021. Financial Information Month (FIM) - October 2020 The year 2020 proved to be a challenging year for the FIM partners as they all faced the roadblocks brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Inspite of all the uncertainty, the FIM Planning Committee believed that it was critical to maintain outreach efforts with the public and provide the much needed information and guidance on how to cope in this ‘new normal’. Activities planned and executed throughout the month addressed the following sub-themes: • Living Through ‘Rainy Days’: How to Manage your Money in Challenging Times – Times of crisis can bring uncertainty for many reasons,

View FIM 2020 activities across the ECCU

Winners of the FIM 2020 Virtual Treasure Hunt held in Saint Christopher and Nevis - Washington Archibald High School

EASTERN CARIBBEAN CENTRAL BANK ANNUAL REPORT 2020/2021 23