Message from the Director November 2024

The JVI had another productive year, advancing capacity building in public sector economic institutions in the countries of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Iran, and Türkiye. All 84 courses and workshops delivered in 2024 featured an in-person component at their core. Innovation continued apace, both regarding delivery modes (e.g., blending of online, virtual, and in-person delivery, or “cohort” training) and course content. New offerings addressed both long-standing challenges faced by countries in the JVI region (e.g., Strengthening Public Investment Management, High-Frequency Indicators of Economic Activity) and emerging priorities (e.g., Macroeconomics of Climate Change, Macro-relevant Environment and Climate Change Statistics, Gender Inequality and Macroeconomics, GovTech, Fintech Market Development and Policy Implications, EMoney and Mobile Payments). Well-attended webinars were held, covering new emerging topics, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation, and climate change.

We remain deeply grateful to the JVI’s Primary Members—the Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF), the Austrian National Bank (OeNB), and the International Monetary Fund (IMF)—for their steadfast intellectual and financial support. Our Contributing Members—the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization (WTO)—as well as the European Commission have also provided critical support to the JVI over many years. In addition, the JVI has benefited from its increasing cooperation with many other partners, such as the Deutsche Bundesbank, Banque de France, Bank of England, European Central Bank, US Federal Reserve, National Bank of Poland, National Bank of Slovakia, and International Labor Organization as well as academic institutions (e.g., the Vienna University for Economics and Business, Yale University).In 2025, the JVI will continue to offer a diverse range of hands-on, policy-oriented training courses, workshops, and webinars. These will cover general macroeconomic issues; monetary, fiscal, financial, and structural policies; and various other specialized topics. Our curriculum will include new courses addressing emerging needs, for instance on AI, climate change, big data, alongside enduring ones such as the oversight of state-owned enterprises. The JVI and its partners will continue experimenting with different forms of delivery.

The IMF courses will provide a broad introduction to macroeconomic and financial sector management, with some focusing on specific topics. Courses delivered by the Austrian Authorities will address a wide range of issues such as financial stability, green finance, the green and digital transition, and public governance and reform issues, but also financial education, and diversity and inclusion. Most of these courses include an important peer-learning component, as they build on Austria’s own experience and that of other EU countries, and they involve many practitioners. Our Contributing Members and the European Commission will offer courses or contribute to joint courses in their areas of expertise. The JVI will continue to join forces with other partners to mobilize their deep and broad expertise.

Our full course schedule for 2025 is available here. With dozens of course offerings that are free, self-paced, and entirely internet accessible, the IMF’s Online Learning Program is an excellent complement to JVI’s in-person training. 

We hope to see you soon in Vienna!

Hervé Joly
Director, Joint Vienna Institute
November 2024