The Commonwealth Secretariat is offering a host of new e-learning courses on its public debt management system, Commonwealth Meridian, first launched in 2019.
The training will be available online from March 2022 for debt officials, senior managers and other stakeholders looking to learn more about using Commonwealth Meridian for debt recording and reporting and to improve and support debt sustainability and transparency.
In addition to debt recording and reporting, the courses cover how the software can be used to help officials better prepare and monitor compliance with debt strategies, manage operational risk and aid public debt auditing.
Pamella McLaren, Advisor and Head of the Debt Management Unit, Economic, Youth & Sustainable Development Directorate, said: “In recent times we have seen considerable staff turn-over in debt management offices and therefore an increased need for training.
“These e-learning courses are therefore very timely, particularly as debt becomes a more pressing issue for nations worldwide in light of the financial strain caused by Covid-19.
“The pandemic has also required the Commonwealth Secretariat to rethink how we provide technical assistance to member countries looking to upskill staff, whilst also addressing concerns about turnover, accessibility and cost.
“We have designed these bespoke e-learning courses to bring down training costs, minimise the impact of high staff turnover and improve efficiencies; allowing face-to-face training to be more focused on advanced features of the Commonwealth Meridian system.”
Commonwealth Meridian is now operational in 21 countries with over 150 debt officials having already been introduced to it in the past three years. Countries looking to migrate from CS-DRMS to Commonwealth Meridian are urged to enrol in these new courses prior to migration to better prepare for the move.
E-learning has been utilised by the Commonwealth Secretariat since 2011 as a means of training and upskilling professionals from across the world, and therefore helping countries to better understand and manage their debt.
It has proven to be an effective and accessible option, particularly for those unable to travel for face-to-face training sessions.
Some 400 officials from 37 countries have completed e-learning modules provided by the Commonwealth Secretariat since 2011.
Virtual learning has also proven to be significantly cheaper, allowing more member countries to send their debt officials for training.
More information on the courses is available here
Media contact
- Amy Coles Communications Officer, Communications Division, Commonwealth Secretariat
