The Public Debt Management team (part of the Banking and Debt Management Department) is responsible for advising IBRD governments, and governments in low income countries in partnership with PREM, the Bank’s Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Network, in designing and implementing debt management strategies. Our mission is to assist governments in building capacity in managing the risks of the sovereign debt portfolio.

Building capacity in public debt management involves:

• Establishing key objectives and priorities
• Establishing prudent risk management strategy and policy
• Strengthening middle office analytical capability
• Defining a framework for risk management
• Ensuring consistency with other macroeconomic policies and objectives
• Establishing an organizational structure that ensures clear accountability and transparency of responsibilities
• Establishment of a legal framework
• Recruitment of trained staff, and selection and implementation of effective management information systems

The Public Debt Management team is also the point of coordination in the collaborative work with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).