UNITED NATIONSECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFICSTATISTICAL INSTITUTE FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC (SIAP)

e-Learning Course
INTERNATIONAL ACCOUNTS
19 July – 27 August 2021

I. About the Course
This e-Learning course, developed by Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific (SIAP),
covers the fundamentals of International Accounts based on Balance of Payments andInternational Investment Position Manual (BPM6). The objectives of this course are toprovide a strong foundation for the concepts, methods and framework of international
accounts and highlight foreign direct investment’s potential contributions to sustainabledevelopment.
The course comprised of six modules (lessons). Each module consists of 35~50 slides andwill be accompanied by a question bank for certification purposes. First module starts withan overview on international accounts and explains the harmonization between national
accounts and international accounts. Second module continues with main concepts anddefinitions in international accounts. Instrument classification and functional categories
under international accounts are defined in Module 3. Following module demonstrates
possible data sources for compilation IIP and External debt statistics. Module 5 describes

1the importance of foreign direct investment on sustainable development and last module
highlights the impact of Covid-19 on foreign direct investment flows.

II. Target Audience
Target participants are early and mid-level government statisticians with some knowledgeof the BOP, IIP and SNA or involved in the collection and compilation of statistics that
support BOP, IIP, SNA statistics. It is also recommended for users of BOP/IIP statistics
outside the compiling agency or those who are planning to develop their career in thesefields.

III. Learning OutcomesBy the end of the course, participants will be able toa) Identify the international accounts framework and its harmonization with nationalaccountsb) Define the main components of international accounts: IIP, BOP and other changesc) Classify financial assets and liabilities by type of instrument and differentiate
functional categories under international accountsd) Compare possible data source for the compilation of IIP and external debt statisticse) Identify importance of foreign direct investment on sustainable development andget familiar with relevant SDG indicatorsf) Assess the Covid-19 impact on foreign direct investment flows and observe latest
trends in foreign direct investment
2IV.

Course Design and Content

This e-learning course has been developed as an interactive training comprised of thefollowing six modules. Each module includes self- assessment quizzes and hands onpractice exercises to reinforce the major concepts taught. Participants are expected tocomplete one module each week. There will be two online meetings and one webinar, eachone hour long. First online meeting will be held during second week of the course andcover modules 1 and 2; second online meeting will be held during week 4 and covermodules 3-4. Webinar will be held during week 6 and cover modules 5 and 6. Online
meetings and webinar will start with a short presentation to supplement the e-Learning
course. Participants can ask questions about the content covered in the relevant modules
and lecturer can also ask questions to engage participants attention and encourage
discussion.

The course is expected to take an average 15 hours to complete including participation in
online meetings and other course activities.

ModuleCoverage

1. Overview of the FrameworkPart 1. Harmony between national accounts
and international accounts
Part 2. International accounts

2. Main concepts and definitions

Part 1. History of BPM6
Part 2. Main concepts and definitions
Part 3. Accounting rules

33. Classification of Financial Assets

Part 1. Type of instrument

and Liabilities

Part 2. Functional categories

4. International Investment Position

Part 1. IIP

and External Debt Statistics

Part 2. Possible data sources in IIP compilation
Part 3. External debt statistics

5. Foreign Direct Investment andPart 1. Contribution of direct investment toSustainable development

the sustainable development
Part 2. SDG-Relevant investment sectors

6. Impact of Covid-19 pandemic onPart 1. Impact of Covid-19 pandemic on global

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)

FDI
Part 2. Impact of Covid-19 pandemic on FDIin Asia and the Pacific

The course is hosted on the SIAP Learning Management System (LMS), which contains adiscussion forum for general questions and interactions with the developers of the course
material. Active participation and interaction in the discussion forum are strongly advisedby the lecturer(s).

V. Evaluation
Evaluation will be based on•Participation in discussion forum for six weeks (30% of score, 5% each): Postingquestions/replying to questions in the discussion forum (at least one post in the forumper week)•Participation in the online meetings (10% of score, 5% each)
Two online meetings
First online meeting:

29 July- Thursday-4pm Tokyo time

Second online meeting: 12 August- Thursday-4pm Tokyo time4•Participation in the webinar (10% of score)(Date and time will be announced later)
Further instruction on joining the online meetings and webinar will be communicatedseparately via email in due course.

•Five open book on-line module completion tests (50% of score, 10% each):
Maximum three attempts per test, with the highest score out of the three attempts to berecorded.

Due date for Test 1-July 26 at 11pm Tokyo time
Due date for Test 2-August 2 at 11pm Tokyo time
Due date for Test 3-August 9 at 11pm Tokyo time
Due date for Test 4-August 16 at 11pm Tokyo time
Due date for Test 5-August 23 at 11pm Tokyo time

The overall evaluation of the participants’ performance is based on the total score obtainedin the above. A certificate of successful completion will be issued to participants securing
the total score of at least 70%.

NO EXTENSION WILL BE GIVEN TO PARTICIPANTS WHO FAIL TO COMPLETE
THE COURSE DURING THE DESIGNATED PERIOD.
Successful participants are required to complete a course evaluation form, which will beavailable to them immediately after the completion of the course. Participants will be able
to print the certificates in the system in the first week of September.

5VI.

Source Material

This course draws upon Sixth Edition of the IMF's Balance of Payments and International
Investment Position Manual (BPM6), OECD Benchmark Definition of FDI Fourth Edition,
System of National Accounts Manual (2008), UNCTAD World Investment Report
WIR/ 2020 and other sources.

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