Connecting the Dots Between Global Risks

Posted on April 21, 2011 by iMFdirect

By iMFdirect

Finance ministers and central bank governors from around the world, gathering at the Spring Meetings of the IMF and World Bank in Washington last week, identified a slew of continued and emerging risks to the global economy, including higher food and fuel prices, the disaster in Japan, unrest in the Middle East, lingering unemployment in parts of the world, and the risk of overheating in some dynamic emerging markets.

With the recovery solidifying but still fragile, ministers put the spotlight on how to strengthen the IMF’s surveillance—its economic assessment and analysis—to help countries take the action needed to address risks and avoid future crises. (more…)

Filed under: Annual Meetings, Economic Crisis, Financial Crisis, IMF, International Monetary Fund | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Global Challenges, Global Solutions

Posted on April 14, 2011 by iMFdirect

By iMFdirect

The IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings are upon us here in Washington DC.

With global challenges that require global solutions—the theme of the meetings—IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn reminds us that this is “not the time for complacency.”

Government ministers and officials, members of civil society organizations, journalists, and others are flocking to Washington DC this week to discuss and decide on key issues facing the global economy. (more…)

Filed under: Annual Meetings, Civil Society, Economic outlook, Employment, IMF, Inequality, International Monetary Fund, Multilateral Cooperation | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Listening to Voices: The IMF’s Dialogue with Civil Society

Posted on November 29, 2010 by iMFdirect

By Caroline Atkinson

The IMF has made a concerted effort to engage more actively with civil society organizations in recent years. This is part of a broader effort to be more transparent and accountable to the broader public in our member countries.

So, an emphasis on change at the 2010 IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings provided the perfect opportunity to break new ground in our relationship with civil society. (more…)

Filed under: Annual Meetings, Civil Society, IMF, International Monetary Fund | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Weekend in Washington: Cooperating Our Way Out of Crisis

Posted on October 12, 2010 by iMFdirect

By Dominique Strauss-Kahn

(Version in عربي 中文 Español Français 日本語 Русский )

This past weekend in Washington DC, as the economic leaders of 187 countries gathered for the Annual Meetings of the IMF and World Bank, the mood was tense. The world’s finance ministers and central bank governors were concerned because the global recovery is fragile. And uneven. And it is fragile because it is so uneven.

In the emerging markets of Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East, things are going pretty well. Even in Africa, many countries have returned to growth much faster than in previous recessions. In Europe, however, the recovery is sluggish. And in the United States, it remains subdued. The IMF’s latest economic outlook, released during the meetings, does not anticipate a “double dip.” But there are risks. (more…)

Filed under: Advanced Economies, Annual Meetings, G-20, IMF, International Monetary Fund, Multilateral Cooperation, عربي | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments »

Inviting You to Join the Debate: IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings Program of Seminars

Posted on October 7, 2010 by iMFdirect

By Siddharth Tiwari

The global economic crisis really shook things up. Policymakers came together and responded to the crisis with an unprecedented degree of policy coordination.

The crisis also focused the IMF’s attention on better equipping ourselves to meet the challenges of today’s world. A big part of that transformation is how we engage with our members and the outside world.

So, with the 2010 IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings, you’ll see some big changes. (more…)

Filed under: Annual Meetings, Economic Crisis, IMF, International Monetary Fund | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments »

Rethinking the IMF’s Mandate: Asking for Your Views

Posted on March 14, 2010 by iMFdirect

By Reza Moghadam

The IMF is rethinking its role in the post-crisis world to ensure it is working most effectively for its 186 member countries, and helping them avoid another global recession, with all that implies for trade, jobs, and living standards.

At the IMF-World Bank meetings in Istanbul in October 2009, the IMF was called on by its policy steering committee to rethink its mandate. The IMFC wanted to ensure that the IMF is able to cover―and I quote here from the communiqué that was issued in October 2009―“the full range of macro and financial sector policies that bear on macroeconomic global stability.”

The conclusions of this work will be discussed at our upcoming Annual Meetings in Washington D.C. The issues are rather complex, as you can imagine. We will be issuing a series of papers for discussion by the IMF’s Executive Board in the coming months. Our first discussion paper was published on February 26.

(more…)

Filed under: Annual Meetings, G-20, IMF, International Monetary Fund, Multilateral Cooperation | Tagged: , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Changing Times: Global Governance Reform and the IMF

Posted on January 11, 2010 by iMFdirect

By John Lipsky

The economic and financial crisis of the past two years has placed in high relief profound changes in global economic and financial realities. Most notably, the crisis has underscored the shift in relative economic weight in favor of dynamic emerging market economies. In response, the G-20— a grouping that includes both advanced and large emerging economies—has stepped forward as the premier political venue for addressing economic and financial policy challenges.

These changes are exerting significant influence on the evolution of global governance, and they directly involve the IMF in two concrete ways. First, new advances are taking place in multilateral economic policy cooperation, with Fund participation. Second, realignment of Fund governance has been put on a fast track, with delivery scheduled for January 2011.

(more…)

Filed under: Advanced Economies, Annual Meetings, Economic Crisis, Emerging Markets, Global Governance, Multilateral Cooperation | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Life after the Crisis: A Perspective from Emerging Europe and Central Asia

Posted on October 8, 2009 by iMFdirect

By Caroline Atkinson

The Program of Seminars takes place outside the formal framework of the Annual Meetings. But to many people, they were the main reason for making the trip to Istanbul.

The program’s October 4 offering included a first-hand perspective of how three emerging market countries—Turkey, Slovakia, and Ukraine—have weathered the crisis. We also got a glimpse of the methodology the IMF is using to become better at sounding the alarm if it sees new vulnerabilities building up in the world economy.

More Europe, not less

Ukraine was running a high fiscal deficit at the outset of the crisis, which made it vulnerable when the global economy came unstuck, Vice Prime Minister Hryhoriy Nemyria said. The lack of progress on structural reforms had reinforced the external shock, and had brought home just how dependent the country was on just one sector, steel, which accounts for 40 percent of all export earnings. (more…)

Filed under: Annual Meetings, Economic Crisis, Emerging Markets | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Farewell from Istanbul

Posted on October 7, 2009 by iMFdirect

The bags are packed, the shuttle buses are waiting, and the conference center here in Istanbul is slowly emptying. More than 15,000 people have come and gone. Now is the time to take stock and figure out how to move forward on the big decisions coming out of Istanbul.

The IMF’s Managing Director, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, called them exactly that in his final speech at the plenary on October 6: “The Istanbul Decisions.” So what are they? The IMF’s policy steering committee, the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC), asked the IMF to move forward in four areas:

  • Updating the IMF’s mandate in light of the big changes in the global economy witnessed during the past decade
  • Reviewing the IMF’s financing role, possibly beefing up its role as a lender of last resort
  • Rethinking multilateral surveillance, with the idea of introducing peer review of economic policies
  • Giving more voice and representation to dynamic emerging market and developing countries
These Istanbul Decisions, Strauss-Kahn said, will be a focal point for the IMF’s work in the coming year.

Filed under: Annual Meetings, Economic Crisis | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

On the Road to IMF Governance Reform

Posted on October 2, 2009 by iMFdirect

By Caroline Atkinson

There has been talk for years of the need for IMF governance reform by critics of the IMF.  Now it is on the official agenda–and some of the civil society organizations (CSOs) who have been most interested and vocal on the subject have been participating in the debate with the IMF. Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn held a small meeting with civil society representatives from around the world–the final step of the so-called Fourth Pillar process.

The name, the Fourth Pillar, had a reason. Strauss-Kahn invited the CSOs to supplement the other three “pillars” who were submitting reports to the IMF on its governance–the IMF’s Independent Evaluation Office, the Executive Board Working Group on IMF Corporate governance, and an independent panel chaired by then South African Finance Minister Trevor Manuel.

The gathering on October 1 in Istanbul, ahead of the IMF’s Annual Meetings, was the culmination of a five-month consultation with civil society organizations. The Fourth Pillar representatives, chaired by Jo Marie Griesgraber of the Washington-based New Rules for Global Finance coalition, presented their final report to the Managing Director–which they had earlier discussed with the IMF Executive Board.

(more…)

Filed under: Annual Meetings, Civil Society, Emerging Markets, Low-income countries | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

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