Uruguay and IMF to Host High Level Conference on Structural Reforms and Growth

July 21, 2016

The Government of Uruguay, in partnership with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will organize a conference entitled “Latin America: Structural Reforms to Boost Economic Growth” on Tuesday, July 26, 2016 in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Since the global financial crisis, global growth has been tepid, and across Latin American countries estimates of potential growth have been repeatedly downgraded. The region has been hit especially hard because of its heavy dependence on commodities and limited economic diversification. The conference aims to engage government officials, academics, and think tanks from Latin American countries on the benefits of structural reforms in selected areas that could boost potential growth in the region.

The one-day conference, which will bring together prominent policy makers, renowned academics, will cover four broad themes:

  • The need for economic diversification.
  • The macroeconomic effects of labor and product market reforms.
  • Promoting growth through international integration.
  • Making growth inclusive and equitable.

The concluding panel of the conference featuring Maurice Obstfeld, the IMF’s Chief Economist, Mario Bergara, President of the Central Bank of Uruguay, Guillermo Calvo, Professor at Columbia University, Mauricio Cardenas, Colombia’s Minister of Finance, Colombia, Santiago Peña Palacios, Paraguay’s Minister of Finance, and Federico Sturzenegger President of the Central Bank of Argentina, will discuss the political economy challenges of boosting growth via structural reforms in the region. Uruguay’s Economy and Finance Minister Mr. Danilo Astori will open the conference.

For more information on the conference’s agenda see: https://www.mef.gub.uy/18430/1/mef

IMF Communications Department
MEDIA RELATIONS

PRESS OFFICER: Raphael Anspach

Phone: +1 202 623-7100Email: MEDIA@IMF.org