Lebanon Local Office Site

IMF Local Office in Lebanon

February 19, 2013

This web page provides information on the activities of the Office, views of the IMF staff, and the relations between Lebanon and the IMF. Additional information can be found on Lebanon and IMF country page, including official IMF reports and Executive Board documents in English that deal with Lebanon.

News — Highlights

IMF calls for strong domestic policies to face external challenges

An Interview with Najla Nakhle- Economist- Head of Local Office in Beirut published by the Daily Star on February 18, 2013. 

Lebanon: Real GDP Growth Analysis, 1997-2010

Based on the recently published official national accounts for 1997-2010, this paper presents an update about the main contributors to Lebanon’s real GDP growth, decomposes value-added by sector and demand components, discusses disposable income, and provides a regional comparison of GDP performance. It follows two notes published in July 2010 and March 2011. 

Middle East Economies Post Divergent Performance

The economic outlook for the Middle East and North Africa region is mixed. Most of the region’s oil-exporting countries are growing at healthy rates while the oil importers face subdued economic prospects, the IMF says in its latest assessment. 

Mideast Countries See Opportunity Amid Unrest

Recent uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa provide an opportunity for the region to lay the foundation for a socially inclusive growth agenda, but in the near term, oil-importing countries face multiple pressures stemming from higher crude prices and disruptions to economic activity, the IMF said in its latest assessment of the region. 

Regional Economic Outlook (April 2011) Launch by the IMF and Banque du Liban

The April 2011 Regional Economic Outlook (REO) for the Middle East and Central Asia will be presented in Beirut on Friday, April 29, 2011, at an event co-hosted by Banque du Liban and the IMF. Speakers will include H.E. Riad T. Salameh, BdL Governor, and Mr. Eric Mottu, IMF Resident Representative. [View the invitation] 

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Lebanon and The IMF

Press Release: Statement by IMF Deputy Managing Director Nemat Shafik at the Conclusion of Her Visit to Lebanon

May 10, 2012

Lebanon: 2011 Article IV Consultation - Staff Report; Public Information Notice on the Executive Board Discussion; and Statement by the Executive Director for Lebanon

February 9, 2012
Series: Country Report No. 12/39 

Lebanon: Selected Issues

February 9, 2012
Series: Country Report No. 12/40 

Public Information Notice: IMF Executive Board Concludes 2011 Article IV Consultation with Lebanon

February 8, 2012
Each Public Information Notice contains a background section, a table of selected economic indicators, and an Executive Board assessment. 

Press Release: Statement by an IMF Mission to Lebanon

November 23, 2011

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Regional Economic Outlook: Middle East and Central Asia

The outlook for the Middle East and North Africa region is mixed. Oil-importing countries are witnessing tepid growth, and the moderate recovery expected in 2013 is subject to heightened downside risks. For the Arab countries in transition, ongoing political transitions also weigh on growth. With policy buffers largely eroded, the need for action on macroeconomic stabilization and growth-oriented reforms is becoming increasingly urgent. Countries will need to put in place safety nets to protect the poor and build consensus for some difficult fiscal choices. The region's oil exporters are expected to post solid growth in 2012, in part due to Libya's better-than-expected postwar recovery. In the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, robust growth is supported by expansionary fiscal policies and accommodative monetary conditions.

In the Caucasus and Central Asia, the outlook remains favorable, reflecting high oil prices that are benefiting oil and gas exporters, supportive commodity prices and remittance inflows benefiting oil and gas importers, and, for both groups, moderate direct exposure to Europe. The positive outlook provides an opportunity to strengthen policy buffers to prepare for any downside risks.