When, where, and who?

The 2012 Annual Meetings of the Boards of Governors of the IMF and the World Bank Group will be held in Tokyo, Japan on October 12-14. The Board of Governors for each institution consists of one governor from each of the institutions’ member countries, typically the finance minister, central bank governor, or minister of development. During the Annual Meetings, the Boards of Governors decide on major policy issues related to the future work of the two institutions, which are subsequently implemented by their respective Executive Boards.
The Annual Meetings are usually held for two consecutive years at the IMF and World Bank headquarters in Washington, D.C. and every third year in another member country. The last three Meetings abroad were held in Istanbul (2009), Singapore (2006), and Dubai (2003). A complete list of meeting sites is available on the Annual Meetings website.

About 13,000 people are expected to attend the Annual Meetings this year. This number includes the governors themselves and their alternates, as well as members of their delegations, observers from other intergovernmental organizations such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the World Trade Organization, representatives from financial institutions and bodies, such as the Financial Stability Board, and various visitors, journalists, and representatives of civil society organizations. The IMF and the World Bank work closely with the host country authorities to organize the Meetings and facilitate participation by various stakeholders in the events related to the Meetings.

What’s on the agenda?

The Annual Meetings will open with the plenary, which will be held in the morning of October 12 and feature speeches by the Chairman of the Boards of Governors and the heads of the two institutions. This will be followed on October 12-13 by the meeting of the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) and on October 13 by the meeting of the Development Committee. The IMFC advises the IMF’s Board of Governors and will discuss the outlook for the global economy, developments in financial markets, as well as other pressing issues within the IMF’s mandate. The Development Committee advises the Boards of Governors of the World Bank and the IMF on critical development issues and on the financial resources required to promote economic development and poverty reduction in developing countries. At the conclusion of each of these meetings, communiqués will be released that will provide important guidance to the Executive Boards of the two institutions, and will be followed by a press conference. For details, see the Annual Meetings’ schedule of events.

Other events

Various country groups, such as the Group of Twenty (G-20), the Group of Twenty-Four (G-24), and the Commonwealth will also take the opportunity to meet ahead of, or during, the Annual Meetings. For more details, see the Guide to Committees, Groups, and Clubs.
In addition to major press conferences by the Managing Director of the IMF and the President of the World Bank, senior staff from both institutions will hold press briefings on global and regional economic outlooks and other topical issues. For details, see the press schedule.

During October 9-14 seminars and other discussion fora will offer participants the opportunity for in-depth discussions on current issues that are of relevance to the world economy, financial stability, and economic development. The seminars are a premier global forum where private sector executives from around the world, high-level policymakers, and other leaders in the international development and financial fields engage in dialogue to strengthen cooperation in the global economy. For details, see the electronic schedule of seminars and other events during the week of the Annual Meetings. The Per Jacobsson lecture will be held on October 14.

A Civil Society Policy Forum will be held during October 10-13. The Forum will comprise a series of policy dialogue sessions, which bring together Bank and Fund staff, civil society representatives, government officials, and others to discuss important issues being addressed during the Annual Meetings. Some sessions are organized by the IMF, some by the World Bank, and some by civil society organizations. Accredited civil society representatives will also be able to attend the seminars, interact with the press, and meet with government officials and Fund and Bank staff. For more information, see the World Bank’s civil society website.