When, where, and who?

The 2013 Annual Meetings of the Boards of Governors of the IMF and the World Bank Group will be held in Washington, D.C. in October 11–13. 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. 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

What’s on the agenda?

The Annual Meetings will open with the plenary, which will be held in the morning of October 11 and feature speeches by the Chairman of the Boards of Governors and the heads of the two institutions. This will be followed on October 11–12 by the meeting of the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) and on October 12 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.

Other events

Various country groups, such as the Group of Twenty (G-20), the Group of Twenty-Four (G-24), and the Commonwealth 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.

In the week running up to the Annual Meetings, 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—which include the Program of Seminars are a premier global forum where policymakers, academics, civil society, the private sector, and other leaders in the international development and financial fields engage in dialogue on current global economic and financial issues of the day. For details, see the electronic schedule of the Program of Seminars and other events including the Per Jacobsson lecture during the week of the Annual Meetings.

A Civil Society Policy Forum will also be held during the Annual Meetings. 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 related to IMF activities, summarizing events, papers, and discussions relevant to CSOs, see the IMF and Civil Society page or the World Bank’s civil society website.