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IMF-World Bank meetings
Last Updated: April 26, 2007| Question: Regarding the Fund's work program, where do you see the focus leading up to the 2007 Annual Meetings in September? |
| Answer:
MR. AHMED: In terms of process, we will be putting together a specific work program for the next six months, and that will lay out the dates of papers that are going to be done and when they are going to come to the Board and what we expect to complete before the Annual Meetings. That work program discussion will happen in the Board in the coming weeks, and we will then release it. In terms of the direction we are following and which will then be detailed more in that work program document, the first point of focus is to follow through on the discussions we have had on surveillance. In particular, over the coming months, we hope to move forward and hopefully bring to a conclusion, the review of the 1977 Surveillance Decision. Also in the case of surveillance, we have been asked to look at the issue of financial globalization and whether that might lend itself to a second multilateral consultation. So there will be some further work on taking that idea forward. Moving outside of surveillance, the second area will be on quotas and voice. Here, our aim remains to try to reach an agreement on the new formula that would guide the second round of increases by the Annual Meetings. Our ultimate objective here by the Annual Meetings of 2008 is to have all of the two-year reform program elements on governance in place. Just working back from that, it would be useful by the 2007 Annual Meeting to have progressed on—and hopefully reached agreement on—the quota formula, which we have said we would try to do either by this October or by next March. Third, on income, the Managing Director has been asked by the IMFC to report back with a proposal on a new income model, and that is something that we will be working on in the coming months. In that context, the Board has looked at the budget for next year and there has been discussion about income. Finally, the work we are doing on a new instrument to support emerging markets as well as the work we are doing on low-income countries and, in particular in that context, taking forward some of the recommendations of the Malan Committee on Bank-Fund Collaboration. Both of these are areas where we hope to advance over the next few months, including, in the case of the low-income countries, through a number of papers that are planned for the Board that will spell out in greater detail the Fund's role in different dimensions of work in low-income countries. April 26, 2007 Transcript of a Press Briefing by Masood Ahmed, Director, External Relations Department, IMF |
| Question: Do you expect by the 2007 Annual Meetings that the Managing Director will have his report on income ready to present to the IMFC following the eminent persons' report that came out a couple months ago? |
| Answer:
MR. AHMED: At this stage, what I will say to you is that we have been asked to report back on this issue, and the Managing Director is now going to take forward that work. He will be consulting broadly, as he has been, and he has received input now from the informal discussions we have had at the Board. He has also received input from ministers in discussions they have had. In terms of the degree of formality of a proposal that we may have by the time of the Annual Meetings, it is hard for me to say at this time, but again in the comings weeks, I think that will become a little bit clearer.
April 26, 2007 Transcript of a Press Briefing by Masood Ahmed, Director, External Relations Department, IMF |
| Question: What are the most important issues to be raised at the Spring Meetings? |
| Answer:
MR. AHMED: The Managing Director's speech on April 9th will provide a comprehensive view of the agenda for the Spring Meetings. But as we are working towards the Spring Meetings we see, as one main area, the work on surveillance that the Fund has been doing and how we take that forward, both in terms of looking at the framework for surveillance—revising the Executive Board's 1977 Decision—that underpins it, but also looking at strengthening surveillance at the multilateral level. Another area is, of course, quotas and voice on which—as we have said all along in the timetable—this is not the moment for a deliverable. As you know, we are working on a new formula that will guide the next round of changes. That work is underway. There have been a number of constructive discussions on it in the Board so far informally. The next step would be to take stock of that and also to provide a report to ministers. A third item includes briefing ministers and governors on the work that is being done on the new income model for the Fund. Finally, a big part of the discussion will be the work that the Fund has been doing and that others are doing on the Global Economic Outlook. March 29, 2007 Press Briefing by Masood Ahmed, Director, External Relations Department, IMF |
| Question: What will be the main issues that will be covered at the 2004 Annual Meetings? |
| Answer:
MR. DAWSON: Certainly the headline issue is a review of the global economy and the state of the global recovery. I think a preview of that as well as a preview of the meetings themselves was contained in the Managing Director's Council on Foreign Relations speech on Monday in New York, which is available on our website. Certainly the view is that the global recovery remains firmly established. Moving toward somewhat more institutional issues, with this being the 60th anniversary year, it is natural that a lot of reflection about the role and activities of the Fund take place, whether it is in the context of reviewing our broad surveillance responsibilities for our 184 member countries, whether it includes looking at financial sector issues, or whether it includes our role in low-income countries. The full range of issues will be discussed.
September 23, 2004 Press Briefing by Thomas Dawson, Director, External Relations Department, IMF |
| Question: Could you talk about the security preparations for the meeting, whether you've had any indication about protests? Do you think the host government has sort of overdone this Code Orange security? |
| Answer:
MR. DAWSON: I think we have great confidence in the host government as well as in the security authorities to make the security assessments. We've been in close contact with them from shortly before the Code Orange decision was made with regard to the Fund and Bank and other buildings. They have shared information with us, and I think it's quite clear this was a serious threat. With regard to the arrangements for the meetings, it's obviously an inconvenience. It is unfortunate, but we are adapting as we can. Some of the construction was underway even prior to Code Orange, but it has obviously been accelerated and strengthened, and you will see even after the meetings continued enhancements of our security. With regard to the meetings themselves, in terms of demonstrations, which is the old concern of Annual Meetings, I think that it is fair that there seem to be relatively limited indications of protest activities. But the security concerns go, of course, far beyond that in this new environment, and they don't involve people announcing in advance what they're planning on doing at or around our meetings or our facilities. So I think it will be an increased inconvenience, and that's regrettable. But, unfortunately, it's a fact of life that we are accommodating.
September 23, 2004 Press briefing by Thomas Dawson, Director, External Relations Department, IMF |
| Question: Is Ms. Krueger planning on presiding over the Spring Meetings? |
| Answer:
MR. DAWSON: Ms. Krueger is the Acting Managing Director, and continues as the Acting Managing Director until such a time as the Managing Director is elected and takes office. We are proceeding with plans for the Spring Meetings. The Board will discuss the agenda for the Spring Meetings on Friday. Next week we will be discussing individual papers that are being prepared for the Meeting. The Meeting [of the International Monetary and Financial Committee] will take place under the chairmanship of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, as it normally does.
March 25, 2004 Press Briefing by Thomas Dawson, Director, External Relations Department, IMF |
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