CIVIL SOCIETY AND THE IMF
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is committed to being transparent about its work, to explaining itself, and to listening to the people whom it affects, and it engages with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), parliamentarians, Think-Tanks and youth leaders through information sharing, dialogue, and consultation at both the global and national level.
The Civil Society Policy Forum (CSPF) is a key event during the International Monetary Fund- World Bank Group Spring and Annual Meetings. This weeklong forum provides an open space for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to dialogue and exchange views with IMF and World Bank Group staff, their peers, government delegations, and other stakeholders on a wide range of shared development issues. As part of the Spring Meetings 2023, the CSPF took place from April 11 to April 14. You will find the recording of the sessions available below.
On February 10th 2023, the IMF team working on climate change had a meeting with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) working on climate issues. In this meeting, IMF staff updated CSOs on the implementation of the IMF climate change strategy, helping member countries address policy challenges, together with an introduction to the Resilience and Sustainability Trust (RST).
On March 25-26, the IMF organized its second workshop with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) from the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC). 17 participants representing CSOs or regional CSO networks based in the Gabon, Chad, Cameroon, Central Africa Republic, Congo and Equatorial Guinea attended the two-day seminar in French. It was an opportunity for participants to get a better understanding of the role of the IMF, especially in the region, and to exchange views and thoughts with IMF staff on important issues in their countries such as fiscal policy, gender and income inequality, Anti-Corruption, debt and jobs and employment.
On June 19-20, the IMF organized a workshop with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) from East and Southeast Asia in Manila, the Philippines. Fifteen participants representing CSOs or regional CSO networks based in the Philippines, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Cambodia and Indonesia attended the two-day seminar. It was an opportunity for participants to get a better understanding of the role of the IMF, especially in the region, and to exchange views and thoughts with IMF staff on important issues in their countries such as fiscal policy, gender and income inequality, Anti-Corruption, debt and jobs and employment. This workshop was also a way to listen to the views and concerns of CSOs from the region ahead of the IMF-World Bank 2018 Annual Meetings that will take place in Bali, Indonesia on October 9 – 13.
On the sidelines of the regional conference “Opportunity for All: Promoting Growth, Jobs, and Inclusiveness in the Arab World”, the IMF held a CSO workshop which included about 30 civil society organizations from the region in Marrakech, Morocco on January 28-29, 2018. The workshop focused on topics related to fiscal policy which included energy subsidies and social safety nets, fair taxation and public wage bill management in the Middle East and North Africa region. CSOs expressed their perspectives on the various issues and exchanged views with senior IMF staff that attended the workshop. CSOs played a key role during the conference where some of them moderated the innovation lab sessions and participated in the various sessions throughout the conference. At the end of the conference, CSOs issued a statement welcoming the IMF’s outreach efforts and sharing their perspectives on the IMF’s policies in the region and the IMF’s work on inequality and inclusive growth.This paper provides an interim update on implementation of the 2018 Framework for Enhanced Fund Engagement on Governance. This update is in advance of a comprehensive formal review of the Framework scheduled for mid-2021.
This paper reviews the implementation of the initiatives the IMF committed to in 2015 to support developing countries in pursuing the 2030 agenda for sustainable development, including (i) strengthening national tax systems; (ii) tackling large infrastructure gaps; (iii) promoting economic inclusion; (iv) the development of domestic financial markets; (v) intensifying engagement in fragile and conflict-affected states; (vi) improving economic statistics; (vii) expanding the financial safety net for developing countries; and (viii) addressing macroeconomic aspects of climate change.
Interest in social spending issues has intensified over the last decade. This reflects concerns about rising inequality and the need to support vulnerable groups, especially in the aftermath of the global financial crisis. In line with this, the Fund has also increased its engagement on social spending issues. This paper outlines a strategy to guide IMF engagement on social spending issues going forward
This note provides examples of good practice with respect to coverage of gender issues in country reports and lays out the resources available to country teams, both with respect to existing analytical work as well as the availability of data and tools.
This note provides examples of good practices with respect to coverage of inequality-related issues in country reports and lays out the resources available to country teams, both with respect to existing analytical work as well as the availability of data and tools.
Rising inequality and slow economic growth in many countries have focused attention on policies to support inclusive growth. This Fiscal Monitor discusses how fiscal policies can help achieve redistributive objectives. It focuses on three salient policy debates: tax rates at the top of the income distribution, the introduction of a universal basic income, and the role of public spending on education and health.
The Framework is designed to promote more systemic, effective, candid, and even-handed engagement with member countries regarding governance vulnerabilities, including corruption, that are judged to be macroeconomically critical.
This Staff Discussion Note assesses the current state of play on funding SDGs in five key development areas: education, health, roads, electricity, and water and sanitation, using a newly developed dynamic macroeconomic framework.
