Press Release: IMF Annual Report Showcases “Year of Innovation”

IMF News, October 1, 2015

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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) released its 2015 Annual Report, titled Annual Report 2015—Tackling Challenges Together.
The Report emphasizes efforts to spur stronger and more inclusive growth amid unexpected economic developments and challenges that required rapid adjustments.
The Report features a new approach blending essays and graphics and emphasizes the work of the IMF’s Executive Board and its central policy guidance for global financial stability and growth.
Managing Director Christine Lagarde described 2015 as “a year of innovation across the institution,” citing pilot programs, online training, a free data initiative, and cooperation on Islamic finance.

Total lending approved in the past financial year was the highest since 2011.
The Board approved $112 billion in financing for nine countries.
The IMF approved $2.7 billion in low- or zero-interest loans for 17 low-income developing countries.
The IMF provided $242 million in expert advice and training to countries across the globe.
The IMF supports 188 member countries.
As part of economic surveillance, the IMF conducted 131 country health checks, as well as assessments on the financial sector and the international impact of individual countries’ policies (“spillovers”).
Capacity development (expert advice and training) accounts for one quarter of the IMF’s activities and has been on the rise for five years.
Chief topics in demand for capacity development include fiscal affairs.

The IMF moved quickly to support Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone during the Ebola pandemic to help the three governments respond to the crisis and restart their economies.
The IMF provided support to several member countries addressing difficult economic and financial circumstances during the year.
The Report highlights regional activities, including events in Latin America along the “Road to Lima,” the past 25 years in eastern and central Europe, and the 70th anniversary of the IMF.
The “Looking Ahead” section outlines plans to build on the achievements of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals and support climate policy by getting energy prices right.

The Annual Report 2015 covers the work of the IMF’s Executive Board and contains financial statements for the fiscal year.
The Annual Report 2015 is available in print in eight languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish), on CD-ROM (in English only), and on the Internet at http://www.imf.org/AR2015.
The Annual Report web page includes the IMF’s financial statements for FY2015 and other background documentation.
Copies of the Annual Report, the financial statements, and the CD-ROM are available free of charge from IMF Publication Services, P.O. Box 92780, Washington, DC 20090, online at www.imfbookstore.org or www.elibrary.imf.org, or by e-mail at publications@imf.org.

Source: Press Release No. 15/449, October 1, 2015, IMF Communications Department