IMF Administrative Tribunal

The IMF Administrative Tribunal is an independent judicial forum, established by the IMF Board of Governors, for the resolution of employment disputes arising between the International Monetary Fund and its staff members. An applicant before the Tribunal may challenge the legality of an “individual” or “regulatory” decision of the Fund by which the applicant is adversely affected. Applications must be made within time limits set by the Statute. In the case of a challenge to an individual decision, that is, a decision taken in the case of an individual staff member, an application may be filed only after the applicant has exhausted all available channels of administrative review. In the case of a direct challenge to a regulatory decision, that is, to a rule of the Fund, an application must be filed within three months of the decision’s announcement or effective date, whichever is later. A regulatory decision may also be challenged in the context of a challenge to an individual decision. The Tribunal’s jurisdiction additionally extends to enrollees in and beneficiaries under Fund staff benefit plans who are adversely affected by decisions taken under such plans.

The Tribunal is composed of five Judges, including the President, who are completely independent in the exercise of their duties. They may not have any prior or present employment relationship with the Fund. Nor are they eligible for staff employment following their service with the Tribunal. Decisions in a case are taken by a three-Judge panel composed of the President and two others designated by the President. The Tribunal is assisted by the Registrar and other personnel who, in the exercise of their duties, serve under the authority of the President of the Tribunal.

If the Tribunal concludes that an application is well-founded, it awards relief in the form of rescission of the challenged decision and other measures, such as the payment of monetary compensation, to correct the effects of the decision. The Tribunal may also order the Fund to bear all or part of an applicant’s reasonable attorneys’ fees, in the case that the application is well-founded in whole or in part.

Judgments of the Tribunal are final and binding on the parties. They are published and made available to all interested persons.

The Office of the Registrar of the IMF Administrative Tribunal may be contacted by email ATBReception@imf.org. The mail and courier address is: Office of the Registrar, IMF Administrative Tribunal, 1900 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W, HQ2-3-222, Washington, D.C. 20431. (PLEASE NOTE: In the exceptional circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic, all submissions to the Tribunal shall, until further notice, be made electronically. See “Tribunal’s Operations During Pandemic.”)