IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings in Washington D.C., 11-13 October 2008

The Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank will take place in Washington D.C. on 11-13 October. Over the course of these three days, the policymaking bodies of these institutions – the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) and the Development Committee (DC) – will also meet.  The Swedish delegation includes the Governor of the Riksbank, Stefan Ingves, Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Finance, Per Jansson, and Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Joakim Stymne.

 

The purpose of the Annual Meetings is to discuss current international issues within the IMF’s and the World Bank's fields of responsibility and to provide guidance for the institutions’ operations. Sweden’s stances in the IMF and the World Bank are determined in consultation with the Nordic-Baltic Constituency of which Sweden is a part, together with the other Nordic countries and the Baltic States. In connection with the autumn meetings, special meetings are also held between ministers and central bank governors. 

 

IMFC agenda

At the IMFC meeting on 11 October, the current status of the global economy and a number of policy issues will be discussed. This year, the meeting will focus particularly on the global financial crisis and the challenges that have arisen in the wake of increasing food and energy prices. The IMF's lending framework and the possibilities to strengthen the IMF's monitoring of the economic policies of its member states will also be discussed. 

 

What is the IMFC?

The International Monetary and Financial Committee is the IMF's policymaking forum. The Committee meets twice a year, once in the spring and once in the autumn in connection with the IMF's annual meeting, to discuss the global economy and other issues relating to the IMF's activities. The IMFC consists of 24 members, a central bank governor or a finance minister from each country or constituency in the IMF. Sweden is part of a constituency together with Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania and Norway. At present our constituency is represented on the IMFC by Sweden. The Committee’s overall purpose is to promote trade and growth by working for international monetary cooperation and macroeconomic and financial stability.

 

More information on the autumn meetings is available on the websites of the IMF and the World Bank, see the links below.