International Monetary Fund (IMF) 2009 Annual Meeting in Istanbul 3-7 October

The International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) will meet in Istanbul on 4 October 2009 in connection with the Annual Meeting of the IMF and the World Bank. The Swedish delegation will include the Governor of the Riksbank, Stefan Ingves, and the Minister of Finance, Anders Borg. 

The purpose of the IMFC’s meetings is to discuss current international issues within the IMF’s field of responsibility and to provide guidance for the institution's operations. Sweden's view of the IMF is determined in consultation with the constituency of Nordic-Baltic countries of which Sweden is a part.

 

The main issues to be discussed at the IMFC meeting are:

• The situation in the world economy and the recovery after the crisis 
  The outlook for the world economy will be discussed, as will the possibilities to hasten a return to high global growth. One important question for the IMFC to discuss in this context is a suitable point in time to begin conducting more moderate fiscal and monetary policy. However, the IMFC is also expected to hold discussions on the various alternative means of strengthening the global financial system.
  
  
• IMF funding
  Over the past year the IMF has increased its lending to the countries that have been hit hardest by the financial crisis. The IMFC is therefore expected to examine how this lending has functioned. However, the discussion will also focus on strategies to better support developments in poor countries in the future.
  
  
• A changing IMF
  The IMFC will also begin discussing reforming the IMF to improve the efficiency and influence of the institution and to increase its significance among all member countries.

What is the IMFC?

The International Monetary and Financial Committee is the IMF's policymaking body. 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 development of 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 promoting international monetary cooperation and macroeconomic and financial stability.