IMF Conference

Saturday, April 13 — IMF Headquarters 2, Conference Hall 2

2:30-2:45 PM

OPENING REMARKS

David Lipton, First Deputy Managing Director, IMF

2:45-4:15 PM

SESSION 1: Investing in People—Challenges and Fiscal Policy Responses

Achieving higher and more inclusive growth is a challenge for many countries today. How can education, health and social protection policies—i.e., “investing in people”—help? What does reaching the Sustainable Development Goals imply for these policies? And how can the resulting demands for investing in people be reconciled with sustainable fiscal policy?

This session will feature panelists whose experience covers a broad range of issues related to education, health, and social protection policies. They will share their views on upcoming challenges, possible policy responses, and experience with raising spending efficiency to ease fiscal constraints.

Chair:

Vitor Gaspar, Director, Fiscal Affairs Department, IMF

Panelists:

• Nicholas Barr, Professor of Public Economics, London School of Economics
• Nigel Clarke, Minister of Finance, Jamaica
• Teresa Czerwińska, Minister of Finance, Poland
• Martin Ravallion, Edmond D. Villani Professor of Economics, Georgetown University
• Michal Rutkowski, Senior Director for Social Protection and Jobs, World Bank

4:15-4:45 PM

COFFEE BREAK

4:45-6:05 PM

SESSION 2: Investing in Infrastructure—Making Public Investment More Efficient

Many countries face large infrastructure gaps. Closing these in a fiscally sustainable manner will require investing more and investing better, to achieve higher economic returns from public investment.

Panelists in this session will share their insights on what works and what does not in managing public investment, both from a global and a country perspective. The issue has featured prominently in recent G-20 meetings.

Chair:

Sharmini Coorey, Director, Institute for Capacity Development, IMF

Panelists:

• Masatsugu Asakawa, Vice Minister of Finance, Japan
• Bambang Brodjonegoro, Minister of Planning, Indonesia
• Bedri Hamza, Minister of Finance, Kosovo
• Pierre Lavallée, President and Chief Executive Officer, Canada Infrastructure Bank
• Stefano Manservisi, Director-General of the International Cooperation and Development, European Commission

Sunday, April 14 — IMF Headquarters 1, Atrium

10:00-11:15 AM

ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION: BOOSTING INVESTMENT IN PEOPLE AND INFRASTRUCTURE

The closing panel discussion will explore the public investment needs with respect to economic and social infrastructure around the world, including challenges posed by the Sustainable Development Goals. The panelists will also discuss how to finance public investment in a fiscally sustainable way, including through strengthening its governance and efficiency.

Chair:

Gillian Tett, U.S. Managing Editor, Financial Times

Panelists:

• Christine Lagarde, Managing Director, IMF
• Gloria Alonso, Director of National Planning Department, Colombia
• Paschal Donohoe, Minister of Finance, Ireland
• Nicolas Dujovne, Minister of Treasury, Argentina
• Vera Songwe, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa