Policy Papers
2021
April 29, 2021
G20 Note On Environmentally Sustainable Investment For The Recovery
Description: This Note prepared for the G20 Infrastructure Working Group summarizes the main finding of the IMF flagships regarding the role of environmentally sustainable investment for the recovery. It emphasizes that environmentally sustainable investment is an important enabler for a resilient greener, and inclusive recovery—it creates jobs, spurs economic growth, addresses climate change, and improves the quality of life. It can also stimulate much needed private sector greener and resilient investment.
April 7, 2021
The Managing Director’s Global Policy Agenda, Spring Meetings 2021: Bolstering the Recovery, Countering the Divergence
Description: An unprecedented policy response and rapid progress in vaccine development have helped pull the global economy from a deep recession. But the outlook is marked by high uncertainty and great divergence. Carefully calibrated policies and stronger international cooperation are vital to safely exit the crisis. Transformative policies should aim for fast convergence toward a green, digital, and inclusive future.
April 5, 2021
Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust—Third Tranche Of Debt Service Relief In The Context Of The COVID-19 Pandemic
Description: This paper proposes that the Executive Board approve the disbursement of a third tranche of CCRT debt service relief to 28 of the 29 CCRT-eligible members, covering the period April 14, 2021 through October 15, 2021, given staff’s assessment that sufficient financial resources are available.
April 2, 2021
World Bank Group And International Monetary Fund Support For Debt Relief Under The Common Framework And Beyond
Description: This paper discusses World Bank and IMF support for addressing fiscal and debt distress in IDA countries, with emphasis on strong continued concessional flows for green, resilient, and inclusive development.
March 31, 2021
Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust— 2020-21 Borrowing Agreements with The Government of Australia, Danmarks Nationalbank, The Bank Of Italy, The German Federal Ministry Of Finance On Behalf Of The Federal Republic Of Germany, And The Swiss National Bank
Description: This paper presents to the Executive Board for information the second set of new borrowing agreements for the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust.
March 30, 2021
Macroeconomic Developments and Prospects In Low-Income Countries—2021
Description: This paper is the sixth in a series that examines macroeconomic developments and prospects in low-income countries (LICs). LICs are defined in this report as the countries eligible to PRGT facilities (69 countries). The first section of the paper discusses recent macroeconomic developments and trends across LICs. The second section estimates LICs’ financing needs up to 2025 to resume and accelerate their income convergence with advanced economies (AEs). It does this by estimating the additional financing that would enable LICs to step up spending response to COVID, including vaccination needs, while rebuilding or keeping external buffers to enhance resilience, and then the paper considers the financing needed to allow LICs to accelerate convergence with AEs. The paper then discusses a mix of financing options, including concessional financing from the international financial institutions, grants and loans from bilateral donors, private financing and debt operations, but also domestic reforms within LICs themselves as a key component to foster growth, enhance private investment, raise public revenues, and increase efficiency of spending.
March 25, 2021
Temporary Extensions and Modifications Of Access Limits In The Fund’s Lending Facilities
Description: The Fund introduced two main sets of temporary adjustments to its lending frameworks in the early months of the pandemic: (i) increases in the limits on access to its emergency financing instruments (April 2020) and (ii) increases in the annual limits on access to financing from both its general and concessional financing facilities (July 2020).
March 16, 2021
Fund Support for Debt- and Debt-Service-Reduction Operations
Description: The note concludes that the Fund could support a member’s use of buybacks, cash sweeteners, or collateral in the context of a Fund-supported program, provided that (i) debt restructurings using buybacks, cash sweeteners or collateral offer significant efficiency gains relative to debt restructurings that do not rely on such instruments, but are underpinned by a regular Fund-supported program; and (ii) an adequate cushion of non-multilateral debt remains after the operation. The conditions under which buybacks, cash sweeteners or collateral can be expected to deliver significant efficiency gains are narrow and specified in some detail.
March 15, 2021
Review of The Method of Valuation of The SDR—Proposed Extension of The Valuation Of The SDR Basket and Modification of The Date Of Effect of A New Basket
Description: On March 5, 2021, the IMF’s Executive Board approved an extension of the current Special Drawing Right (SDR) valuation basket by ten months from September 30, 2021 to July 31, 2022. The IMF normally reviews the composition and valuation of the SDR basket every five years. The extension effectively resets the five-yearly cycle of SDR valuation reviews, with the next review to be completed by mid-2022 and the new basket becoming effective on August 1, 2022. The ten-month extension contributes to the Fund’s ongoing efforts to prioritize work during the COVID-19 crisis and allows for a more suitable effectiveness date of the new basket, which does not coincide with some major markets being closed. The approved extension, as well as effectiveness date of a new basket, is intended to facilitate the continued smooth functioning of SDR-related operations.
March 5, 2021
Progress on the Fifteenth General Review of Quotas—Report of the Executive Board to the Board of Governors (October 2017)
Description: Following the guidance on the Board of Governors Resolution No. 72-1 (December 2016), on October 4, 2017, the Executive Board discussed and adopted its first semi-annual report on progress on the Fifteenth Review. The report covered issues related to the quota formula and realigning quota shares as well as issues related to the adequacy of Fund resources, discussed in informal meetings on September 1 and on September 15, 2017, respectively.