Trade-Related Balance of Payments Adjustment—Fund Support

Trade Integration Mechanism

• 1. The Fund is prepared to provide financial assistance to members that are experiencing balance of payment difficulties as a result of trade liberalization measures undertaken by other countries. Such assistance shall be made available: (i) in the upper credit tranches under a Stand-By Arrangement, (ii) under the Extended Fund Facility, or (iii) under arrangements under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust, and shall be subject to the general access limits established from time to time under such policies. Liberalization measures undertaken by other members would normally be limited to measures introduced either (i) under a WTO agreement or (ii) on a nondiscriminatory basis.

  2. Financing under this decision may be provided to address the existing or anticipated balance of payments difficulties identified in paragraph 1 either at the time of the approval of an arrangement or completion of a program review under such an arrangement, upon the Fund’s determination that the member is implementing economic adjustment policies that are designed to address the identified balance of payments problems.

  3. When making a request for financing under paragraph 2 above, the member may also request that the Fund indicate its willingness to consider providing additional financing if the balance of payments difficulties identified in paragraph 1 above that may arise during the course of the arrangement are larger than anticipated at the time of the approval of the original request under paragraph 2 above. This additional financing, which shall not exceed 10 percent of quota, may be requested by the member and be provided at any time during the period of the arrangement upon a determination by the Fund, in the context of a special review under the arrangement, that: (i) the member’s adjustment program is broadly on track and (ii) the additional financing is justified by unanticipated balance of payments difficulties of the type identified in paragraph 1.

  4. Nothing in this decision shall be understood as preventing a member from requesting Fund financial assistance outside this decision to address the balance of payments problems identified in paragraph 1.

  5. This decision shall be reviewed no later than December 31, 2007.¹

Decision No. 13229-(04/33), April 2, 2004,

as amended by Decision Nos. 13814-(06/98), November 15, 2006, and 14354-(09/79),

July 23, 2009, effective January 7, 2010

¹ Ed. Note: Pursuant to Decision No. 13814-(06/98), November 15, 2006, future reviews will be conducted on an “as needed” basis. The expectation going forward is that “as needed” would generally mean a lag of at least five years between any such reviews.