Summing Up by the Chairman—Operational Modalities of the Rights Approach, Executive Board Meeting 90/97, June 20, 1990

This has been an important discussion, following the guidance of the Interim Committee at its meeting in May 1990, to establish broad guidelines for the application of the “rights” approach and “rights accumulation programs,” as we shall now call them. Drawing on our earlier discussions, Executive Directors have endorsed the main features of rights accumulation programs and of the financing of rights as set out in the staff paper for this meeting, while emphasizing the need for flexibility in the different and difficult circumstances that we may face. It is intended that this summing up provide a description of the key characteristics of the rights approach for reference in the decisions that are to be taken on the gold pledge and extended burden sharing.

Under the rights approach, a member in arrears to the Fund will be able to earn rights, conditioned on satisfactory performance under an adjustment program monitored by the Fund, toward a disbursement from the Fund once the member’s overdue obligations have been cleared and upon approval of a successor arrangement by the Fund. Utilization of the rights approach will be limited to the eleven members that had financial obligations to the Fund overdue for six months or more at the end of 1989. I would note here that it is not expected that all of these members would make use of the rights approach; indeed, two of them are likely to settle their arrears shortly without recourse to the rights approach. It is intended that utilization of the rights approach would be further limited to those of the eleven members that adopt a comprehensive economic program that can be endorsed by the Executive Board as a rights accumulation program by the time of the Spring 1991 meeting of the Interim Committee. I have noted the view of some Directors that a longer time might need to be envisaged, but that this is not the view of the majority. If there were to be a compelling reason, we would be able to return to the question as we approach the Spring 1991 meeting.

Executive Directors considered a three-year period to be appropriate as a norm for a rights accumulation program, but with scope for variation in either direction. The member would be expected, with support as appropriate from other sources, to make maximum efforts to reduce overdue obligations to the Fund during the period of the rights accumulation program, so as to minimize the necessary recourse to rights. We will seek to incorporate a reduction of arrears to the Fund into programs and to introduce appropriate contingency provisions for additional payments to the Fund where developments are more favorable than expected. The magnitude of rights to be accumulated will clearly require case-by-case judgments by the Executive Board. But it is understood that, in cases where it appears unavoidable, rights may accumulate up to the amount of arrears outstanding at the beginning of the rights accumulation program. Some Directors noted that special action might have to be considered in highly exceptional circumstances, but it is not necessary to revisit the understanding placed in the record on this subject during the course of our deliberations prior to the recent meeting of the Interim Committee.

The member would be expected to generate the financing needed to meet the requirements of its economic program under the rights approach and, and at minimum, to remain current with respect to obligations to the Fund and the World Bank falling due during the period of the rights accumulation program. In this effort, it would be envisaged that the member would be assisted by creditors and donors through support groups, consultative groups, and/or other arrangements as appropriate. Resources that become available pursuant to the proposal for voluntary contributions originally made…which has been warmly welcomed by the Interim Committee and is expected to be discussed by the Executive Board in July, would complement these efforts.

Executive Directors agreed that rights accumulation programs should adhere to macroeconomic and structural policy standards associated with programs supported by arrangements under the extended Fund and enhanced structural adjustment facilities and that the Fund would draw, as appropriate, on Fund policies and guidelines associated with the use of such facilities. In particular, rights accumulation programs would need to help create the conditions for sustained growth and substantial progress toward external viability.

There was a preference among Directors for even phasing of the accumulation of rights within annual programs, based on quarterly monitoring. Executive Directors did not, however, rule out the possibility of some front-loading of rights within the first annual program if warranted by special circumstances. With respect to performance tests, the Fund’s policies on waivers and modifications would be applied so as to allow for continuation of the program and rights accumulation if performance criteria were not observed but performance had been brought back on track. If waivers or modifications were not granted, Executive Directors considered it reasonable to permit the member to retain its previously accumulated rights for six months before they would lapse. Several Directors indicated that they would prefer that rights lapse in their entirety after six months, but most others considered that such a rule would be too rigid. On balance, we will plan that normally rights would lapse at a rate of 25 percent of accumulated rights per quarter; but that this rate could be more or less rapid depending on the circumstances, including, inter alia, the period of satisfactory performance under the rights program before it went off track and the reasons for the nonobservance of performance criteria. Again, the Executive Board will need to consider these questions on a case-by-case basis. If, after rights had begun to lapse, a new rights accumulation program were endorsed by the Executive Board, the member would resume accumulation of rights and the program period would normally be extended to permit the member to accumulate the rights needed to help clear its arrears.

Accumulated rights would be financed by a Fund disbursement upon approval of a successor arrangement with the Fund, following satisfactory performance under the rights accumulation program and once the member’s overdue financial obligations to the Fund had been cleared. For SAF-eligible members, the mix of financing between the resources of the structural adjustment and enhanced structural adjustment facilities (SAF/ESAF) and the resources of the Fund’s General Resources Account (GRA) would be approved as part of the successor arrangements, although some tentative indication of an anticipated mix could be given earlier. I would not intend to propose approval of a commitment to use ESAF Trust resources for the financing of rights before the decision on the gold pledge for the use of ESAF Trust resources for the financing of rights has been adopted.

Where a blend of General Resources Account and SAF/ESAF resources was considered appropriate, use of General ­Resources Account resources would normally be under an extended arrangement, and in such cases, the extended and SAF/ESAF arrangements would operate concurrently. Total access to the resources of the enhanced structural adjustment facility by a member would in all cases be in accordance with the access limits of that facility. I have taken note of the proposal made concerning the attribution of payments to the SAF/ESAF which would also make possible the application of all of the Fund’s deterrent measures should arrears emerge; I suggest that we consider this proposal in connection with the forthcoming review of those facilities.

Our discussion has provided guidance that will enable us to proceed with concrete planning for rights accumulation programs in individual cases and with what we all hope will be a definitive phase in resolution of the arrears problem. Other issues will no doubt emerge as specific programs are developed, and these will need to be addressed case by case as they arise.

BUFF/90/130

June 22, 1990