The IMF and Civil Society
“Civil society inputs are part of our policy deliberations,” de Rato said.
Civil Society Engagement at the Annual Meetings
October 22, 2007
More than 250 civil society organization (CSO) representatives attended the October 2007 IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings, a record for CSO attendance for the Washington setting of the meetings.
The focus was the IMF/World Bank Civil Society Policy Forum, covering a wide range of low-income country issues (Read the full list of dialogues). As always, Fund staff participated in the sessions. The highlight was the fifth annual CSO Town hall Meeting with the heads of the institutions, IMF Managing Director Rodrigo de Rato and World Bank President Robert Zoellick.
Civil Society Town Hall Meeting
Interaction with civil society is a crucial part of governance, de Rato said at the town hall meeting hosted by the Fund and the Bank on Thursday, October 18. This sentiment was echoed by Zoellick, who said he valued the process immensely. The town hall, the centerpiece of the Civil Society Policy Forum, was attended by over 200 CSO representatives from all over the world.
Emmanuel Akwetey, Executive Director of Ghanas Institute for Democratic Governance, who moderated the event, urged CSO participants to engage the heads of the two institutions on the key issues. Throughout the meeting, both Rato and Zoellick expressed the desire to sustain a dialogue.
“I think the interaction between public bodies that have a mandate to produce public goods and civil society is a crucial part of governance,”; Rato stressed in his opening remarks. The Funds Annual Meetings agenda focused on the world economy, IMF reform, a new income model for the Fund, Bank-Fund collaboration, and the feasibility of launching a new instrument for crisis prevention.
In his remarks, Zoellick said that, over the years, he had appreciated the input and insight of CSOs. “Your participation and involvement in our agenda is absolutely vital,” he said. “You compel us to sharpen our own thinking on these issues; you flag problems. Thats a natural part of an open and democratic process, and one I very much value.” He noted that the World Banks meetings agenda would focus on the Bank Group strategic direction, replenishment of the financing of the International Development Association, and the Bank's role in climate change.
In the discussion that followed, CSO representatives were eager to question the new World Bank President on various issues. One attendee asked Zoellick about his willingness to address issues of people with disabilities, a cause that former president James Wolfensohn had espoused. Other questions were linked to the Funds work:
- On his legacy with regard to CSOs, Rato said that on his official trips to countries throughout the world, he had always tried to set the agenda so that civil society meetings were included: “On most of my trips, I have had the opportunity to talk to CSOs and get a description of the country from a point of view that is sometimes very different from the official description that you get in ministries and central banks.”
- On the need to increase fiscal space, Rato said that Fund economists are increasingly paying attention to the issue of fiscal space, noting that the Fund has abandoned many of its wage ceiling policies: “Fiscal space is a crucial question and were devoting a lot of our resources to it.”
- On the Funds role in global climate change, Rato stressed that climate change has clear macroeconomic implicationsnot only through its direct effects, but also in terms of policies needed to mitigate its future effects. He noted that global climate change is one of the many issues on which the Fund will collaborate closely with the World Bank.
The Town Hall was followed by a reception for CSO representatives.
Other Civil Society Policy Forum Events:
- On October 17, the IMF and World Bank event organized a one-day orientation session on the work of the IMF and World Bank for journalists and CSOs that were sponsored through a WB and IMF program to increase the attendance of CSOs and journalists from developing countries (co-sponsored by the World Bank External Affairs and Africa Region, the IMFs External Relations (EXR) and African (AFR) Departments, as well as several government agencies including Japan (through the IMF Office for Asia and the Pacific), Norway, and the United Kingdom.
- Robert Gillingham of the IMFs Fiscal Affairs Department (FAD) participated in an October 18 World Bank discussion on issues and challenges in assessing the impact of policy reforms on affected groups. Other speakers were Elizabeth Stuart (Oxfam International) and World Bank staff members Steen Jorgensen and Luca Barbone.
- On October 20, the IMF organized a policy discussion with Andy Berg and Calvin McDonald (both of AFR) on the sub-Saharan Africa Regional Economic Outlook (REO), and in particular discussed the REO case studies on the creation of fiscal space for priority spending. On the same day, Jan Kees Martijn of the IMFs Policy Development and Review Department (PDR) participated in an ActionAid International policy discussion on wage bill ceilings, fiscal and monetary policies, and absorbing aid inflows. Other discussants were John Hicklin (IMF Independent Evaluation Office); David Goldsbrough (Center for Global Development,) and Akanksha A. Marphatia (ActionAid International).
- On October 21, the IMF organized a panel discussion on macroeconomic aspects of aid scaling up and the role of the Fund, moderated by PDR Deputy Director Mark Plant. Panelists included James Musoni (Rwandan Minister of Finance and Economic Planning), Louis Kasekende (African Development Bank), Owen Barder (DFID), and John Ambler (Oxfam America).
- Louis Dicks-Mireaux (PDR) participated in an October 22 exchange with the World Bank and CSOs on IFIs in post-conflict countries. The event was organized by the Bank Information Center (BIC). On the same day, Anton Op de Beke (PDR), and Charles McPherson (FAD) participated in a BIC event on contract transparency and governance in the extractive industries.
- CSO representatives also had numerous bilateral meetings with IMF staff on country (especially Africa) issues, as well as on issues such as IMF transparency and climate change.