INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND AND WORLD BANK GROUP 2002 Spring Meetings APRIL 20–21, 2002 WASHINGTON, D.C. |
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The Spring Meetings and related events of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Group will be held in Washington, D.C., April 20-21, 2002.
The schedule of events and press conferences are available on the joint Spring Meetings web site of the IMF and World Bank Group. This web site provides links to the press accreditation form that must be submitted by journalists for access to the Meetings, and to important information that will assist journalists in their preparation for the Meetings. The Press Room at IMF Headquarters, 700 19th St. NW, will open at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 18. Technicians for financial news wires and other accredited news organizations may access the press room starting at 9:00 a.m. on April 17 through special arrangements with the IMF's Media Relations Division (media@imf.org). PRESS ACCREDITATION AND REGISTRATION The IMF and World Bank welcome journalists at their meetings. To obtain Meetings accreditation, journalists must complete the on-line registration form. The deadline for submission is April 12, 2002. To request a paper copy of the registration form, send a request by facsimile to: ++1 (202) 623-4100 To be accredited, you must hold valid press credentials or provide substantive evidence of professional bona fides. Journalists in the Washington area must have press credentials issued by either the White House, the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the House and Senate Press Gallery, or the U.S. Department of Defense. Journalists based outside Washington must have 1) press credentials issued by national or local authorities; or 2) must submit an assignment letter from their Editor, along with a copy of the publication. Submissions should be sent by mail to: Press Registration Records and Information Section (12-100) International Monetary Fund Washington, DC 20431 Broadcast networks and organizations seeking accreditation for large numbers of staff are asked to submit a single request listing staff by name and job description via email to press@imf.org, or by fax to [1] 202-623-4100. Freelance journalists, including photographers, must provide clear evidence they are on assignment from a specific news organization or publication. A valid assignment letter from that news organization, or publication, is required. Photographic agencies must provide clear evidence from a client news organization, or publication, as well. Non-governmental organizations can secure one, non-transferable NGO Press badge per organization provided the person securing the accreditation is a bona fide staff member of a publication produced by that organization. The publication must have a circulation beyond the NGO's internal staff and membership. Evidence to support verification of the publication's circulation is required when the application is submitted. Requests for accreditation will be accepted unless applicants cannot establish they are professional journalists, or the applications are incomplete. Applicants can check the status of their requests on-line by utilizing the URL received when an application is submitted. If you have any questions about accreditation, please send inquiries to media@imf.org. PRESS CREDENTIALS, CREDENTIALS PICK UP LOCATION AND PRESS ROOM INFORMATION The deadline for filing an application for Spring Meetings press credentials is Friday, April 12. Journalists who have been approved for accreditation will be able to pick up credentials starting from 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 17 at IMF Headquarters, 700 19th St NW, Washington DC. Persons are required to present their press credentials bearing a photograph when picking up their Meetings credential. Details regarding the location and hours of operation of the press registration desk will be posted on the joint Meetings web site at a later date. The Spring Meetings credential grants access to the Press Room, press conferences, and briefings in IMF Headquarters, as well as at the World Bank Group. PRESS ROOM AND COMMUNICATIONS ARRANGEMENTS The Press Room at IMF Headquarters, Red and Blue levels, will operate from Thursday, April 18, through Sunday, April 21. It will have limited work spaces available on a first-come, first-served basis. Each desk will be equipped with power outlets and a telephone that enables only free local calls. Long-distance calls may be placed collect, or through telephone credit cards. Journalists will be able to purchase telephone cards on site for direct-dial long-distance calls. Press Room telephones can be used for data transmission via personal laptops. Self-service facsimile machines will be available in the Press Room, although use will require a major credit card. Computers are not provided to journalists. Internet kiosks will be available in the Press Rooms. The Internet kiosks allow easy access to the IMF web site and World Bank Group web site. The web sites will have links to a joint Spring Meetings' site containing the schedule of press events, as well as transcripts, news releases, and other information as it becomes available. INTERVIEW REQUESTS The IMF and World Bank media relations divisions handle requests for interviews with IMF and World Bank officials during the Meetings. However, the press officers do not service interview requests for official delegations to the Meetings. Those requests must be made directly to the delegations. TV AND STILL PHOTO POOLS The photo opportunities at the start of ministerial committee meetings (Group of 24, Group of 10, International Monetary and Financial Committee and Development Committee) will be pooled. A selection of still photos in high resolution will be available after each event on the Spring Meetings web site. Pool members will meet in the atrium of IMF Headquarters for the G24, G10, and IMFC, and in the atrium of the World Bank's Main Complex (1818 H Street) for the Development Committee a half hour before each event, according to the Tentative Schedule of Events. This schedule will be updated and distributed in the press room while the Meetings are underway. TELEVISION TRANSMISSION AND FACILITIES To inquire about the limited video and audio transmission arrangements from IMF Headquarters, please send an email to media@imf.org, or a facsimile to ++1 (202)623-6772. Inquiries should be submitted no later than Friday, April 12. HOTELS Journalists planning to cover the Spring Meetings are responsible for making their own hotel arrangements. The District of Columbia's official tourism web site offers some hotel booking services, and guidance. The web site is located at www.washington.org. OFFICIAL AND PRESS EVENTS The Spring Meetings offer a number of official and press events that are of interest to journalists. All press briefings are transcribed and posted on the external web sites of the IMF and World Bank Group, as soon as possible. The primary events are the meetings of
IMF Managing Director Horst Köhler will be speaking Wednesday, April 17, at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. All press are welcomed to the luncheon address, which will include a question and answer session. World Bank Group President James D. Wolfensohn will hold a press conference on Friday, April 19, in the main press briefing room for the Spring Meetings, which is located in IMF Headquarters, Room B-702. The World Economic Outlook (WEO) press conference at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 18, is led by IMF Economic Counsellor and Research Department Director Kenneth Rogoff and is devoted to the latest issue of the WEO. Published typically twice a year, the WEO contains projections and analysis that are an integral part of the IMF's surveillance of economic developments, policies in its member countries and of the global economic system. Copies of the IMF's WEO will be available on a strict embargo basis to the press 24 hours before the report's scheduled release. Embargoed copies can be secured electronically by sending a formal e-mail request to media@imf.org. The WEO documents, together with the contents of the press conference, will be under strict embargo until 11:00 a.m. Washington time on April 18. The World Development Indicators (WDI) press conference on Saturday, April 20th is led by World Bank Chief Economist Nick Stern. The WDI is the World Bank's premier annual compilation of data about development. WDI 2002 includes 800 indicators in 85 tables, organized in six sections: world view, people, environment, economy, states and markets, and global links. The tables cover 148 economies and 15 country groups - with basic indicators for a further 63 economies. This year's release is expected to attract more attention than usual because of the increased emphasis on tracking progress towards the Millenium Development Goals. The WDI will be available to the press on the World Bank's Online Media Briefing Center at http://media.worldbank.org approximately one week before the April 20 launch. The OMBC is a password-protected web site for journalists only. CONTACT INFORMATION
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