core sector communique

THE IMF AND CIVIL SOCIETY

2011 IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings

September 24, 2011

This year’s Annual Meetings of the IMF and the World Bank presented a first opportunity for CSO representatives and youth leaders to engage with new IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde.

Speaking at her first Town Hall meeting with representatives from civil society organizations, youth leaders, and academics and welcoming the group, Lagarde remarked that the panel, except for World Bank President Zoellick, consisted of all women, but added that “there is nothing like a room full of men and women to actually demonstrate that gender is really addressed and is demonstrated in real life.”

Reiterating her message for the Annual Meetings, Lagarde stressed the need for cooperation and collective action by all countries. “…I can tell you that I sense at this very moment a sense of urgency, a sense that leaders of the world understand that they have to act—they have to act collectively, they have to act boldly—to address the issues that are currently looming in the advanced economies.” “It is interesting to see that there a bit of a role reversal at the moment where the emerging markets and the low-income countries have fared a lot better in the crisis that some of the advanced economies,” she added, stressing the need for countries to work together and learn from each other.

Managing Director Lagarde also pointed out the role played by dialogue and engagement with civil society. “It is interesting to see that there a bit of a role reversal at the moment where the emerging markets and the low-income countries have fared a lot better in the crisis that some of the advanced economies,” she said, stressing the need for countries to work together and learn from each other.