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Recent developments in IMF-CSO relations
IMF staff have been working intensely on low-income country (LIC) issues and related policy papers. Guiding these efforts are Managing Director Rodrigo de Rato's Medium-Term Strategy (MTS), which commits the Fund to deeper and more focused engagement to help low-income countries meet the Millennium Development Goals (see de Rato's July speech). The first of the LIC policy papers produced by staff is on the application of the Debt Sustainability Framework, published jointly with the World Bank in December. An article gives an overview of the paper, and others that will be published in the coming months, leading up to the April Spring Meetings and the October Annual Meetings.
One major aspect of the MTS, which may not always be on the radar of civil society organizations, is a review of one of the Fund's core responsibilities: surveillance. Surveillance describes the IMF's role in encouraging a dialogue among its member countries on the national and international consequences of their economic and financial policies, to promote external stability. An interview with Carlo Cottarelli, Deputy Director in the IMF's Policy Development and Review Department, gives an overview of the issues that are under discussion in the current review.
The on-going IMF-Civil Society dialogue remains active on many levels, as illustrated by the high-level trade union meetings with the Managing Director's participation, First Deputy Managing Director John Lipsky's trip to Mali, various staff outreach efforts described in Letters from the Field), and the list of IMF/CSO meetings in this edition's
Bulletin Board. As always, Civil Society Policy Dialogues will be organized at the time of the Spring Meetings. Interested CSOs will need to apply for accreditation (see Bulletin Board for more information).
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