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When booking our trip to Singapore, we’d not been able to get a room at our favorite hotel as it was fully booked. We thought that was a bit odd since we’ve been staying there for the last ten years or so with no problem and there were no public holidays or anything like that during the week we’d planned. It wasn’t until we’d arrived that we caught on … the IMF/World Bank circus is coming to town.
Timed to coincide with the Annual Meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in Singapore on the 19th and 20th of September, an intimate gathering of some 16,000 delegates and observers, there is also a Program of Seminars (PoS) where, ” you can join influential private sector executives from around the world, high level policymakers from 184 countries, and other thought leaders in the international development and financial fields for a robust and constructive dialogue to strengthen the network for cooperation in the global economy.”
You, of course, meaning someone with the connections to get yourself an invite to this large, but very exclusive club.
Centered on the theme “Asia in the World, the World in Asia”, the 2006 PoS features 37 lively and thought-provoking sessions on international finance and development issues affecting the lives of people and businesses regionally and globally. The 2006 programme includes plenary discussions, seminars and break-out sessions.
Key themes for the 2006 PoS include:
Asia Rising: Myths & Realities
Capital Markets and the Financial Sector in the Emerging Markets
Corruption, Governance and Growth
Infrastructure for the 21st Century
Why Investment Climate Matters
Trade & Investment
Energy & Security
Growth & Equity
Regional Economic and Financial Integration
Innovation & Technology
Official delegates, observers from international organisations, accredited civil society organisations, and members of the Press registered to attend the Annual Meetings may attend the Program of Seminars free of charge.
Just in case you’re not fluent in the language of big global money and how to control it, here’s what these groups say they’re all about:
The IMF promotes international monetary cooperation and provides policy advice and technical assistance to help countries build and maintain strong economies. The Fund also makes loans and helps countries devise policy programs to solve balance of payments problems-that is, situations where sufficient financing on affordable terms cannot be obtained to meet net international payments. IMF loans are relatively short-term, and funded mainly by the pool of quota contributions provided by its members. IMF staff are primarily economists with wide experience in macroeconomic and financial policies.
The World Bank Group promotes long-term economic development and poverty reduction by providing technical and financial support to help countries reform particular sectors or implement specific projects-for example, building schools and health centers, providing water and electricity, fighting disease, and protecting the environment. World Bank assistance is generally long-term, and is funded both by member country contributions and through bond issuance. World Bank staff are often specialists in particular issues, sectors, or techniques.
More to come
