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FROM THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS April 12, 2003JS-185
Today we meet at a time of many challenges for the global economy. I welcome this opportunity to review recent developments and to discuss our work together to promote global growth and stability. Our continued multilateral cooperation is, as always, vital to success.
Promoting Global Growth
The world recovery is continuing, but the recovery is not strong enough. For this reason each country must do its part to take action now to strengthen this recovery. The
Reducing trade barriers is fundamental to achieving growth and reducing poverty. It is important for all of us, along with the IMF, to support the objectives of the WTO negotiations begun at
Enhancing Crisis Prevention and Resolution
The
A critical part of crisis prevention is early identification of problems and early action to address them. Strong and independent IMF surveillance is important both for countries receiving IMF support and for those that do not have IMF programs. In order to be a credible and useful guide for decisionmaking, it is crucial that IMF advice be comprehensive, transparent and accountable—and as objective and clear as possible. It is particularly important to develop better and more objective assessments of the vulnerabilities that lead to crises, such as currency mismatches.
Providing better information to the public is key to crisis prevention. The IMF cannot contribute in this respect if the results of its analyses are not widely available. We call on the IMF and its members to move to a presumption of publication for surveillance and program documents, as well as summaries of Board discussions of these documents. For countries making a case for exceptional access, IMF program documents should always be published.
To help create incentives for strong policies and prudent risk-taking, the
Creating a more orderly and predictable process for debt restructuring has been a particular priority in recent months. The The IMF’s exploration of a sovereign debt restructuring mechanism has raised important issues. But clearly, given the reactions of markets and emerging market countries, we should move forward with collective action clauses. These clauses, and not a centralized mechanism, are the vehicle to resolve the issues connected with sovereign debt restructuring. There can at times be “collective action” problems that prevent a prompt, orderly resolution of a sovereign debt crisis. The source of these problems lies in the relationships and agreements of debtors and their creditors. It is these parties, not an international organization, that must assume responsibility for the solution. Therefore, it is neither necessary nor feasible to continue working on SDRM.
In coming months, we believe it is essential that work continue to strengthen the crisis resolution framework through broad voluntary approaches, and we look forward to consideration of such issues as how best to promote more widespread inclusion of collective action clauses and enhanced transparency and disclosure. Emerging markets countries which regularly access international financial markets need to assume rightful ownership of these issues and help assure a more stable and orderly international financial system.
Helping Low Income Countries
The best way to help low income countries is to focus on results and to support countries with good economic policies. Increasing economic growth is the only way to reduce poverty and raise living standards. Assistance can only be effective when countries have policies and institutions that encourage innovation and investment, and create the foundation for a vibrant private sector. President Bush’s Millennium Challenge Account is designed to channel assistance to countries that are ruling justly, investing in people, and encouraging economic freedom. Combating Terrorism Financing
We have made significant strides in the fight against the financing of terrorism since we last met. But the war against terrorism financing is far from won. We must avoid complacency, maintain focus, and keep our financial institutions and systems safe from abuse by terrorists.
The IMF/World Bank and FATF pilot project to assess country performance in combating money laundering and terrorist finance is an important part of this work. We are encouraged by progress at the mid-point of the pilot project and look forward to successful implementation and review of this important initiative. This assessment effort should become a permanent part of surveillance and oversight against money laundering and terrorist financing.
Rebuilding
It is important for the international community to cooperate in providing humanitarian relief to the Iraqi people and laying the groundwork for reconstruction and economic recovery. The IMF and World Bank have crucial roles to play, drawing on their respective areas of expertise. Engagement by the international financial institutions is vital, with the IMF performing the critical function of assessing the macroeconomic situation and helping |
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