EVENTS
Meeting development partners at World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings EVENT: The OPEC Fund in Washington “AN ANCHOR OF STABILITY”
T he weather was unseasonably warm (with temperatures of up to 31°), but the news sent a chill down everybody’s spine: “Growth remains historically weak now and in the medium-term”, said the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, as guests from all over the world flocked to Washington in mid- April to attend the traditional Spring Meetings of the World Bank and IMF. Among them was OPEC Fund Director-General Abdulhamid Alkhalifa who led a delegation of the development institution to the meetings in the US capital. The agenda included talks with development partner countries and organizations as well as a series of media engagements. Using the opportunity to connect with the World Bank leadership, he met with the Vice Presidents for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Antonella
In a volatile environment we must serve as an anchor of stability and safety.
Abdulhamid Alkhalifa, OPEC Fund Director-General
PHOTO: JHVEPhoto – stock.adobe.com
safety. As the global economy passes through choppy waters, the demand for development support is rapidly increasing. Resources are limited and increasingly scarce and we must make sure that they are shared so that those in real need are not being neglected.” Beyond the grim forecast that growth is set to hover around 3 percent for the next five years, the IMF’s lowest medium-term growth forecast since 1990, a second topic dominated the conversation among government representatives, policy-makers and development professionals: The growing realization that a root-
Bassani, Middle East and North Africa, Ferid Belhaj, South Asia, Martin Raiser, as well as Western and Central Africa, Ousmane Diagana. The OPEC Fund head said: “In a volatile and turbulent environment the multinational development banks must continue to serve as an anchor of stability and
Ousmane Diagana, World Bank, Regional Vice President for Western and Central Africa, meets Abdulhamid Alkhalifa, OPEC Fund Director-General
54
PHOTO: OPEC Fund/ Axel Reiserer
Powered by FlippingBook