Bank-Fund Annual Meetings 2003

Members of the staff of the Bank and Fund, Board members, development and finance ministers are gathered in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates 18 - 24 September.

From 20 - 24 September, 'civil society dialogues' organised by NGOs include:

• A Civil Society Response to the World Bank's New 'High Risk/High Reward' Strategy
• Discussion on Social Accountability and Human Rights
• The Long-Term Economic Effects of HIV/AIDS
• Getting Serious About the MDGs
• Discussion on the Education for All Initiative

Civil society attendance looks to be quite limited compared with previous gatherings in Washington. Contact information for some of the groups which will be in Dubai is available on IFIwatchnet.

Peter Bosshard of International Rivers Network comments that, like the Dubai convention center, the annual meetings present a well-packaged program of illusions and wishful thinking, and keep the hard realities of World Bank projects and IMF programs out of sight. The World Bank's Time Machine in Dubai

Njoki Njehu of 50 Years is Enough reports civil society representatives call for developing country delegates in Dubai to continue to display the "spirit of resistance" they showed in Cancun.IMF/World Bank opponents in Dubai call for global south to extend Cancun's spirit of resistance

Links to all the documents released by civil society for the Annual Meetings are available at IFIwatchnet.

A series of public seminars organised by the Bank and Fund covers:

• Governance Beyond Governments: The New Chemistry of Public-Private Cooperation
• Impact of AIDS on Investment Decisions
• Effective Communication and the Success of Reforms
• Role of Business in Building Peace and Democracy
• Water: From Scarcity to Security

For a comprehensive calendar of events, visit IFIwatchnet.

The formal agenda includes:

Sept 20 G24 Ministers meeting
Sept 21 International Monetary and Financial Committee Meeting (IMFC) meeting
World Economic Outlook; crisis prevention and resolution; IMF and low income countries; and progress reports on IMF quotas and governance, and activities of the IEO
Sept 22 Development Committee Meeting
Supporting sound policies with adequate and appropriate financing; Enhancing voice and participation of developing and transition countries; and progress reports on trade, MDGs, PRSP implementation, HIPC, and the Bank's Infrastructure Implementation Action Plan.
Sept 23 Annual Meetings - opening session

Documents which will be discussed by the Development Committee and the IMFC are posted on the DC website

Check back for regular updates from the Bretton Woods Project during and after the meetings.

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Published: 18 September 2003 , last edited: 4 July 2006

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