ISLAMABAD: The World Bank and International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Spring Meetings of 2023, starting from next week will centre on the broad theme “Reshaping Development for a New Era”.

The World Bank’s Country Director, Najy Benhassini, in a letter, has invited Minister for Economic Affairs, Sardar Ayaza Sadiq to participate in the 2023 Spring Meetings of the IMF and the Board of Governors of the World Bank Group (WBG), which will be held from April 10-16, 2023.

According to the letter, as every year, the Spring Meetings bring together central bankers, ministers of finance and development, private sector executives, representatives from civil society organizations, and academics to discuss issues of global concern, including the world economic outlook, poverty eradication, economic development, and aid effectiveness. This year’s meetings will centre around the broad theme “Reshaping Development for a New Era”.

The 2023 Spring Meetings will take place at the IMF and WBG headquarters, in Washington DC. Delegations will be able to follow public events, press conferences, and selected sessions on IMF and World Bank digital platforms, as well as in-person by-invitation only events. Delegates from all member countries are permitted to register for in-person attendance which is done through the Executive Director’s offices.

In line with the guidelines, World Bank Country Director has requested Minister for Economic Affairs to join a bilateral delegation meeting with the World Bank’s Vice President for the South Asia region, Martin Raiser, to discuss WBGs cooperation, lending programme, and how the World Bank can help Pakistan respond to challenges and advance the development agenda over the long-term. Vice President Raiser will be joined by the regional and country leadership teams.

The office of World Bank Country Director has reached out to Minister for Economic Affairs to arrange the meeting at a time convenient to him between April 12 and 16, 2023.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023