Press Release No. 13/425

Press Release: IMF, Vanuatu to Co-host a High-Level Conference On Lifting Economic Growth in the Pacific Islands

November 5, 2013

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the government of Vanuatu will co-host a high-level conference in Port Vila on November 22, 2013. Lifting Potential Growth in the Pacific Islands will build on last year’s high level conference held in Samoa on enhancing resilience and fostering inclusive growth, and is expected to bring together again leading policy makers from 12 Pacific Island nations, representatives from regional development partners, academia, think tank, NGOs, the private sector, and senior management of key international organizations.

“I very much look forward to visiting the Pacific region again to continue the constructive dialogue that we started in Samoa last year,” said Min Zhu, IMF Deputy Managing Director. “The conference will provide a unique opportunity to share experiences and best practices on policies, and learn from each other on how to implement effectively these reforms to raise growth in the region,” he added.

Opened by H.E. Moana Carcassess Kalosil, Prime Minister of Vanuatu, the conference will discuss concrete policies to help the Pacific Islands increase their economic output. These include policies that could leverage increasing integration with emerging Asia, Australia and New Zealand, and enhancing intraregional cooperation and coordination to find regional solutions to common issues. Delegates will discuss actions to ease impediments to private sector development, including the use of public-private partnerships, and provide recommendations on how to build resilience against natural disasters and climate change shocks. In addition, the conference will focus on policy options to enhance macro fiscal stability, support growth and strengthen institutions and governance.

For more details, please see: http://www.imf.org/external/np/seminars/eng/2013/PIC/index.htm.