Press Release No. 15/333

Press Release: IMF and El Salvador to Hold Central American Conference, Focusing on Regional Outlook, Fiscal Policy, and Financial Integration

July 13, 2015

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the government of El Salvador will host the XIII Regional Conference for Central America, Panama, and the Dominican Republic on July 23-24, 2015 in San Salvador. The focus will be on the macroeconomic outlook for the region, including the effect of monetary policy in the United States, as well as policies for inclusive growth, experience with fiscal responsibility frameworks, and the benefits and risks from growing financial integration. The conference will bring together central bank governors, finance ministers, and financial sector superintendents of the region, as well as senior officials of the IMF and other multilateral organizations.

“The conference will bring to the table major regional policy makers to discuss options to strengthen policy frameworks and reforms to remove investment obstacles, with a view to enhance the resilience of the regional economy, raise potential growth, and ease inequality gaps” Alejandro Werner, Director of the IMF’s Western Hemisphere Department said.

The President of El Salvador, Salvador Sanchez-Cerén, will open the conference. The IMF delegation will be headed by Mitsuhiro Furusawa, IMF’s Deputy Managing Director, and Mr. Werner, who oversees IMF activities and operations in the Western Hemisphere, including Central America, Panama, and the Dominican Republic.

Link to program/website: http://www.imf.org/external/np/seminars/eng/2015/capdr/index.htm