Policy Papers
2023
June 16, 2023
Review of the Climate Macroeconomic Assessment Program Pilots
Description: This paper reviews the two Climate Macroeconomic Assessment Program (CMAP) pilots and proposes a way forward. It builds on the experience of the previous six Climate Change Policy Assessment (CCPA) pilots, and the recent rollout of the World Bank’s Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR). It also accounts for early experience with countries requesting support under the Fund’s Resilience and Sustainability Trust (RST). Based on the lessons from pilots and recent developments, staff proposes to streamline the CMAP to focus on the Fund’s comparative advantages in the areas of mitigation, PFM and macro-fiscal impact of climate change policies, provide a streamlined CMAP in exceptional circumstances, and expand more targeted CD in particular in support of RSF countries. This focused and tailored approach would benefit members as it is more agile, allows the Fund to serve more members within the same resource envelope and enhance synergies with other Fund products and the World Bank’s CCDR.
June 16, 2023
Review of the Fund’s Income Position for FY2023 and FY2024
Description: This paper updates the projections of the Fund’s income position for FY 2023 and FY 2024 and proposes related decisions for the current and next financial year. The paper also includes a proposed decision to keep the margin for the rate of charge unchanged for financial year 2024. The Fund’s overall net income for FY 2023 is projected at about SDR 1.8 billion, slightly lower than the April 2022 estimate.
June 14, 2023
Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust—Review of Interest Rate Structure—Postponement
Description: This paper proposes to postpone the next review of the PRGT interest rate structure to end-July 2025, given the desirability to consider all policies regarding low-income country facilities—including those related to PRGT interest rates—at once in the context of 2024/25 Review of the Fund’s Concessional Facilities and Financing. As a result of this postponement, the interest rates on all PRGT credit would be kept at zero until the completion of the next review.
May 30, 2023
Implementation Plan in Response to the Board-Endorsed Recommendation from the IEO Evaluation On IMF and Capacity Development
Description: This Management Implementation Plan (MIP) proposes actions in response to the Board-endorsed recommendations provided by the Independent Evaluation Office (IEO)’s report on IMF and Capacity Development (CD). Staff has already begun addressing some of the IEO recommendations and several of the actions proposed in this MIP reflect initiatives in train. Resource implications are therefore expected to be manageable in the near term as these actions have mostly been incorporated into departmental work plans and budgets for fiscal year (FY) 2024. Medium-term resource implications will be discussed in the context of the FY 2025-FY 2026 medium-term budget proposals.
April 26, 2023
2023 Review of Resource Adequacy of the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust, Resilience and Sustainability Trust, and Debt Relief Trusts
Description: This paper provides an integrated perspective across the Trusts of the Fund. It is the first annual review that combines discussion of the adequacy of the resources of the Fund’s Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT) and debt relief trusts, including the Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust (CCRT), with that of the Resilience and Sustainability Trust (RST). The review of the PRGT assesses recent developments for lending demand, fundraising, and interest rates and compares them to the baseline projections underpinning the July 2021 reforms. A multi-pronged strategy is proposed to address identified strains on PRGT finances while minimizing negative effects for PRGT borrowers and preserving the confidence of PRGT lenders. On the recently established RST, this paper reports its fundraising progress; discusses demand developments and outlook for RST financing; assesses adequacy of loan resources and reserves; and examines, in view of increases in the SDR interest rate, the implications of adopting an interest rate cap at 2¼ percent for the lowest income group eligible for RST borrowing. The attached file has been amended on June 2, 2023 to include the Summing Up that was inadvertently omitted from the bundle
April 24, 2023
Resilience And Sustainability Trust―2023 Contribution Agreements with Estonia, France, Japan, Korea, Lithuania, and The Netherlands
Description: This paper presents six Resilience and Sustainability (RST) contribution agreements finalized with contributors between December 2022 and March 2023 including an existing agreement that was amended and restated. The concluded agreements provide for contributions in a total amount of about SDR 9.5 billion across the three RST accounts – the loan account, deposit account, and reserve account. The new agreements with six members add critical resources that support the continued smooth operations of the RST.
April 21, 2023
2023 Handbook of IMF Facilities for Low-Income Countries
Description: This Handbook provides guidance to staff on the IMF’s concessional financial facilities and non-financial instruments for low-income countries (LICs), defined here as all countries eligible to obtain concessional financing from the Fund. It updates the previous version of the Handbook that was published in December 2017 (IMF, 2017e) by incorporating modifications resulting from the 2018–19 Review of Facilities for Low-Income Countries and Review of the Financing of the Fund’s Concessional Assistance and Debt Relief to Low-Income Member Countries (IMF, 2019a, b), approved by the Board in May 2019; the reforms introduced in 2021 on the basis of the Board paper Fund Concessional Financial Support for Low-Income Countries—Responding to the Pandemic (IMF, 2021a), approved in July 2021; and a number of other recent Board papers. Designed as a comprehensive reference tool for program work on LICs, the Handbook also refers, in summary form, to a range of relevant policies that apply more generally to IMF members. As with all guidance notes, the relevant IMF Executive Board decisions including the terms of the various LIC Trust Instruments that have been adopted by the Board, remain the primary legal authority on the matters covered in the Handbook.
April 13, 2023
Progress Report to The IMFC on The Activities of The Independent Evaluation Office of The IMF: April 7, 2023
Description: Since the 2022 Annual Meetings, good progress has been made in advancing evaluation work at the IMF. The IEO has completed one evaluation and commenced two new evaluations selected from a menu of possible topics previously discussed with the Executive Board. A book drawing from the IEO 20th Anniversary Conference was published in early April. The current IEO Director, Charles Collyns, completes his term in April and will be succeeded by Pablo Moreno in May.
April 13, 2023
The Managing Director's Global Policy Agenda, Spring Meetings 2023: Safeguard Economic Stability, Support Vulnerable Countries, Sustain Our Future Prosperity
Description: The global economy is at another highly uncertain moment: tentative signs of stabilization earlier this year have receded, and the outlook is increasingly risky and uncertain. At the same time, divisions within and across countries are deepening, exacerbated by rising fragmentation. Strong policy action is needed together with pragmatic approaches to find areas of common ground to respond to shared challenges. The IMF is proactively engaging with our members to chart a clear course to a stronger and more sustainable path for the global economy.