Vietnam/IMF Conference, Hanoi, Vietnam, March 22, 2010
Post-Crisis Growth and Poverty Reduction in Developing Asia
Asia is at a historic turning point. The region played a major leadership role during the recent global financial crisis, and has emerged as the global economy’s new engine of growth. Within Asia, however, Developing Asia faces a unique set of policy challenges, sustaining high growth and continuing poverty alleviation. Against this backgrop, this conferences focuses on the following two themes.
- Recovery from the global crisis. While showcasing Developing Asia’s success in economic management and highlighting lessons for other regions, the seminar will address near-term policy issues in the new-and-likely changed external environment; in addition to discussing the role of the IFI and donor community.
- Achieving emerging market status. While drawing lessons from the past in a candid and constructive manner, the seminar will discuss how best to raise growth and reduce poverty. Particular attention will be put on both policies that increase investment and polices that safeguard the lives of the most vulnerable.
Podcast
An overview of the conference
Masato Miyazaki talks about the conference and some pressing issues facing developing countries in Asia.
Fund facilities for LICs
Jan Kees Martijn & Yongzheng Yang talk about IMF's new and revised facilities for low-income countries.
Hanoi, Vietnam, March 22, 2010
| 8:30 am | Registration |
| 9:00 am | Opening session Opening remarks: Nguyen Van Giau, Governor, State Bank of Vietnam Keynote address: John Lipsky, First Deputy Managing Director, International Monetary Fund Topic:: IMF’s role in low-income countries and poverty alleviation |
| 9:45 am | Group Photo |
| 10:00 am | Session I: Recovery from the global crisis LIC Asia has rebounded rapidly from the effects of the crisis. The main channel of influence has been the external environment, including through the impact on trade, remittances, donor flows, and other forms of external financing. Against this background, this session will address two questions. First, what are the main near-term policy challenges going forward in the new-and-likely-changed external environment? Second, what is the role of the IFI and donor community? Chair: Nguyen Van Binh, Deputy Governor, State Bank of Vietnam Lead Speaker (30 minutes): Anoop Singh, Director, Asia Pacific Department, International Monetary Fund Topic: Prospects and challenges (English/Vietnamese) Panelists (15 minutes each): Duncan Green, Head of Research, Oxfam Great Britain Topic: Crisis and the poor (English/Vietnamese) Somchai Jitsuchon, Research Director, Thailand Development Research Institute Topic: Near-term policy challenges (English/Vietnamese) C. Lawrence Greenwood, Jr., Vice President, Asian Development Bank Topic: Role of IFI and donor community Chuluundorj Khashchuluun, Chairman, National Development and Innovation Committee, Mongolia Topic: Experience in Mongolia(English/Vietnamese) Question & answer period (30 minutes) |
| 12:00 pm | Lunch Keynote address: Hiroshi Watanabe, President&CEO, Japan Bank for International Cooperation |
| 1:30 pm |
Session II: Achieving emerging market status This session will concentrate on how best to increase growth and reduce poverty, with a particular focus on increasing investment. First, the session will discuss the fiscal policy challenges of addressing the needs for poverty reduction and infrastructure improvements. Second, the session will address the potential for reforms that could increase private investment through financial development, better regulatory frameworks, and improvements in the business climate. Chair: Hang Chuon Naron, Secretary General, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Cambodia Lead Speaker (30 minutes): Robert Wade, Professor of Political Economy and Development, London School of Economics Topic: Overview and discussion points (English/Vietnamese) Panelists (15 minutes each): James W. Adams, East Asia and Pacific Vice President, World Bank Topic: Improving business environment (English) Mark Johnson, Mark Johnson, ABAC Member, APEC Business Advisory Council Topic: Experience with PPPs (English/Vietnamese) Hiroto Arakawa, Senior Special Advisor, Japan International Cooperation Agency Topic: Poverty reduction and social safety nets (English/Vietnamese) Vu Thanh Tu Anh, Director of Research, Fulbright Economics Teaching Program, Vietnam Topic: Experience in Vietnam(English/Vietnamese) Question & answer period (30 minutes) |
| 3:30 pm | Coffee Break |
| 3:45 pm | Policy roundtable In the post-crisis environment, what policies are critical for enhancing growth and reducing poverty? Are there any lessons we can draw from the crisis? Moderator: John Lipsky, First Deputy Managing Director, International Monetary Fund Panelists: Muhammad Allah Malik Kazemi, Senior Consultant and Adviser to Governor, Bangladesh Surendra Pandey, Minister of Finance, Nepal Maria Almasara Cyd Amador, Assistant Governor, Philippines Punchi Bandara Jayasundera, Finance Secretary, Sri Lanka Tran Du Lich, Member of Economic Affairs Committee, National Assembly of Vietnam |
| 5:30 pm | End of seminar |
| 7:00 pm | Dinner Closing remarks: Takatoshi Kato, former Deputy Managing Director, International Monetary Fund |
| Briefing Session | |
| 5:30 pm | Briefing on Fund facilities for LICs(English/Vietnamese) This briefing will provide an overview of how the IMF has responded to the impact of the recent global food, fuel and financial crises on low-income countries (LICs). It will first present information about how the Fund has stepped up its financial assistance to LICs in the wake of the crises and how the new concessional lending facilities can make resources available to meet the diverse financing needs of LICs. The new flexibility in the LIC debt sustainability framework and debt limits policy will also be outlined. This will be followed by a discussion on how the design of Fund-supported programs has been adapted to address the fallout from the global crises in low-income countries. Focus will be given to the expansion of macroeconomic policy space (in terms of inflation targets, fiscal deficits, and external current account deficits) in response to the crises and the streamlining of structural conditionality in recent programs. The presenters will answer questions about the new lending facilities and general Fund policies on low-income countries. Lead speakers: Jan Kees Martijn, Strategy, Policy, and Review Department, International Monetary Fund Yongzheng Yang, Strategy, Policy and Review Department, International Monetary Fund |
| 5:30 pm | Press briefing (Hai Phong meeting room, M Floor) |