Tackling Global Risks—Building Capacity to Manage Public Debt

|

Location: HQ1 Atrium, HQ1-1-700

 

 

 

OVERVIEW

The worldwide pandemic and lingering high food and energy prices have aggravated already existing debt challenges in many low-income countries and emerging market economies. Working closely with country authorities and donor partners, the IMF supports member countries through tailored technical assistance and training in several different areas ranging from better debt management to increased debt transparency. This event will discuss how we can better partner for more impactful capacity development (CD)—well integrated with policy advice and lending—to support countries to reduce debt vulnerabilities in the short term and prevent systemic and country-specific crises in the long run. The panel will feature the role of country authorities from beneficiary countries, partner representatives, and IMF staff, and will take stock of the current debt landscape and discuss ideas to strengthen CD delivery in support of successful outcomes, particularly in areas of high demand—debt transparency, debt sustainability, and debt management.

 

MODERATOR

 

  

Dominique Desruelle, Director, Institute for Capacity Development, IMF

Dominique Desruelle is Director of the Institute for Capacity Development (ICD) at the IMF. In this capacity, he oversees governance and fundraising of the IMF's capacity development activities, the Fund's online training program for external participants, the internal economics training program for Fund staff, the Fund’s network of regional training centers, and ICD’s delivery of training and technical assistance to member countries on macroeconomic analysis and forecasting and related topics.

 

SPEAKERS

 

Gita Gopinath, First Deputy Managing Director, IMF

Gita Gopinath is the First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as of January 21, 2022. In that role she oversees the work of staff, represents the Fund at multilateral forums, maintains high-level contacts with member governments and Board members, the media, and other institutions, leads the Fund’s work on surveillance and related policies, and oversees research and flagship publications. Ms. Gopinath previously served as the Chief Economist of the Fund from 2019-22. Prior to joining the IMF, Ms. Gopinath was the John Zwaanstra Professor of International Studies and of Economics at Harvard University’s economics department (2005-22) and before that she was an assistant professor of economics at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business (2001-05). Ms. Gopinath received her Ph.D. in economics from Princeton University in 2001, after earning a B.A. from Lady Shri Ram College and M.A. degrees from Delhi School of Economics and the University of Washington. 

  

Lasha Khutsishvili, Minister of Finance of Georgia

Mr. Lasha Khutsishvili is the Minister of Finance of Georgia since April 2021. Beginning his career as a member of the Council of Tax Resolution at the Ministry of Finance of Georgia in 2007, he then moved to Ernst&Young LLC’s, where he worked for 5 years in a Tax and Legal Division. Mr. Khutsishvili re-joined the civil service in 2013 as a Director General of the Revenue Service of Georgia and subsequently, since 2014 held position of the Deputy Minister of Finance of Georgia. From 2014 to 2020 he supervised Tax Dispute Council at the Ministry. Mr. Khutsishvili is a graduate of the Free University Business School (ESM) and the University of Preston in the field of Business Administration.

  

Romuald Wadagni, Minister of Economy and Finance, Benin

Romuald Wadagni has been the Minister of Economy and Finance since April 2016. His appointment was immediately followed by a “very satisfactory” implementation of a Fund-supported ECF (2017–20). He is  President of the Board of Governors of the ECOWAS Investment and Development Bank since April 2021. He is a certified auditor and held senior positions at Deloitte France. Mr. Wadagni is a graduate of Harvard Business School and Université de Grenoble Alpes. He was awarded African Finance Minister of the year in 2019 and 2020.

 

PHOTOS