US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent indicates US will stay in the Bank and Fund, claiming “America First does not mean America alone,” as tariffs and rising debt vulnerabilities prompt gloomy forecast.
Spring/Annual meetings
IFI governance
Analysis
G20 press conference and media statement analysis Spring Meetings 2025: lack of Chair's statement yet more evidence of challenges to global consensus
The South African G20 Presidency failed to issue a communiqué and opted not to issue a Chair’s statement at the IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings as the US administration’s explicit hostility to multilateralism significantly decreases the potential for consensus across all multilateral fora.
IFI governance
Analysis
G24 communiqué analysis Spring Meetings 2025: failure to tackle structural injustices amid geopolitical turmoil
At this year’s Spring Meetings, the G24 communiqué failed to present strategic solutions for multilateralism’s future, offering no real path to address the multiple crises facing the world.
IFI governance
Analysis
V20 communiqué analysis Spring Meetings 2025: amid attacks on climate action, climate vulnerable countries once again highlight urgent need to step back from the brink
Faced with deafening silence from Bank and Fund leadership on climate issues at the Spring Meetings, climate vulnerable countries demand urgent changes to global financial architecture.
IFI governance
Analysis
Development Committee chair’s statement analysis Spring Meetings 2025: holding out on climate, but not without private finance
The Development Committee met on 24 April, with the chair issuing a statement, instead of a communiqué, reflecting the views of the majority of the group and providing clarity on priorities and moments of consensus within the chaos.
IFI governance
Analysis
IMFC chair statement analysis Spring Meetings 2025: IMFC statement reflects IMF’s scramble to reshape the international order in new US administration’s image
IMFC chair’s statement promises private sector-led growth, productivity, and job creation, while ignoring climate action, in an almost word for word copy of US Treasury Secretary’s speech at Spring Meetings.
IFI governance
Analysis
Spring Meetings 2025 Preamble: geopolitical turmoil further muddies path of BWI reform and multilateral cooperation
As the World Bank and IMF prepare for the 2025 Spring Meetings, the US executive order reviewing its participation in global institutions has heightened long-standing concerns about the direction of the Bretton Woods system – with civil society turning to FfD4 to reimagine the future of multilateralism.
IFI governance
Analysis
Annual Meetings 2024 Wrap-up - Don’t look back: BWIs plough down path of reforms lacking evidence and willingness to engage with broader UN-led reform processes
The 2024 World Bank and IMF Annual Meetings, taking place in the context of the institutions’ 80th anniversary, offered little substantive reform despite multiple ongoing organisational processes and reviews.
IFI governance
Analysis
Development Committee chair’s statement analysis Annual Meetings 2024: compounding crises expose the World Bank’s role in structural failures but limit scope for reform
Despite Development Committee’s call for increased development impact amidst compounding crises, persistent geopolitical fragmentation constrains the critical reforms needed to address structural failures.
IFI governance
Analysis
G20 communiqué analysis Annual Meetings 2024: progress on tax and inequality obscures Group's wider failures
At the 25th anniversary of the Group’s Finance Track, the G20 communiqué’s robust language on the taxation of billionaires, including encouraging “constructive discussions” about the UN Tax Conference was contrasted by much more cautious language on MDB reform, climate finance, debt and Special Drawing Rights.
