IMF Seminar: Reviving Growth and Shaping Transformations in Emerging Market and Developing Economies

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IMF SEMINAR EVENT

DATE: October 12, 2023

DAY: Thursday

2:00 PM - 2:45 PM

LOCATION: AA02 Al Karaouine

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Overview

Emerging market and developing economies are grappling with economic scarring and limited policy flexibility in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Decisive policy measures are urgently required to revive growth and address crucial transitions such as the green shift, digitalization, and technological advancements. However, surging public debt and persistent inflation impose constraints and present challenging policy trade-offs. The seminar explores the renewed need for well-designed and sequenced structural reforms—those aimed at improving the fundamentals of an economy—as a pivotal tool in accelerating growth and fostering sustainable structural transformations while mitigating immediate macro-policy trade-offs.

Join the conversation via #RevivingGrowth

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IMF Seminar: Reviving Growth and Shaping Transformations in Emerging Market and Developing Economies

Panelists

Panelist: Antoinette Monsio Sayeh

Antoinette M. Sayeh assumed office as Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund on March 16, 2020.

Ms. Sayeh has been a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Center for Global Development (CGD) since November 2016 and was Co-Chair for the recently concluded 19th Replenishment of the International Development Association (IDA19), the World Bank’s Fund for the poorest. She previously oversaw and significantly enhanced the International Monetary Fund’s engagement with its sub-Saharan African members as Director of the African Department between July 2008 and August 2016. Full bio

Panelist: Nizar Baraka

In 2021, Nizar Baraka was appointed as the Minister for Equipment and Water. Prior to this, he served as the Chairman of the Economic, Social, and Environmental Council. He held the position of Minister of Economy and Finance from 2012 to 2013 and served as the Minister of State for Economic and General Affairs from 2007 to 2012. In 2006, he was appointed Deputy Director of the Directorate of Studies and Financial Forecasting within the Ministry of Finance. Before joining the government service, he gained teaching experience at the Faculty of Legal, Economic and Social Sciences of Mohammed V University and at the National Institute of Statistics and Applied Economics. He holds a Ph.D. in economic sciences from the University of Aix-Marseille and a diploma in econometrics from the Mohammed V Faculty of Law.

Panelist: Amer Bisat

Amer Bisat, PhD., Global Head of Emerging Markets Fixed Income at BlackRock, is a member of the Fundamental Fixed Income Executive Committee. At BlackRock, he leads the team managing approximately US$ 35 billion in EM assets. Prior to joining BlackRock, he held portfolio management responsibilities at Morgan Stanley and UBS. Between 1991 and 1998, he was a senior economist at the International Monetary Fund where he helped negotiate programs with Russia, Ukraine, and Egypt.

Amer taught Economics at Columbia University, co-authored a book on globalization, and published research on growth and financial sector development. He sits on the Advisory Council of the Carnegie Middle East Center, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He earned his PhD from Columbia University.

Panelist: Magdalena Rzeczkowska

Magdalena Rzeczkowska was appointed the Minister of Finance of Poland on 26 April 2022. In 2020, she was appointed Secretary of State at the Ministry of Finance and the Head of the National Fiscal Administration. Prior to joining the Ministry of Finance in 2002, she worked at the Central Office of Customs. Over her more than 20 years of professional work, she initiated and coordinated the process of introducing a number of legal and organizational solutions to support entrepreneurs involved in the international trade in goods. Magdalena Rzeczkowska graduated from the Law and Administration Faculty at Warsaw University and postgraduate studies in European integration at the same University.

Moderator: Lubna Bouza

Ms. Lubna Bouza is the Editor in Chief – Business News and Presenter at Sky News Arabia TV based in Abu Dhabi, UAE. She has led the coverage of International and GCC stock markets, trading trends, global and regional financial stories for nearly ten years. She presents and produces “Alam Al Taqa” show: A weekly program that reviews the most important energy issues worldwide while discussing them with industry decision makers and analysts.

During her years in financial journalism, Lubna interviewed a wide range of regional and international leaders, CEOs and Ministers including ECB President Christine Lagarde, Microsoft Co- founder Bill Gates, President of the World Bank David Malpass, US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, IMF MD Kristalina Georgieva, The Minister of Finance in KSA HE Mohammed Al Jadaan, and CEO of Aramco Amin Al Naser among others. She has also covered and reported from major international events and conferences, including the IMF and WB meetings, the WEF Annual Meeting in Davos and the FII in KSA.

Lubna joined Sky News Arabia from CNBC Arabia. She holds a Master’s in applied Finance and Banking and master’s in international business administration (with emphasis on Economics) from the University of Wollongong- Australia

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