The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Managing Director, Kristalina Georgieva, stated earlier this year that "...this is the time to do all it takes to support those most affected by the crisis". While these remarks are welcome, an analysis of the IMF’s role in countries across Latin America and the Caribbean shows the need to question the action behind the rhetoric.Concrete measures are needed to expand fiscal space beyond times of emergency, and avoid returning to recurrent austerity measures that undermine States’ capacity to fulfil their human rights obligations. And yet, there is increasing evidence that IMF advice and conditions are pushing in the opposite direction.
With the aim of discussing ways to pursue these goals, CESR co-organized an event at the Civil Society Policy Forum of the 2020 World Bank Group and IMF Annual Meetings. The event, "Changing the rules for a just recovery: aligning IMF’s work with fiscal justice and human rights in LAC", was sponsored by the 7 civil society organizations that make up the Initiative on Human Rights in Fiscal Policy, as well as Latindadd and Red de Justicia Fiscal de América Latina y el Caribe.
Read the event summary in English here.
Lee el resumen de este evento en español aquí.