Prime Minister Ingraham with Bahamas Ambassador to Washington, Cornelius A. Smith (left).
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WASHINGTON, DC
– Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham arrived in Washington DC on Tuesday
to chair the annual Board of Governors Meeting of the World Bank Group
(WBG) and International Monetary Fund (IMF). The Bahamas was elected
to chair the meetings at the 2010 meeting, also held in DC.
These meetings, which and occur
ahead of the meetings of the International Monetary and Financial Committee,
the Development Committee, the Group of Ten, the Group of Twenty-Four,
and various other groups of members, are a yearly opportunity for the
Boards of Governors to discuss the work of their respective institutions.
Mr. Ingraham met with World Bank
President Robert Zoellick on Tuesday afternoon, and was then briefed
by the Secretaries of the Bank and Fund. Joining the prime minister’s
delegation were State Minister of Finance Zhivargo Laing, Bahamas Central
Bank Governor Wendy Craig, Fiscal Advisor in the Ministry of Finance
Robert Henry, John Rolle, Senior Advisor to the Executive Director at
the IMF, Policy Advisor Maria-Teresa Butler, Financial Secretary Ehurd
Cunningham, Bahamas Ambassador CA Smith and Simon Wilson, from the Ministry
of Finance.
Mr. Ingraham, as chair of the
Bank and Fund, will deliver the Chairman’s address at the opening
of the Annual Meetings on Friday. At the Annual Meetings, the Boards
of Governors make decisions on how current international monetary issues
should be addressed and approve corresponding resolutions.
The prime minister is also expected
to meet with new IMF Chair Christine Lagarde.
At the conclusion of their meetings,
the International Monetary and Financial Committee and the Development
Committee, as well as several other groups, issue communiqués.
The Annual Meetings provide opportunities
for consultations large and small, formal and informal. Numerous seminars
are held in conjunction with the meetings, including seminars conducted
by staff members for members of the press. In fact, more than 13,000
people are expected to attend the 2011 meetings.
Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, who serves this year as chairman of the World Bank/IMF group is pictured with World Bank President Robert Zoellick in Washington, DC Tuesday
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