Top Lankan team for IMF-WB annual meetings in Tokyo

Senior Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama, Central Bank Governor Nivard Cabraal and senior team, Finance Ministry officials to attend key meetings

By Nisthar Cassim

in Tokyo

A high-level Sri Lankan delegation led by Senior Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama and comprising Central Bank Governor Nivard Cabraal will attend the IMF-World Bank Annual Meeting beginning from Wednesday in Tokyo.

The Lankan team also includes the Finance Ministry’s External Resources Director General M.P.D.U.K. Mapa Pathirana, Department of Fiscal Policy Director General K.M.M. Siriwardana, IMF Alternative Executive Director K.D. Ranasinghe, Central Bank Deputy Governor Dr. P.N. Weerasinghe, Deputy Governor, Central Bank’s Chief Economist S. Gunaratne, Superintendent of Public Debt Dhammika Nanayakkara, and Sri Lanka’s Ambassador in Japan Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda.

On until 14 October in Tokyo, the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group bring together central bankers, ministers of finance and development, private sector executives, and academics to discuss issues of global concern, including the world economic outlook, poverty eradication, economic development, and aid effectiveness.

Also featured are seminars, regional briefings, press conferences, and many other events focused on the global economy, international development, and the world’s financial system.

Senior Minister Amunugama who arrived on Tuesday and Central Bank Chief Cabraal will also attend a host of meetings connected to the IMF-WB in addition to a range of separate engagements with financial sector institutions and officials. Minister Amunugama is also scheduled to hold several bilateral meetings with some of the visiting finance ministers.

They include Annual Meetings Plenary, G-24 Ministers and Governors Meeting, Development Committee Plenary Meeting, 25th SAARCFINANCE Governors’ Group Meeting, Commonwealth Senior Finance Officials Meeting, Commonwealth Central Bank Governors Meeting, Group-24 Deputies Meeting, and Roundtable Discussion chaired by World Bank Managing Director Sri Mulyani Indrawati on ‘South Asia and The Global Economic Crisis: Can Regional Cooperation Buffer Volatility and Enhance Growth?’

Separately there will be meetings with World Bank Chief Economist Kaushik Basu, Isabel Guerrero, Vice President (South Asia Region), and IMF Director Asia and Pacific Department Anoop Singh.

Among counterpart bilateral meetings include Indian Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, Vice Minister of Finance of Iran, Saudi Arabia’s Finance Minister Al-Assaf, and Qatar Minister of Economy and Finance Youssef Hussain Kamal.

Senior Minister Amunugama will also attend a reception hosted by the Prime Minister of Japan Yoshihiko Noda.