IMF Invites Public Input on Its Engagement with Civil Society

Guidelines support public outreach, enhance IMF’s operational work

Independent consultant leading revision of decade-old guide

Civil society welcome to provide input via online consultation, survey

To ensure broad input from civil society actors, an online consultation on the guide will be open until August 2, 2013.

“As we work together to move past the global economic crisis, the IMF must continue listening to different voices, different perspectives,” said IMF Deputy Managing Director Nemat Shafik. “Our engagement with civil society organizations plays a pivotal role in this regard, and we want to listen to all ideas on how this engagement can be strengthened.”

IMF engagement with civil society

Over the years, the IMF has become more transparent and has sought to become more accountable, not only to its membership but also to the broader public. This has led to a more active involvement with CSOs, as well as legislatures.

When the IMF began to engage with CSOs in the 1980s, it was usually at a global level, in response to advocacy by groups concerned with economic and social justice. Engagement at the country level, especially in low-income countries, and at the global level remains central in IMF-CSO relations.

The IMF is currently stepping up its efforts to engage more systematically with southern CSOs.

The aim of the guide—first prepared in 2003—is to support IMF staff in building positive relationships with CSOs. It offers a framework of good practices and is not intended to supplement—or replace—sound judgment and experience.

Scope of the project

The Fund hired independent consultant Bessma Momani, Associate Professor at the University of Waterloo, to revise the guide.

In addition to the online public consultation, Momani is seeking input from CSOs through a survey and numerous interviews, including with southern CSOs. She also held a session on the guide’s revamp during the IMF–World Bank Spring Meetings’ CSO Policy Forum in April 2013.

As part of the project, Momani is assessing how the guide can be improved...