The World Bank-International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings that kick off this week are likely to be a quieter affair as the institutions seek to keep a low profile amid uncertainty about their relationship with the United States, their largest shareholder.
The two institutions are currently subject to a 180-day review by the Trump administration and thus are expected to tread cautiously, numerous experts told Devex, though one policy expert warned that if there is a big announcement, it's not likely to be good.
“I would expect a lot of the global dysfunction that’s surfaced over the past couple of months to really be on full display,” said Clemence Landers, vice president at the Center for Global Development. “Against that backdrop the formal agenda for these meetings is quite sparse. The World Bank is talking a lot about jobs but beyond that it’s not a particularly meaty agenda. I think the institutions are deliberately trying to keep a low profile.”
About the author
Adva Saldinger@AdvaSal
Adva Saldinger is a Senior Reporter at Devex where she covers development finance, as well as U.S. foreign aid policy. Adva explores the role the private sector and private capital play in development and authors the weekly Devex Invested newsletter bringing the latest news on the role of business and finance in addressing global challenges. A journalist with more than 10 years of experience, she has worked at several newspapers in the U.S. and lived in both Ghana and South Africa.
