The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will hold the first annual Research Conference on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in Cairo, the global organization announced on Monday.
The conference aims to establish a forum for dialogue on pressing economic issues, promote policy-oriented academic research tailored to the needs and unique challenges of the region.
“Global shocks are adding to regional factors resulting in exceptionally uncertain economic environment for Middle East and North Africa (MENA) economies,” Jihad Azour, Director of the IMF Middle East and Central Asia Department and Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, IMF chief economist, said in a joint statement.
They said conflicts, trade tensions, volatile commodity prices, changing climate conditions, energy transitions, rapid technological advances are altering the economic landscape of the region, posing severe challenges but also presenting opportunities for bold reforms that safeguard macroeconomic stability, build resilience, and raise living standards for all.
Therefore, the statement said, economic research is essential to provide reliable analysis and develop workable and innovative policy responses.
In this context, Azour and Gourinchas announced that the IMF will organize the annual Economic Research Conference on MENA, partnering with leading universities in the region.
The aim is to establish a forum for dialogue on pressing economic issues, promote policy-oriented academic research tailored to the needs and unique challenges of the region.
It will also provide a platform for the exchange of ideas and insights for academics, researchers, and policymakers in the MENA region and worldwide.
The inaugural conference, Steering Macroeconomic and Structural Policies in A Shifting Global Economic Landscape, will be co-organized with Onsi Sawiris School of Business at The American University in Cairo and take place in Cairo on May 18-19.
It will feature presentations and panel discussions by leading economists and policymakers, the statement said.
