A Small States Forum on Thursday, Oct. 11th is once again expected to be a major feature of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group Annual Meetings taking place from Oct. 10 – 14, in Bali, Indonesia.

Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Economic Growth, Job Creation and External Affairs, Hon. Allen M. Chastanet leads a delegation which includes Minister for Economic Development, Housing, Urban Renewal, Transport and Civil Aviation, Hon. Guy Joseph; Permanent Secretary in the Department of Finance, Ms. Cointha Thomas; and Permanent Secretary in the Department of Economic Development, Mr. Phillip Dalsou.

The official Annual Meetings of the IMF and World Bank Group will be preceded by a number of meetings with various country groupings including the Caribbean caucus, the Commonwealth Senior Officials and Ministers for Finance, and the working group session of the V20, which is a grouping of the 20 most vulnerable countries to global climate change.

One of the main purposes of the V20 grouping is to develop new and improved approaches to climate finance and to promote the mobilization of public and private climate finance. These measures are of immense importance to the Government of Saint Lucia; particularly given the focus on building resilience for Saint Lucia, as articulated by the prime minister in his 2018/2019 budget address.

Prime Minister Chastanet will attend the Small States Forum Meeting on Thursday, a high level session that brings together Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors from 50 small states to discuss the most pressing challenges faced by these states.

The official schedule of activities will commence on Friday, Oct. 12, with an IMF Board of Governors meeting which will be attended by the prime minister. The IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings are hosted by the Boards of Governors of the World Bank Group and IMF. Participants discuss a range of issues related to poverty reduction, international economic development and finance along with other global issues. The meetings bring together Central Bank Governors and Ministers of Finance from 189 countries, along with prominent persons from the private sector, academics, non-government organisations, and media. In total, it is expected that there will be approximately 15,000 participants.

The sessions continue on Saturday, Oct. 13, with a number of important meetings being attended by members of Saint Lucia’s delegation. Amongst the many topics up for discussion some of the most pressing include climate financing and debt challenges; more specifically managing risks and improving debt management and transparency.

The mission trip will end with a V20 ministerial meeting on Sunday, Oct. 14; where a number of pressing issues will be discussed; accessing climate finance being one of the critical issues for discussion.