Joint AUC-ERF-IMF Webinar: Public Finances under Volatile Commodity Prices: Risks and Challenges Ahead in MENA

FromDec 07, 2022 To Dec 07, 2022

Online Webinar

The American University in Cairo (AUC) School of Business, the Economic Research Forum (ERF), and International Monetary Fund (IMF) are pleased to invite you to join a virtual panel for a discussion on the fiscal implications of volatile commodity prices in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). This webinar will take place on Wednesday, December 7 from 4pm to 5:30pm Cairo time (9am to 10:30am Washington, D.C. time).

The discussion, moderated by Dr. Samer Atallah (Associate Dean, School of Business, The American University in Cairo), will include a distinguished panel of speakers comprising Jihad Azour (Director, Middle East and Central Asia Department, IMF), Ibrahim Elbadawi (Managing Director, ERF), Elina Ribakova (Deputy Chief Economist, The Institute of International Finance), and Nizar Yaiche (PwC Partner and former Minister of Finance for Tunisia). Panelists will take questions from the audience during the Q&A portion of the event.

Background: High and volatile global food and energy prices are exacerbating fiscal pressures in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) at a time when countries face tightening global financial conditions, extraordinary uncertainty, and diminished fiscal space following the COVID-19 pandemic. Against this background, how did MENA countries respond to volatile commodity prices in the past? What are the social and fiscal implications of rising commodity prices in the region? What policy actions are they taking this time around? And what should they do next?

This webinar will explore these pivotal issues and many more from the IMF’s recently released Regional Economic Outlook: Middle East and Central Asia.

Register here!