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Past Event
Seminar

The IMF and COVID-19: What’s Next?

RSVP Required Open to the Public

Please join the Economic Diplomacy Initiative for a conversation with Martin Mühleisen on the International Monetary Fund’s response to COVID-19 and the key decisions and challenges ahead.

The COVID-19 pandemic has unleashed an economic crisis unprecedented both in scope and uncertainty about its severity and length. Global GDP is projected to fall by 3% in 2020, hitting advanced and emerging economies alike. After receiving over 90 emergency financing requests and expressions of interest in early April, the IMF has recently increased its emergency financing facilities to expand access limits for all Fund members. This crisis is far from over, and the IMF will continue to play a key role in global economic recovery during the months ahead.

This seminar is part of an event series examining the impacts of COVID-19 on the global economy. The discussion will be moderated by Aditi Kumar, the Executive Director of the Belfer Center. 

PLEASE NOTE: This seminar will be conducted via Zoom. Please register in advance for this meeting:

https://harvard.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_64IX-ocxRkOo5xjm4GbA-w

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Date: Time: - Location: Online
A man working on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange reacts to a steep plunge in the stock market.

Speaker

Martin Mühleisen is Director of the Strategy, Policy, and Review Department (SPR) of the IMF. In this capacity, he leads the work on the IMF’s strategic direction and the design, implementation, and evaluation of Fund policies. He also oversees the IMF’s interactions with international bodies, such as the G20 and United Nations.

Prior to his current position, Mr. Mühleisen was Chief of Staff to Christine Lagarde, the IMF’s previous Managing Director. His tenure coincided with the completion of the 14th Quota Review, the negotiation of new IMF programs with Ukraine and Greece, as well as the IMF’s rapid response to the African Ebola crisis.

Mr. Mühleisen worked on a wide range of policy and country issues during his IMF career. As Deputy Director and, before that, Head of the Advanced Economy Division in SPR, he was closely involved in the Fund's response to the financial crisis, reviewing its policy advice to 65 advanced economies, including the Euro area programs. He helped develop the Fund’s Early Warning Exercise, contributed to innovative spillover and cross-country reports, and shaped key contributions to the G-20 process.

A German national and Konrad Adenauer scholar, Mr. Mühleisen joined the IMF in 1993. He holds a Master’s Degree in Economics from Cambridge University and a Ph.D. summa cum laude in Economics from the University of Munich. He has published extensively on macro-financial analysis, economic linkages, fiscal policy, aging, and saving.