The World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Annual Meetings scheduled to take place in Marrakesh, Morocco, in October will now take place in Washington D.C. in 2023.
A joint statement by both organisations said the decision was reached after consultation with the Kingdom of Morocco, citing continuing uncertainty over the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason for the change in venue.
However, the October 2023 annual meetings would now be held in Marrakesh, they said.
The annual meetings are usually held for two consecutive years at the World Bank Group and IMF headquarters in Washington, D.C. and every third year in another member country.
The meetings bring together central bankers, ministers of finance and development, private sector executives, civil society, media and academics to discuss issues of global concern.
These include the world economic outlook, global financial stability, poverty eradication, inclusive economic growth and job creation, climate change and others.
Both organisations had scheduled the 2021 annual meetings in Morocco, but had to postpone the plans in November 2020 because of the pandemic.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that since the pandemic began in the later part of 2019, the World Bank and the IMF have held virtual spring and fall meetings.
However, the 2021 meetings in Washington in October included some in-person gatherings.
NAN also reports that the organisations did not state what format the 2022 and 2023 meetings would take. NAN