It has been just six months since then, but for many it may have felt like a lifetime. While the global community continues to grapple with many of the same challenges addressed at those meetings, a series of additional ones have also emerged.  A war in Ukraine is devastating communities there – displacing millions, creating economic and social reverberations around the globe, and inserting yet more uncertainty into global markets and economic recovery plans. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt lives and livelihoods in nearly every country on earth . And a looming food crisis – underpinned by soaring wheat, fertilizers and fuel prices – threatens to drastically increase food insecurity and drive millions of additional people into poverty. 

The confluence of these crises (which themselves are further exacerbated by the ongoing challenges of climate change, fragile states, forced migration, and other development challenges) puts the need for global action on a planetary scale into stark relief and highlights the fundamental role the international development community must play in simultaneously overcoming these challenges and creating the conditions necessary to ensure they do not repeat into the future.   

It is against this backdrop that we kick off our 2022 IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings, running from April 18 – 24. During this week, policymakers, experts, influencers, and other key stakeholders will convene to discuss these challenges, participate in a wide-ranging series of events, and design pathways forward  to build on the policies and programs already under implementation by the World Bank Group and its partners. This engagement includes, the more than $200 billion in COVID-19 support to public and private sector clients since the start of the pandemic, the $26 billion provided for climate change in 2021, and recent commitments of nearly $1.5 billion in support to Ukraine to complement the more than $700 million provided at the onset of the war there.   

In the blog that follows below you can find out more about: our featured guests; our events on digital development, climate action, trade and subsidies, fragility, and Human Capital; learn how you can participate during the week; and how to follows on social media and join in the action throughout the entire week of April 18-24.

Featured Participants

This year’s Spring Meetings will feature a host of participants from around the globe, representing leadership from the International Development Community, CSOs, governments, academia, the private sector and beyond. These voices will be complemented by Senior Leadership from the World Bank, the IMF, and the IFC, including: World Bank Group President David Malpass; IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva; Managing Director for IFC Makhtar Diop; World Bank Managing Director of Operations Axel van Trotsenburg, Managing Director for Development Policy and Partnerships Mari Pangestu, and others.

This year’s list includes:
Malala Yousafzai, Co-Founder of Malala Fund @Malala

Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda @PaulKagame

Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of United Republic of Tanzania @SuluhuSamia

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General, World Trade Organization @NOIweala

Mathias Cormann, Secretary-General, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development @MathiasCormann

Catherine Russell, Executive Director, UNICEF @unicefchief

Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Minister of Finance, Indonesia

Kathleen Hays, Global Economics and Policy Editor, Bloomberg Television and Radio

Rachelle Akuffo, Anchor, Yahoo Finance @RachelleAkuffo

Axel van Trotsenburg, Managing Director for Development Policy and Partnerships @AxelVT_WB

Mari Pangestu, Managing Director of Development Policy and Partnerships @Mari_Pangestu

Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund @KGeorgieva

Makhtar Diop, Managing Director, IFC @Diop_IFC

David R. Malpass, President, World Bank Group @DavidMalpassWBG

Watch live or on demand in multiple languages

Our World Bank Live platform houses all of the most current information for our Spring Meetings, including: live events; polls and surveys; on-demand viewing of previous events; updates in real time and; content to engage with speakers and events all throughout the meetings.

Below you can find a rundown of the key events throughout the week of our Spring Meetings. You’ll find the full schedule here.