Seminars, Webinars, & High-level Events
Joint CEF - MCD Webinar on IMF’s Regional Economic Outlook Report for the Middle East and North Africa
December 1st, 2021
The IMF-Middle East Center for Economics and Finance (IMF-CEF) and the IMF’s Middle East and Central Asia Department (MCD) hosted a virtual panel discussion on December 1, 2021, to discuss the IMF’s recently published Regional Economic Outlook (REO) for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
IMF-CEF Director Mr. Paulo Drummond gave opening and closing remarks, and Mr. Khaled Abdel-Kader, the Center’s Deputy Director, moderated the event. The panelists were Ms. Pelin Berkmen, Division Chief, MCD, IMF; Mr. Rodrigo Garcia-Verdu, Senior Economist, MCD, IMF; and Mr. Mohamed Belkhir, Economist, MCD, IMF.
The panel highlighted that, since the beginning of this year, the MENA region has made good progress, and the recovery is ongoing despite new pandemic outbreaks. However, panelists underscored that the recovery is uneven and incomplete, and that new challenges are emerging. They emphasized that risks and vulnerabilities are accumulating, given increased uncertainty about how quickly the pandemic will be overcome. As summarized in the graphic below, panelists stressed that the region needs to move from crisis management toward an inclusive and transformational recovery by tackling several key challenges, including worsened debt stabilization prospects, weak employment recovery, and corporate sector vulnerabilities.
For more details about the webinar, please watch the recording here and refer to the power point presentations below.
For more information about the REO, please follow this link.
Webinar Power Point Presentations:
