Seminars, Webinars, & High-level Events
Webinar on IMF’s Regional Economic Outlook for MENA: Charting a Path through the Haze
May 27, 2025
The International Monetary Fund-Middle East Center for Economics and Finance (IMF-CEF) and the IMF’s Middle East and Central Asia Department (IMF-MCD) held a joint hybrid event titled “IMF’s Regional Economic Outlook for MENA: Charting a Path through the Haze " on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. Mr. Paulo Drummond, Director of the CEF, delivered opening remarks, and Mr. Moez Souissi, Deputy Director of the CEF, moderated the event.
The seminar explored recent economic developments in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and the key risks to the outlook amid increased geopolitical fragmentation, elevated trade tensions, and weaker international cooperation. The speakers—Ms. Borislava Mircheva (IMF-MCD Senior Economist), Mr. Thomas Piontek (IMF-MCD Senior Financial Sector Expert), and Mr. Bilal Tabti (IMF-MCD Economist)—discussed the challenges MENA economies were facing in this environment and highlighted the policies and reforms needed to mitigate the impact. Specifically, they emphasized the importance of building policy buffers, strengthening policy frameworks, and implementing structural reforms to bolster economic resilience.
The floor then opened for a discussion during the Q&A session with in-person participants from the ongoing course on Macroeconomic Diagnostics and a diverse virtual audience from the Arab world, comprised of public sector officials, academics, and representatives of the business community, civil society, and other international organizations.
For more details about the hybrid event, please refer to the following links:
