A delegation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will meet Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on the sidelines of the Geneva conference, set to start on January 9, an IMF spokesperson said on Sunday.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will co-host the International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan in Geneva along with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
“The Managing Director had a constructive call with Prime Minister Sharif in the context of the International Conference on Resilient Pakistan to be held in Geneva on Monday, January 9,” the IMF spokesperson said in a statement.
The MD again expressed her sympathy to those directly affected by the floods and supported Pakistan’s efforts to build a more resilient recovery, it added.
“The IMF delegation is expected to meet with Finance Minister Dar on the sidelines of the Geneva conference to discuss outstanding issues and the path forward,” the spokesperson said.
On Friday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif claimed that a delegation from the IMF would travel to Pakistan in two to three days to finalize the ninth review of Pakistan’s $7bn Extended Fund Facility (EFF).
The EFF was approved by the Executive Board on July 3, 2019, for SDR 4,268 million (about $6 billion at the time of approval).
In order to support program implementation and meet the higher financing needs in FY23, as well as catalyze additional financing, the IMF Board approved an extension of the EFF until end-June 2023, rephasing and augmentation of access by SDR 720 million that will bring the total access under the EFF to about $6.5 billion.
