Sign-On Letter to the IMF’s Managing Director Calling for Concrete Policy Reforms

News Program UpdatesSign-On Letter to the IMF’s Managing Director Calling for Concrete Policy Reforms

24 April 2009

Mr. Dominique Strauss-Kahn

Managing Director

International Monetary Fund

700 19th Street NW

Washington, DC 20431

Dear Mr. Strauss-Kahn,

During the G20 meeting in London on April 2, the Declaration on Delivering Resources through the International Financial Institutions stated support for a:

“doubling of the IMF’s concessional lending for low income countries and a doubling of access limits, within the Debt Sustainability Framework (DSF). We have committed, consistent with the new income model, that additional resources from agreed sales of IMF gold will be used, together with surplus income, to provide $6 billion additional concessional and flexible finance for the poorest countries over the next two to three years. We call on the IMF to come forward with concrete proposals at the Spring Meetings.”

In anticipation of the Spring Meetings, 25-26 April, in Washington DC, we call on members of the IMF’s International Monetary and Financial Committee and the World Bank-IMF Development Committee as well as any IMF committee tasked with developing proposals to fulfill on the G20 commitment, to ensure the following reforms are incorporated in the final proposal:

The IMF must phase out those activities outside its areas of core competence such as those of the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF). The IMF does not have a mandate for, or competence in, the long-term development of low-income countries. IMF resources channeled through the PRGF and from the proceeds of gold sales should support grant assistance or debt relief and be directed to an appropriate aid mechanism. The IMF’s Policy Support Instrument (PSI) should also be phased out, in order to end the IMF’s monopoly on ‘signaling’ to donors whether or not developing countries warrant support.
The IMF must eliminate harmful conditions linked with its loan programs and other instruments. The IMF should end its tradition of requiring countries to implement contractionary policies in economic recessions. For instance, the IMF should ensure that expanded investment in health and education are not subjected to overall budget caps and that subsidies that cushion the impact of the crisis on poor people are not eliminated. The IMF has made progress toward eliminating wage bill ceilings as conditions for lending, but it should stop this practice entirely. In addition, the IMF should stop directing countries to engage in privatization of services or financial sector liberalization through its loans and other instruments.

We also urge the IMF to open its consultations with Ministries of Finance to include Ministries of Health, Education and Development, pertinent parliamentarian committees with oversight on all related matters and civil society, in the development and finalization of proposals to ensure that going forward, IMF policies support countries’ efforts to scale up investments and access to quality health and education for all.

Sincerely,

ActionAid International, Malawi
Action Group for Health, Human Rights and HIV/AIDS (AGHA), Uganda
Act Up-Paris, France
Actwid Kongadzem NGO, Cameroon
Africa Action, USA
African Council for Sustainable Health Development (ACOSHED), Nigeria
African Forum on Alternatives, Senegal
Africa Public Health Alliance & 15% Campaign, Nigeria
Afro Global Alliance, Ghana
Aid for AIDS International, USA
AIDES, France
AIDS Action Foundation, St. Lucia
AIDS & Rights Alliance for Southern Africa, Namibia
AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, USA
Aktion Finanzplatz Schweiz (AFP), Switzerland
Albanian Association of PLWHA
Alianza Social Continental Capitulo Perú / Peruvian Chapter of the Hemispheric Social Alliance, Peru
Alliance Sud / Swiss Alliance of Development Organisations, Switzerland
Ambassadors of Change, Kenya.
American Public Health Association, USA
Amigos Siempre Amigos (ASA), Dominican Republic
Andhra Pradesh Vyavasaya Vruthidarula Union (APVVU), India
Association African Solidarité, Burkina Faso
Asociaciȯn Latino Americana de Micro, Pequeños y Medianos Empresarios / Latin American Association of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Mexico
Association HIV.LV, Latvia
ATTAC TOGO
Bharatiya Krishak Samaj (BKS) (Indian Farmers’ Organisation), India
Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition, Jamaica
Center for Sustainable Health and Development, Pune, India
Center on Mental Health and HIV/AIDS, Tajikistan
Centre for Civil Society Economic Justice Project, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
Centre for Economic Governance and AIDS in Africa (CEGAA), Central, East and Southern Africa
Centre for Health Sciences Training, Research and Development (CHESTRAD), Nigeria
Centro de la Mujer Peruana Flora Tristán, Peru
Children Education Society (CHESO), Tanzania
Christian Aid, UK
CILSIDA, Togo
Civil Society Trade Network of Zambia (CSTNZ)
Coalition of Agricultural Workers International (CAWI), Malaysia
Coalition PLUS, France-Morocco-Mali-Québec/Canada-Ecuador
Comité Regional de Promoción de Salud Comunitaria – Latin America
Community Initiative for Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and Malaria plus related diseases (CITAM+), Zambia
Confederação Nacional dos Trabalhadores na Agricultura (CONTAG), Brazil
Confederación Ecuatoriana de Organizaciones Sindicales Libres (CEOSL) / Ecuadorian Confederation of Free Trade Union Organizations
Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU)
Coordinadora Andina de Organizaciones Indigenas (CAOI) / Andean Coordination of Indigenous Organizations, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Argentina
Cordaid, Netherlands
Consumidores Por El Desarrollo, Peru
Ecuador Decide
Egyptian Foundation for Research and Development
EMPOWER, India
Equal Opportunities, Tajikistan
Equal to Equal, Kazakhstan
Essential Action, USA
Eurasian Harm Reduction Network (EHRN), Lithuania
European AIDS Treatment Group (EATG), Belgium.
Family Care International, USA
Federacion Latinoamericana de Asociaciones de Familiares de Detenidos Desaparecidos (FEDEFAM), Venezuela
Forum For African Women Educationalists, Sierra Leone
Forum Francophone de lutte contre la TB/VIH (based in Burkina Faso)
Frente Social y Popular del Paraguay
Gender Action, USA
Gerak Lawan / Indonesian People’s Movement Against Neocolonialism-Imperialism
Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Health
Ghana Trade and Livelihoods Coalition (GTLC)
Global Action for Children, USA
Global AIDS Alliance, USA
Global Health Advocates / Avocats pour la Santé dans le Monde
Good Samaritan, India
Grupo Este Amor, Dominican Republic
Grupo Português de Activistas sobre Tratamentos de VIH/SIDA (GAT), Portugal
Halifax Initiative, Canada
Health Alliance International, USA
Health Connections International (HCI), Netherlands
Heal the Land Initiative, Nigeria
Health GAP (Global Access Project), USA
Health NGOs Network (HENNET), Kenya
Health Workforce Advocacy Initiative (HWAI)
Horizon Environnement Santé (HES), Benin-Switzerland-USA
Human Development Trust, Tanzania
Humanity for Orphans, Youth and Widows Initiatives, Kenya
INERELA+ Asia/Pacific, India
Institute for Policy Studies, Global Economy Project, USA
International Civil Society Support, Netherlands
International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS – East Africa, Uganda
International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), UK
International Presentation Association of Presentation Sisters, Brisbane, Australia
International Treatment Preparedness Coalition, India
Ipas, USA
I-TECH, USA
Jubilee USA Network
Kenya AIDS Intervention Prevention Project Group, Kenya
Kenya AIDS Intervention Prevention Project Group International, USA
Kenya AIDS NGOs Consortium (KANCO)
Lady Mermaid’s Bureau, Uganda
La coordinadora de mujeres feministas del Cusco / Feminist Coordination of Cuzco, Peru
La Institución Filomena Tomaira Pacsi, Servicios a la Mujer Minera de Perú
La Marcha Mundial de las Mujeres / World Women’s March, Peru
Life Foundation, Pakistan
Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research, Australia
Malawi Economic Justice Network
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, USA
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), South Africa
Movimiento para la Salud de los Pueblos Latinoamerica – Latin America
Movimiento Social Nicaraguense Otro Mundo es Posible / Nicaraguan Social Movement: Another World Is Possible
Mozambican Treatment Access Movement (MATRAM)
National Association of PLHAs, Nepal
National Organisation of Nurses & Midwives of Malawi
National Youth Coalition on Sexual and Reproductive Rights, Sri Lanka
Nava Kiran Plus, Nepal
New Rules for Global Finance Coalition, USA
New Vector, Georgia
Observatoire des Droits des Personnes Infectées et/ou Affectées (ODPIA+), Burundi
Ohio Valley Presbytery HIV/AIDS task force, USA
Partners In Health, USA
People’s Health Movement (PHM), Global
Physicians for Human Rights, USA
Policy Forum, Tanzania
Population Action International, USA
Positive Action for Treatment Access, Nigeria.
Positive Action Foundation Philippines, Inc.
Positive-Generation, Cameroun
Positive Voice, Nepal
Post Newspapers Limited, Zambia
Presentation Justice Network, Ireland
Public Personalities Against AIDS Trust, Zimbabwe
REACH, India
Red Nacional de Promocion de la Mujer, Peru
Rehabilitation and Prevention of Tuberculosis, Zimbabwe
Réseau Nigerien des Personnes vivant avec le VIH/SIDA (RENIP+), Niger
Resource Centre for Primary Health Care (RECPHEC), Nepal
RESULTS UK
RESULTS USA
RIP+, Côte d’Ivoire
Senderos Asociación Mutual, Cali – Colombia
Sida Zéro, Gabon
Sinti Techan: Red de Accion Ciudadana Frente al Libre Comercio e Inversion / Network of Citizen Action Against Free Trade and Investment, El Salvador
Snehansu Bhaduri, India
Social Help & Research Organization (SHRO), Pakistan
Society for Social Justice and Development Sialkot, Pakistan
Socio Economic Rights Initiative, Nigeria
Solidarté Plus, Côte d’Ivoire
Southeast Asian Council for Food Security & Fair Trade (SEACON), Malaysia
Stop AIDS Campaign, UK
Latvian Umbrella Body for Disability Organisations SUSTENTO
TB Alert, UK
The Development Fund, Norway
Toplum Sagligi Arastirma ve Gelistirme Merkezi / Center for Research & Promotion of Community Health, Turkey
Treatment Action Group (TAG), USA
UDYAMA, Orissa, India
Union National de Trabajadores (UNT) / National Workers’ Union, Mexico
United Belize Advocacy Movement
United Macedonian Diaspora, USA
United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society, USA
Vision and Hope Foundation, Zimbabwe
Vivir, Participacion, Incidencia y Transparencia, A.C. – México
VSO International, UK
War on Want, UK
White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood
World Care Council
World Development Movement, UK
Youth Development Forum (YODEFO), Uganda
Youth In Action Sierra Leone (YASAL)
Youth Vision, Zambia
Zambia White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood
Zimbabwean Positive Women (NZPW+), Zimbabwe
11.11.11 – Coalition of the Flemish North-South Movement, Belgium

Individual sign-ons:

Aruna Hewapathirane, Sri Lanka / Canada
Ashok B Sharma, journalist, India
Azita Amirieh, Iran
Dr. Naghman Bashir, focal person for TB Control, Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Edlira Xhafa, trade union activist, Albania
Jen Curry, Oakland CA, AIDS Activist
John Mobbs, DP Marais Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa
Johnny Jesus Guaylupo (person living with HIV/AIDS), USA
Joséphine Niyonkuru, member of the REMUA Platform, Burundi
Marco Gomes, Center for Health Policy and Innovation, Canada
Oswaldo Adolfo Rada, Cali – Colombia
Professor Brook K. Baker, Northeastern University School of Law, Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Professor Nicoli Nattrass, AIDS and Society Research Unit, University of Cape Town, South Africa
Steve Belemu, HIV/AIDS activist, Zambia

Cc:

Father Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, President of the United Nations General Assembly
Joseph Stiglitz, Chair of the UN Commission on the financial crisis
Members of the IMF’s International Monetary and Financial Committee
Members of the World Bank-IMF Development Committee
Members of the IMF Board of Governors
Members of the IMF Executive Board

Update as of 27 April 2009 – Download the response from the IMF here

4th Pillar, IMF Governance