#StopIMFSurcharges: The Path Ahead

MENA Fem Movement for Economic, Development and Ecological Justice in cooperation with the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) and the Bretton Woods Project bring you the end-of-year webinar titled #StopIMFSurcharges: The Path Ahead.

For four years, the #StopIMFSurcharges movement has called for the IMF to discontinue its regressive surcharge policy — onerous fees imposed on heavily indebted countries like Argentina, Ecuador, Pakistan, Egypt, and Ukraine. In October 2024, after years of advocacy, the IMF announced a package of reforms intended to address these concerns. And while the surcharge system continues to be inequitable, exacerbating financial instability for countries already grappling with severe debt crises, the reforms are a milestone worthy of reflection and acknowledgement. 

The webinar aimed to shed light on the implications of surcharges as well as to highlight how the campaign’s work and tactics contributed to overall objectives and the lessons learned along the way. 

Speakers:

Shereen Talaat, Director and Founder, MENAFem Movement for Economic, Development and Ecological Justice

Attiya Waris, UN Independent Expert on Human Rights and Foreign Debt

Bruno Coehlo Saraiva, Executive Director, International Monetary Fund

Sergio Chodos, Chief Legal Officer, Argentina Crown Point Energy

Ivana Vasić-Lalović, Senior Research Associate, Center for Economic and Policy Research

Luiz Fernando Vieira, Coordinator, Bretton Woods Institute