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United Nations Agencies

Libguide for united nations specialized agencies and related organizations

International Monetary Fund

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) works to achieve sustainable growth and prosperity for all of its 190 member countries. It does so by supporting economic policies that promote financial stability and monetary cooperation, which are essential to increase productivity, job creation, and economic well-being. The IMF is governed by and accountable to its member countries.

WHAT DOES THE IMF DO?

The IMF has three critical missions: furthering international monetary cooperation, encouraging the expansion of trade and economic growth, and discouraging policies that would harm prosperity. To fulfill these missions, IMF member countries work collaboratively with each other and with other international bodies.

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How does the IMF give policy advice?

A core responsibility of the IMF is monitoring the economic and financial policies of member countries and providing them with policy advice, an activity known as surveillance. As part of this process, which also takes place at the global and regional levels, the IMF identifies potential risks and recommends appropriate policy adjustments to sustain economic growth and promote financial stability.

Want to know more? Check out the latest surveillance press releases.

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Why is IMF monitoring important?

Vigilant monitoring by the IMF is essential to identifying risks that may require remedial policy adjustments. International cooperation on these efforts is critical in today’s globally integrated economy, in which the problems or policies of one country can affect many others. IMF membership, which includes nearly all the world’s nations, can facilitate this cooperation. 

IMF monitoring focuses on individual countries or bilateral surveillance, and the global economy or multilateral surveillance.

Want to know more? Check out this video on how the IMF monitors the global economy.