Participation of the PABSEC International Secretariat, in the 2022 Virtual Global Parliamentary Forum, 13-20 April 2022

Mr. Daniel Dulca, PABSEC Deputy Secretary General, attended the online Global Parliamentary Forum, jointly organized by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank and IMF, on 13-20 April 2022.

The Global Parliamentary Forum is the flagship annual event of the Parliamentary Network, gathering parliamentarians from all over the world, who engage in a dialogue with the World Bank and the IMF Senior Management, aiming to establish a platform for collective dialogue and to look at public policies and at the best practices, in order to face the current global challenges and also to promote global action.

The five-day Forum began on 13 April 2022, having the theme “Pandemic Preparedness and Health Resilience”, and the welcoming remarks were made by Rt Hon. Liam Byrne MP (UK), Chair of the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank & IMF, being followed by the interventions of Hon. Ricardo Leite, MP, MD, President & Founder - UNITE Global Parliamentarians Network, Vice-Chair of the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank & IMF; Ms. Barbara Stocking, Chair, Panel for a Global Public Health Convention (PGPHC); Mr. Angel Gurria, Former Secretary General, OCDE, Member PGPHC; Ms. Priya Basu, Head, COVID-19 Taskforce Secretariat, World Bank Group.

This round table discussion joined together members of the Panel for a Global Public Health Convention, the International Forum on Global Health, the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, the UNITE Global Parliamentarians Network and of the Global Fund, and the discussions focused on the way forward to prevent pandemics and the parliamentarians’ role in this process.

The next session entitled “Virtual Parliamentarian Townhall with World Bank and IMF Senior Leadership” took place on 18 April 2022, being moderated by Rt Hon. Liam Byrne MP, (UK), Chair of the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank & IMF, and the main speakers were: Ms. Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director, IMF, and Mr. David Malpass, President, World Bank Group (WBG).

The meeting provided the occasion for parliamentarians from around the globe, to engage with their peers and the IMF & World Bank senior management, on the most pressing global development issues.

The last session, entitled “Session on Climate Finance and Smart Infrastructure for a Greener and More Inclusive Recovery”, took place on 20 April 2022 and it was moderated by Rt Hon. Liam Byrne MP (UK), Chair of the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank & IMF, and the speakers were: Mr. Fabio Natalucci, Deputy Director of the Monetary and Capital Markets Department, IMF; Dr. Demetrios Papathanasiou, Global Director, Energy, and Extractives Global Practice, Infrastructure Practice Group, World Bank; Mr. Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, CEO and Chairperson - Global Environment Facility.

This particular session focused on the ways which the parliamentarians can use in order to work together with International Financial Institutions (IFIs), in order to draw the path towards achieving the 2030 Agenda, in the context of COVID-19 recovery, notably through the green finance and infrastructure, while prioritizing the COP26 commitments. This session will be used to present the PN Parliamentary Toolkit to its membership, aiming at promoting, among the MPs, knowledge-sharing on relevant development topics.