The Work Program aims to help the membership tackle multiple and complex challenges—most prominently high inflation, along with elevated debt levels, energy and food security, and risks of fragmentation. In addition to discussing policy advice, financial assistance, and capacity development to provide critical support to the countries affected by these compounding crises, the Board will continue to monitor closely the economic and financial developments, new challenges and risks, and discuss policy responses. Work will also focus on implementing the strategies to support a more resilient, inclusive, digital, and green global economy.

This Work Program puts forward an IMF Board agenda focused on activities of critical importance to our members. In line with the strategic directions laid out in the Fall 2021 Global Policy Agenda and the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) Communiqué, the Work Program supports three policy priorities: (i) vaccinate the world to combat the pandemic everywhere; (ii) calibrate bilateral and multilateral policies to support the recovery and reduce scarring and divergences; and (iii) accelerate the transformation of the global economy to make it greener, more digital, and inclusive. To deliver on this agenda, it is also important to ensure that the Fund remains appropriately equipped to maintain its role at the center of the global financial safety net.

This Executive Board Work Program (BWP) for FY 2024 (May 2023 to April 2024) focuses on supporting the membership in responding to these challenges through prompt and tailored policy advice, financial assistance—buttressed by efforts to support debt restructuring processes—and capacity development. It ensures that the Board can continue to closely monitor economic and financial developments and discuss macro policy responses. The BWP also provides opportunities to deliberate on key Fund policies and operations. Given continued high uncertainty, the BWP will need to remain flexible and adaptable to prioritize the membership’s changing needs, while recognizing the Fund’s constrained budget environment.

This Executive Board Work Program (BWP) for FY 2025 (May 2024 to April 2025) is the first since the Executive Board has started to pilot a new strategic cycle, which aims at incorporating Directors’ broader views on work priorities at an earlier stage in the planning process for the fiscal year. Highlevel costing indicators are also included for non-recurring items based on a pilot costing exercise. The BWP focuses on supporting the membership in responding to current challenges through prompt and tailored policy advice, financial assistance, and support for debt restructuring and capacity development.1 It ensures that the Board can continue to closely monitor economic and financial developments and discuss macro policy responses. The BWP also provides opportunities to deliberate on key Fund policies and operations. The BWP will need to stay flexible to prioritize the membership’s changing needs while operating within the Fund’s constrained budget environment.

This Work Program (WP) translates the strategic directions and policy priorities laid out in the Fall 2019 Global Policy Agenda (GPA) Update and the International Monetary and Financial Committee Communiqué into an Executive Board agenda from November 2019 to October 2020, focusing on the next six months. Its main policy priorities and deliverables are as follows: • Turn evidence-based analysis into actionable policy recommendations to make economies more resilient and inclusive • Contribute to improving the multilateral system and upgrading international cooperation to bring the benefits of integration to all • Modernize the Fund’s policy toolkits to meet the challenges of a fast-changing world • Safeguard the Fund’s financial strength and undertake an ambitious internal modernization agenda

Overall, progress has been made since the Twelfth PMR on actions in response to eight IEO evaluations, with the pace of implementation being faster on actions October 31, 2023 THIRTEENTH PERIODIC MONITORING REPORT 2 INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND contained in the MIP in Response to the Executive Board-Endorsed Categorization of Open Actions in Management Implementation Plans. It is also worth mentioning that many open actions depend on the implementation of some important reviews/key steps that are expected to be completed in or soon after December 2023, such as the Capacity Development (CD) Strategy Review, the issuance of a new CD Guidance Note, an update of the Small Developing States Staff Guidance Note (SDS-SGN), the Operational Guidance Note (OGN) on Program Design and Conditionality, and a Board paper on Bank-Fund collaboration.

FY2023-FY2025 Medium-Term Budget

This Work Program (WP) translates the strategic directions and policy priorities laid out in the Spring 2018 Global Policy Agenda (GPA) Update and the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) Communiqué into an Executive Board agenda for the next twelve months.

Foreign exchange shortages together with exchange rate misalignment led to a sharp decline in imports including fuel, fertilizer, medicine, and food. Large fiscal deficits, nearly 10 percent of GDP in FY2021/22, have been largely financed by domestic bank borrowing, resulting in rapid money growth and inflation of 25.9 percent in September 2022. Exchange rate pass-through and hikes in food prices added to inflationary pressure. In addition, food insecurity in Malawi has increased dramatically under the impact of multiple tropical storms, below-average crop production, and increasing prices for food and agricultural inputs such as fertilizer and seeds. The latter are expected to affect the current planting season. As a result of these factors, about 20 percent of the population is projected to be acutely food insecure during the upcoming 2022/23 lean season (October 2022-March 2023), more than twice as many as in 2021.