PM Browne to attend meeting between the ECCB and the IMF

Prime Minister Gaston Browne is traveling Wednesday for St. Kitts for a series of
important meetings, one of which is a meeting between the Eastern Caribbean
Central Bank Monetary Council and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
That meeting is scheduled for Thursday and Friday and is preceded by a meeting
of the OECS Authority, the highest decision-making body with the sub-regional
group’s highest decision-making body.
The 74th Meeting of the OECS Authority takes place from February 14 to 15 in
Saint Kitts and Nevis. At this meeting Prime Minister Browne will join his fellow
OECS Heads to discuss important matters such as the Regional Transportation, the
work of the OECS Commission, outcomes of COP 28, and further
Regional Integration amongst OECS Member States.
While in Saint Kitts and Nevis the Prime Minister will also attend the 107th
Meeting of the Monetary Council of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank.
The members of the ECCB Monetary Council, which comprises finance members
from the grouping, will meet for dinner with the IMF’s Deputy Director, Bo Li on
Thursday evening with the formal meeting scheduled for Friday morning.
Following introductory remarks by the Monetary Council Chairman and followed
by a response from Director Li, both sides will sit down for a more in-depth
discussion.
The latest ECCB report shows that overall, the economies of the members of the
OECS have been performing well. Under those circumstances, it is not expected
that any country within the OECS would be seeking budgetary support for the IMF
anytime soon.
As one commentator noted the economies of the OECS states are heavily
dependent on tourism and that this industry is ‘bursting at the seams’ fueling
expansion and growth in their countries.
PM Browne is accompanied by Senior Foreign Service officer, Kurt Williams.