Featuring

Jihad Azour, Director, Middle East and Central Asia Department, International Monetary Fund

Panelists

Rabah Arezki, Chief Economist, Middle East and North Africa Region, World Bank

Uri Dadush, Senior Fellow, OCP Policy Center and Principal, Economic Policy International, LLC

Michele Dunne, Director and Senior Fellow, Middle East Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Moderator

Masood Ahmed, President, Center for Global Development

What are the challenges and opportunities for growth in the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan (MENAP) region? In his presentation, Jihad Azour will present the IMF’s latest economic outlook for the MENAP region. He will argue that growth has not been fast enough and has not created sufficient opportunities to address high levels of unemployment. The presentation will be followed by a panel discussion on the main impediments to growth and highlight the policy priorities to durably increase it and make it more inclusive.

This event is the first of a series of discussions on regional growth prospects.