CGD president Nancy Birdsall testifies before the House Financial Services Subcommittee on International Monetary Policy and Trade about the implications of the recent G-20 meeting in London. She reiterates the need for the United States to support the IMF and push for its reform.
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From Birdsall's testimony:
The twenty-first century is bringing tectonic shifts in the world’s political and economic landscape. Today’s global challenges—disease, human and food insecurity, climate change, and financial crises—do not respect borders; they threaten security globally and at home. Trade, remittances, and private investment tie rich and poor countries together, creating shared opportunities for prosperity in plentiful times, but also the potential for shared instability and strain, as in our current global economic downturn.
The U.S. cannot hide from these problems within our borders. We are still the global leader, and the world still looks to us for leadership despite out recent financial excesses. But we cannot manage what are fundamentally global challenges alone or even with one or two allies or economic partners. We have to engage actively in cooperative institutions designed to help member countries manage global challenges through effective collective action.
