The topic I am to cover is vast, and it is a challenge to delineate the essentials without neglecting the overall picture. As the Governor for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the Republic of Austria, let me focus my deliberations on the role especially the IMF plays in fostering global development and stability.
This does not imply that other organizations or agencies are less relevant or minor. However, the IMF is tasked with providing the global public good of a stable international financial and monetary system, without which nation states around the world would not enjoy economic growth and rising standards of living.