Years of isolation and continuous conflicts have left Gaza's economic development far behind that of the West Bank. In 2022, per capita income in Gaza was only a quarter of that in the West Bank, and unemployment and poverty rates were much higher. This reflects much lower employment and...

This Selected Issues paper explores Palestinian labor market outcomes, dynamics, and policies. The Palestinian economy did not create enough jobs to absorb new labor market entrants. This even as labor force participation rates remained stubbornly low and among the lowest in the world for...

For more than a decade, commercial banks in West Bank and Gaza (WBG) have struggled to manage buildups of excess physical Israeli shekel cash. Banks elsewhere typically manage the amount and currency composition of physical cash they hold in their vaults through transactions with other...

The outlook for the Palestinian economy remains dire, with risks tilted to the downside. Amid a deteriorating security, political and social situation, the recovery is losing momentum and per capita income is projected to decline over the medium term. The fiscal crisis remains unresolved, amid...

This paper presents a report on West Bank and Gaza to the ad hoc liaison committee. This IMF report puts fiscal and structural reforms into a broader context. It discusses key elements of the Paris Protocol on Economic Relations and their implications for Palestinian growth and income...

The Palestinian economy is facing formidable challenges. The fiscal situation, high political, security and social tensions, rising inflation, movement and access restrictions and an unfinished structural agenda all weigh on the medium-term outlook. Under unchanged policies, debt is...

This IMF report to the AHLC is the first since September 2018. Following limited engagement over the past three years, policy discussions have intensified in recent months. These discussions have focused mainly on establishing a medium term macro-fiscal framework, including the broad outlines of...

Cover -- Contents -- I. Introduction -- II. Recent Developments and Outlook -- III. Policy Discussions -- A. Fiscal Policies -- B. Financial Sector -- C. Growth-Enhancing Policies -- IV. Access and Capacity to Repay the Fund -- V. Staff Appraisal -- Tables -- 1. Selected Economic and Social...

At the request of the Government of Liberia (GoL), the IMF Fiscal Affairs Department (FAD) led an external assessment of the central government's public financial management (PFM) systems based on the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) methodology. The assessment was...

In recent years, the IMF has released a growing number of reports and other documents covering economic and financial developments and trends in member countries. Each report, prepared by a staff team after discussions with government officials, is published at the option of the member country