The paper examines the case for contingent financial instruments for low-income countries (LICs), from both the market and official sector. These include commodity price hedging instruments, contingent debt instruments (commodity-linked bonds, deferred repayment loans), and natural disaster...

This report aims to accomplish three objectives: (a) it provides an update on the status of implementation, impact, and costs of the Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) Initiative and the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI); (b) it proposes a modification of the reporting of progress...

Lower-than-expected demand over the recent past has raised the lending capacity of the PRGT for the years 2012-14. Staff's latest projections suggest PRGT demand in 2011 could be about SDR 1.4 billion, up from SDR 1.2 billion in 2010. Assuming the 2009 LIC financing package is completed, these...

This paper updates the status of implementation, impact, and costs of the Enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) Initiative and the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI). Debt relief provided under the Initiatives has substantially alleviated debt burdens in recipient countries....

The Bank-Fund Debt Sustainability Framework (DSF) is a standardized framework for analyzing debt-related vulnerabilities in low-income countries (LICs). It aims to help countries monitor their debt burden and take early preventive action, to provide guidance to creditors in ensuring their...

This report provides an update on the status of implementation, impact, and costs of the Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) Initiative and the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI). Debt relief provided under the Initiatives has substantially alleviated debt burdens in recipient...

This paper updates the quota data base through 2008 and discusses implications for members' calculated quota shares. A subsequent staff paper will review key issues related to the realignment of quota shares and present additional illustrative simulations, for discussion by the Committee of the...

The emergence of BRICs-Brazil, Russia, India, and China-is reshaping low-income countries' (LICs) international economic relations. While industrial countries remain LICs' dominant development partners, LIC-BRIC ties have increased so rapidly over the past decade that BRICs have become new...

The Fund regularly assesses conditionality in IMF-supported programs, with the next formal review planned for 2011. This paper summarizes previous assessments of conditionality, outlines staff's proposed approach to the forthcoming review, and seeks Directors' early views on the approach

New commitments under PRGT-supported programs are expected to increase to about SDR 2 billion in 2012, in part reflecting the large ECF commitment (SDR 0.6 billion) for Bangladesh approved in April. Commitments in the first eight months of 2012 amounted to SDR 1.4 billion and a further SDR 0.6...