IMF to hold its Asia conference in New Delhi

India will host a high-level IMF conference on Asia's economic performance next month that will explore the next stage of policy challenges in the region to maintain growth while boosting jobs and reducing inequality.

To be co-hosted by the Indian government, the three-day conference from March 11-13 in New Delhi will take stock of Asia's strong economic performance, its increased resilience to shocks, and the region's economic policy challenges.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde would address the conference.

"Advancing Asia provides a forum for Asia-Pacific leaders to discuss a region renowned for its economic successes over the past decades," Lagarde said.

"As Asia's advanced, emerging market and developing economies move to the next stage of success, they face the key challenge of how to maintain and enhance the region's high growth record while boosting jobs, reducing inequality, accelerating infrastructure and human capital development and implementing other growth-enhancing reforms," she said.

"I am very pleased to cooperate closely with the Government of India on this conference that will explore how the region can meet these policy challenges through investments in the future," Lagarde said.

Key topics to be discussed at the conference will include the most effective drivers of growth; income inequality, demographic change, and gender; infrastructure investment; climate change; managing capital flows; and financial inclusion, a media release said.

Advancing Asia follows the Asia 21: Leading the Way Forward conference, a conference held in Daejeon, South Korea in 2010, where leaders gathered to discuss the region's role in a global economy recovering from the Global Financial Crisis.