Montek Ahluwalia named member of World Bank-IMF High-Level Advisory Group

Climate change is at the top of the agenda this year in both developed and emerging market countries, says Ahluwalia

Montek Singh Ahluwalia, former Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission and distinguished fellow at the Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP), was named as a member of a High-Level Advisory Group (HLAG) formed by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the face of the dual crisis posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change.

Speaking on the immediate priorities for the HLAG, Montek said, “Climate change is at the top of the agenda this year in both developed and emerging market countries and the CoP 26 in November is expected to spell out what the international community needs to do. I hope the group can make a useful contribution to defining a workable strategy that takes account of the concerns of different participants.”

On June 15, the World Bank Group and IMF announced that the aim of the HLAG on sustainable and inclusive recovery and growth is to "help secure a strong recovery and set a path for green, resilient, and inclusive development over the coming decade".

The group will be jointly led by Mari Pangestu, Managing Director for Development Policy and Partnerships, World Bank; Ceyla Pazarbasioglu, Director, Strategy, Policy and Review Department, International Monetary Fund; and Lord Nicholas Stern of the London School of Economics. 

The group will also include Gita Gopinath, Economic Counsellor and Director of the Research Department at the IMF, among others.