Friday, December 9, 2011  |  11:30 am to 1:00 pm ET  |  MC C2-131

Media coverage of the G20 Leaders' Summit in Cannes on November 3-4, 2011 was dominated by financial and fiscal turmoil in the Euro zone. This overshadowed an otherwise broad and ambitious policy agenda set out by France at the start of its G20 Presidency and on which important progress was made throughout the year. Many of the issues that were addressed are central to the World Bank's mandate, including food security, infrastructure development, financial deepening in developing countries and climate change financing. Other issues are of critical importance to the Bank's clients, including efforts to reform the international monetary system and promote strong, sustainable and balanced global growth. Join us for a panel discussion of the Cannes Summit and priorities for the G20 in the coming year.

Thomas A. Bernes (Executive Director for the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) and former IMF Executive Director) and Homi Kharas (Senior Fellow and Deputy Director for the Global Economy and Development program at Brookings) will share their insights on the outcome of the G20 Leaders' Summit in Cannes, give their assessments of the importance of the 2012 French Presidency of the G20 for the Bank’s mandate and its clients, and discuss prospects for the G20 going forward. The session will be chaired by Jeffrey D. Lewis, Director for PRMED and World Bank representative to the G20 Development Working Group.

Coffee and cookies will be served.

For more information, please contact Jeff Chelsky, Lead Economist, International Policy and Partnerships Group, at jchelsky@worldbank.org.