"It's time to end the gentleman’s agreement" – An Open Letter to the IMF
Over 100 organisations and academics sign a letter demanding a fair selection process for the next IMF managing director.
To governors and executive directors of the IMF,
The ‘gentleman’s agreement’, which has ensured that the IMF managing director has for 75 years been European and the World Bank president a US national, is undemocratic, illegitimate, and rooted in neo-colonial principles.
International institutions currently face a crisis of legitimacy, as faith in the multilateral system of global governance withers. If the IMF and World Bank want to present themselves as modern institutions capable of tackling today’s challenges, it is imperative that they become democratic and accountable to all of those they represent.
Despite over 150 civil society organisations and individuals calling on the World Bank for an open, transparent and merit-based leadership succession process earlier this year, the US candidate David Malpass was appointed president of the World Bank. This, exacerbated by the fact that the only other nominee cited pressure from “other governments” as the reason for withdrawing, brought global governance into further disrepute.
It is high time to end the ‘gentleman’s agreement’ and replace it with a genuinely open, democratic, merit-based, transparent process, that goes beyond rhetorical commitment, and allows candidates, regardless of nationality, to be put forward on an equal footing. In line with longstanding civil society demands, we believe that no country – or indeed bloc of countries – should wield excessive power in this process. Instead, the winning candidate should gain support of a majority of both voting shares and member states.
The opaque nature of the selection process must be scrapped in favour of a transparent one that allows space for public scrutiny of candidates. This should entail a commitment to ending the convention that candidates must be supported by the government of their home country – which restricts applications – as well as public interviews, transparent voting procedures, and sufficient time to allow for deliberation.
Building on the IMF’s candidate profile, a clear job description and comprehensive set of qualifications should be drafted and made public. This should include the ability to defend the independence of the IMF from its powerful members and stand up for less powerful nations. It is vital that candidates are well-versed in problems experienced by low- and middle-income countries.
Recognising the IMF as a specialised agency of the United Nations, it is essential that candidates are committed to embedding the IMF in agreed international frameworks and norms, such as international human rights law, and are dedicated to building on the IMF’s recent commitments on economic inequality, social spending, gender inequality, and climate change.
The IMF leadership race coincides with the 75th anniversary of the creation of the Bretton Woods Institutions. 75 years is enough – it is time to end the ‘gentleman’s agreement’.
Signed,
1. ActionAid International
2. Adam Tooze, Director of the European Institute, Columbia University
3. Africa Development Interchange Network (ADIN)
4. African Coalition on Green Growth
5. Afrodad
6. AfroLeadership
7. Age International
8. Alan Cibils, Professor of Political Economy, Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento
9. Alexander Kentikelenis, Assistant Professor of Political Economy and Sociology, Bocconi University
10. Alliance Sud
11. Arab NGOs Network for Development
12. Asia Monitor Resource Centre
13. Association for Promotion Sustainable Development
14. Bank Information Center Europe
15. Bilge Erten, Assistant Professor, Northeastern University
16. Bonn Juego, University Teacher and Researcher
17. Bretton Woods Project
18. Buendnis Eine Welt Schleswig-Holstein
19. CAFOD (Catholic Agency for Overseas Development)
20. CAFSO-WRAG for Development
21. CEE Bankwatch Network
22. CEKOR (Center for ecology and sustainable development), Serbia
23. Center of Conjuncture and Economic Policy of the Economic Institute of the University of Campinas
24. Centre National de coopération au développement CNCD-11.11.11
25. CESR
26. Christian Aid
27. Civil Society Coalition on Sustainable Development
28. Common Weal
29. Common Wealth
30. Community and Family aid, Ghana
31. Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd
32. Daniela Gabor, Professor of Economics and Macro-Finance, University of the West of England.
33. DAWN
34. Debt Justice Norway
35. DemNet Hungary
36. Democratic Culture, Argentina
37. Diane Elson, Emeritus Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Essex
38. Dr Catherine Bernard, Founder-director of SERFAC
39. Dr. Jeff Powell, University of Greenwich
40. Društvo EnaBanda
41. Ecumenical Academy, Czech Republic
42. Erlassjahr.de
43. Eurodad
44. Fight Inequality Alliance
45. Financial Justice Ireland
46. Free Trade Union Development Center
47. Friends of the Earth US
48. GADN
49. Gestos, Brazil
50. Global Alliance for Tax Justice
51. Global Justice Now
52. Health Poverty Action
53. Help Age International
54. Ilene Grabel, Distinguished University Professor, University of Denver
55. International Trade Union Confederation
56. International Women’s Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific
57. Isabel Ortiz, Director Global Social Justice Program, IPD Columbia University
58. Jason Hickel, senior lecturer, Goldsmith’s University
59. John Miller, Professor of Economics, Wheaton College, Norton, MA
60. John Weeks, Professor Emeritus SOAS, University of London
61. Jubilee Australia
62. Jubilee Debt Campaign UK
63. Jubilee Germany
64. JusticeMakers Bangladesh
65. Khartoum Sudan
66. Latinddad
67. Madhyam (New Delhi)
68. Nancy Alexander
69. National Society of Conservationists - Friends of the Earth Hungary
70. New Economics Foundation
71. Nigeria Private Sector Alliance
72. Oikos - Cooperação e Desenvolvimento
73. Olive Community Development Initiatives, Nigeria
74. Oxfam
75. Peter O’Flynn, Researcher, Development Finance and Impact Investing, Institute of Development Studies
76. Phenix Center for Economic and Informatics Studies, Jordan
77. Professor Sir Richard Jolly, Research Associate, Institute of Development Studies
78. Radanar Ayar Association from Myanmar
79. Radhika Balakrishnan, Rutgers University
80. Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary NGO
81. Rethinking Economics
82. Rick Rowden PhD
83. SDGs Kenya Forum
84. Sisters of Charity Federation
85. Society for International Development
86. Stamp Out Poverty
87. Stephany Griffith- Jones, Emeritus Professorial Fellow, Institute of Development Studies, Sussex University
88. Tax Justice Network
89. The Feminist Task Force
90. The Hunger Project
91. Thomas Stubbs, Senior Lecturer in International Relations
92. Trademark Belfast
93. UndebtedWorld
94. Urgewald
95. VIVAT International
96. War on Want
97. Wemos
98. Willow Empowerment For Grassroot Development Initiative
99. Womankind Worldwide
100. Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom
101. Youthhubafrica
102. Zimbabwe United Nations Association
This letter was originally published at IMF Boss. It was reposted from:
Image credit: Javier Ignacio Acuña Ditzel via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
