The International Monetary and Financial Committee, the main steering committee of the 191-member IMF, issued its chair's statement after a meeting in Bangkok on October 17. Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan, who chairs the IMFC, said the language was agreed by all members.
The statement noted that escalating conflicts and trade tensions could further disrupt critical trade routes, worsen commodity price pressures and threaten energy and food security. It also highlighted risks from rising bond yields in major economies that spill over to highly indebted nations.
On technology, the statement referred to "advanced intelligence technologies" rather than artificial intelligence. A senior US Treasury official told Reuters that the United States had pressed fellow members to rename AI as "super intelligence" in line with President Donald Trump's preferred term, but the final version contained no reference to artificial intelligence.
The committee said rapid technological change, demographic shifts, more frequent extreme weather events and geoeconomic fragmentation were compounding policy tradeoffs.
Members agreed to support countries that undertake reforms and address debt vulnerabilities, with specific attention to low-income and vulnerable middle-income countries and conflict-affected states. The statement encouraged increasing support for countries with sustainable debt and strong reform agendas but facing short-term financing challenges, noting several members had provided assurances of support to the IMF's Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust.