Duterte to attend WB, IMF meets in Bali

DAVAO CITY, Philippines — President Duterte is set to fly to Bali, Indonesia on Wednesday to join nine other leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in a  gathering on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB) in Nusa Dua.

The President is expected to attend the ASEAN Leaders Gathering, which is seen as part of the regional bloc’s efforts to align the ASEAN Vision 2025 with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Aside from Duterte, all the other ASEAN leaders have also reportedly confirmed attendance to the Bali gathering that will take place on Oct. 11 where they will also meet with IMF managing director Christine Lagarde and WB president Jim Yong-kim.

The gathering of the ASEAN leaders is reportedly one of the main events connected to the IMF-WB meeting, aside from the opening ceremony to be led by Indonesian President Joko Widodo, the IMF committee meeting of central bank governors and the development committee meeting of finance ministers. 

Over 18,000 delegates from all over the world are expected to attend the IMF-WB meeting.

Meanwhile, the ASEAN Vision 2025 is a roadmap that articulates the regional bloc’s goals and aspirations to realize further consolidation, integration and stronger cohesiveness as an economic community.

Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir was quoted to have said that the main purpose of the Bali meeting of the ASEAN leaders is to take advantage of the presence of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Lagarde and Jim.

The ASEAN leaders can then discuss and see how they can improve the synergy to achieve sustainable development goals in the regional bloc.

ASEAN countries comprise a total population of 640 million, with a combined gross domestic product of around $2.4 trillion.

The ASEAN, which has a gross domestic product that grew at 4.8 percent in 2016, is working on sustaining its growth while ensuring that it is both equitable and sustainable.