2026 Annual Meetings IMF & WBG
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The 2026 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG) will take place from Monday, October 12 to Sunday, October 18 in Bangkok, Thailand.
The Civil Society Policy Forum (CSPF) will take place in a hybrid format. The schedule can be found here and here.
All CSPF sessions will be livestreamed.
The International Peoples Assembly "From Debt and Domination to Justice and Liberation" will take place on October 12 to 13. The Programme is here.
The GCSPF and many of its members are co-sponsoring several sessions. See below for further detail.
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INTERNATIONAL PEOPLES ASSEMBLY
"From Debt and Domination to Justice and Liberation"
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Civil society organisations and social movements from around the world will come together in Bangkok for the International People’s Assembly on 12 and 13 October in Bangkok. Programme
The Assembly is coordinated by the Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD). The Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) is part of the International People’s Assembly’s steering group and coordinates its task force.
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Advocating for Human Rights-Based Social Protection
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This session will bring together civil society organisations engaged in advocacy for rights-based social protection programmes. The event will be an opportunity to exchange experiences on advocacy strategies across various contexts and to discuss the differences between a human rights-based approach and a charity approach to social protection in theory and practice. ISER and RAISE will present a draft toolkit for civil society organisations working on social protection advocacy, inviting other organisations to participate in the process of finalizing it for a global audience.
Organizers: Initiative for Social and Economic Rights (ISER) and Research & Action for Income Security (RAISE)
October 13 - 8:45 am - 10:15 am
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The macro-economic effects of social protection: evidence from South Africa
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Economic arguments for investing in social protection are often a key element of successful advocacy, in particular with Ministries of Finance. This session provides an opportunity to discuss the latest research on the economic effects of social protection, taking as a starting point a new study by IEJ on the multiplier effect of social protection in South Africa. Format: The session will include a presentation on a study of the multiplier effect of social protection in South Africa. Organizer: Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ)
October 13 - 10:30 am - 12 pm
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Jobs and growth, but for whom?
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As the World Bank and the IMF promote private capital mobilization as the only solution to the complex and overlapping crises the countries of the world face, they fall back on discredited formulas for development. The World Bank now centers jobs in all its work but promotes the erosion of basic labor rights while the IMF is urging governments to embrace austerity.
But most of the world's people are workers, not owners of private capital. The Bretton Woods institutions' relentless promotion of the interests of investors, asset-holders and employers, is being challenged by workers around the world who are fighting back— sometimes over the opposition of their own government.
Join us to hear from Thai, Asian, and global trade unionists who are challenging the actions of the international financial institutions in their countries and in their sectors and creating a roadmap for workers to build a new paradigm for development.
October 13 - 10:30 am - 12 pm
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Strategizing Economic Justice Mobilisation to address debt, economic and climate injustice
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Many civil society organisations came together to do "Economic Justice mobilisation" in 2025 to address the poly crisis facing the world: debt crisis, extreme inequalities, economic crisis, climate crisis. This is part of a movement of grassroots, national, regional, and global organisations to demand the transformation of the international financial architecture dominated by the World Bank and IMF. In 2026 mobilisations and People's Assemblies are being held to influence key global processes like the UNGA, WB/IMF annual meeting and the COP31.
The event is organised by GCAP and many other CSOs in the International People's Assembly. It will reflect on the impact of the mobilisation done and discuss the way forward.
October 13 - 1 pm - 2.30 pm
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Whose buffers? Fiscal austerity, the cost of readjustment and rearmament
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When: Tuesday 13 October, 14.45 - 16.15 (ICT / UTC+7)
Where: Orchid 1, 3rd floor, Ambassador Hotel Bangkok
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Side Events in the sidelines of the
WB-IMF Annual Meetings
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On Friday, October 9, an in-person conference of 100–150 invited delegates will take place with the following objectives:.• Present the global and Asian evidence on how public services and social protection measurably reduce economic and social inequality. • Generate political debate and commitments from governments and international financial institutions to invest in and reform public services and social protection as a core inequality-reduction strategy. • Launch the flagship policy brief Rigged from Birth: How Inequality Steals Futures in Asia and the Five Public Services That Can Reverse It as an evidence base for governments, multilateral organisations and civil society across Asia. Read more
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The day after the Borrower Platform’s first annual meeting, what should borrowers do with the agenda they have just set? We discuss options from peer learning to coordinated positions on debt sustainability analysis, CCRT reform, shock-contingent clauses and debt legislation. Access the newly launched expert brief: "What's Next for the Borrowers' Platform?"
Location: Valia Room, Valia Hotel, Sukhumvit 24, Bangkok - October 13, 12:00 – 14:00PM - Register here
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Freedom of association and the right to bargain collectively, enshrined in ILO Core Conventions Nos. 87 and 98, are internationally recognised as fundamental human rights. However, the ratification rate of the two ILO Core Conventions concerning freedom of association and collective bargaining within the ASEAN region remains significantly lower than both the global and broader Asia-Pacific regional averages. Under this backdrop, the ITUC-Asia Pacific, the ITUC Washington Office, and the ITUCThai Council are organising this panel discussion to evaluate the current state of fundamental labour rights in ASEAN, with a focus on freedom of association and collective bargaining, examining Thailand as a key case study for accelerating ratification toward sustainable and inclusive growth in the region.
Location: Valia Room, Valia Hotel, Sukhumvit 24, Bangkok - October 13, 15:00 – 17:00PM - Register here
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Freedom of association and the right to bargain collectively, enshrined in ILO Core Conventions Nos. 87 and 98, are internationally recognised as fundamental human rights. However, the ratification rate of the two ILO Core Conventions concerning freedom of association and collective bargaining within the ASEAN region remains significantly lower than both the global and broader Asia-Pacific regional averages. Under this backdrop, the ITUC-Asia Pacific, the ITUC Washington Office, and the ITUCThai Council are organising this panel discussion to evaluate the current state of fundamental labour rights in ASEAN, with a focus on freedom of association and collective bargaining, examining Thailand as a key case study for accelerating ratification toward sustainable and inclusive growth in the region.
Location: UN ESCAP, United Nations Building, Rajadamnern Nok Avenue and online - October 14, 15:30 – 17:00PM
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Civil Society Policy Forum (CSPF)
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Just Transition financing across MDBs, climate funds, and bilateral donors remains fragmented and misaligned with climate and justice goals. COP30 Belém's new Just Transition mechanism offers a chance to recalibrate and scale support. This event explores how the World Bank and MDBs can operationalize Belém's principles, informed by UNFCCC talks.
Organizers: Climate Action Network International, Big Shift Global, Eurodad, WEDO, CAN South East Asia, Recourse, Bretton Woods Project, IBON International, Center for Science and Environment India, International Trade Union Confederation, African Forum and Network on Debt & Development (AFRODAD), Fair Finance Asia (FFA), Asian Peoples' Movement for Debt and Development (APMDD), Japan Center for a Sustainable Environment and Society (JACSES), MenaFem Movement for Economic, development and Ecological Justice, Oxfam International
Location: 2-211D and online - October 13 - 13:00-14:30
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Crisis assistance can fragment when donors and IFIs create parallel systems without strengthening national social protection or clear exit strategies. This panel explores how humanitarian responses can connect with national frameworks, expand fiscal space, and mobilize resources for universal, adequate, shock-responsive, State-led systems—shifting from short-term aid toward sustainable, rights-based approaches that strengthen resilience and stability.
Organizers: Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND), NORCAP-Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC); The CALP Network; Arab Reform Initiative (ARI); United Nations Economics and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA); Arab States Regional Collaborative Platform’s Issue Based Coalition on Social Protection (IBC/SP), represented by the International Labor Organization Regional Office for Arab States (ILO); Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO); United Nations Development Coordination Office (DCO)
Location: 2-210C and online - October 13 - 3:00-4:30 PM
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"Rebuilding buffers" is today's lexicon for fiscal consolidation — austerity in practice. It comes at a difficult time: rising defense spending and oil prices make essentials unaffordable. New global data by CSOs document adjustment measures in conditionalities and surveillance: targeting social protection, capping wage bills, privatizing public services/SOEs, eliminating subsidies, pension and labor market reforms, raising consumption taxes, expanding user fees. Costs shift onto households, weakening access to education, health, water and transport, and deepening social and gender inequalities. The session is evidence-based and solutions-oriented: panelists and IMF staff will examine financing options to expand fiscal space and strengthen social resilience.
Organizers: Global Social Justice, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), ActionAid International, Christian Aid, Arab Reform Initiative (ARI), Oxfam, End Austerity Campaign, Instituto del Tercer Mundo (IdTM), International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), MENAFem, IBON International, Latindadd, Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP), Reality of Aid Asia Pacific, Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR), Centre for Social Sciences Research and Action (CeSSRA), Initiative for Social and Economic Rights (ISER-Uganda), Arab NGO Network for Development, AWC, African Women’s Development and Communications Network (FEMNET), Free Trade Union Development Centre (FTUDC) and Wemos, Christian Aid
Date: Wednesday, October 14 - Time: 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM - Zoom link for virtual participants.
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AI is often debated as a threat to jobs. For millions of platform workers, automated systems already act as the boss, allocating work, setting pay, monitoring performance, and suspending accounts. Adopted in June 2026, ILO Convention No. 193 is the first international labor standard dedicated to the platform economy and establishes safeguards on algorithmic management, employment status, freedom of association, and social security. Drawing on cross-regional evidence, this session will discuss how unregulated platform business models undermine labor rights, shift social security obligations, and weaken contribution financing, and how the World Bank can support ratification and implementation of the Convention 193 through its jobs and digitalization agenda.
Organizers: Human Rights Watch, Arab Reform Initiative (ARI), Bretton Woods Project, Global Social Justice, Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP), Christian Aid, End Austerity Campaign, IT for Change, The Workers’ Observatory, Initiative for Social and Economic Rights (ISER-Uganda), Privacy International, International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO), Asia Monitor Resource Centre- AMRC, Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF)
Date: Wednesday, October 14 - Time: 12:00 – 01:30 PM - Zoom link for virtual participants.
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The Office of the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO) recently released two reports that reveal systematic enforcement gaps within the IFC on labour rights and its use of leverage to remedy performance standards violations. However, the upcoming Sustainability Framework review provides an opportunity to put the policies and practices in place to improve compliance on IFC projects and strengthen development impact.
Date: Wednesday, October 14 - Time: 15:00 – 16:30 PM - Zoom link for virtual participants.
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The World Bank Group’s new FCV Strategy makes jobs and private-sector recovery central to its engagement in fragile and conflict-affected settings. Yet reconstruction finance is not neutral. World Bank financing and IMF-backed fiscal and debt frameworks shape the public resources available for reconstruction and social protection, while investment and procurement rules determine who receives contracts, who carries risk, and who captures the returns. Drawing on Lebanon, Syria, and comparative FCV cases, the session will examine how these choices can affect firms, workers, and households, and advance safeguards, namely along the lines of labor rights, social protection, gender- and climate-responsive assessments, transparent contracting, and independent remedy for equitable, rights-based reconstruction.
Organizers: Arab Watch Coalition, Terreliban, Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, Phenix Center for Economic & Informatics Studies, Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, The Centre for Social Sciences Research and Action, Arab Reform Initiative, Arab NGO Network for Development, Karam Shaar Advisory
Location: 2-210C and online - October 15 - 3:00-4:30PM
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Digital transformations, green transitions, and neoliberal policies are reshaping labor markets and exposing fragile social protection. Presenting FORWARD project data from Egypt and Lebanon, this session explores the disproportionate impact on informal workers. We outline evidence-based reforms to build resilient, universal social protection systems that mitigate future labor disruptions.
Organizers: Arab Reform Initiative, Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, Arab Region Hub for Social Protection, FutureWorks Collective, JustJobs Network, Human Rights Watch (HRW), The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP), Arab Watch Coalition (AWC)
Location: 2-211D and online - October 15, 3:00-4:30PM
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This session presents Finance4All findings on social protection financing in Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, and Tunisia. It examines how financing gaps affect vulnerable communities, compares evidence with current policies, explores the role of IFIs, and advances rights-based, domestically driven alternatives to conventional debt-reliant financing models.
Organizers: Phenix Center, Arab Reform Initiative (ARI), The Center for Social Sciences Research and Action (CeSSRA); L’Espace Associatif; Al-Bawsala; Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND)
Location: 2-210A and online - October 16, 2:00 – 3:30PM
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At a time where democratic backsliding reinforces worrisome political and economic trends, the international financial institutions must ensure that human beings—not machines, and not the owners of machines—are in control of our economy, and that economic governance, labour market institutions, and strong public services are not sacrificed to the speculative profits of a very few. They are headed in the wrong direction. Read more
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BWIs return to Asia with their central role in 1997 financial crisis still casting long shadow, amid fears of future upheaval. Read more
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Letter criticises erosion of civil society autonomy in selection of Civil Society Policy Forum events. CSOs have raised concerns about shrinking space for civil society discussions that provide critical perspectives on the WBG and IMF’s policies and programmes. Read more
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In this Special Issue, launched ahead of the World Bank and IMF Annual Meetings 2026, CSO partners from the Asian region assess the legacy of the BWIs policies and prescriptions in Asia in key issues such as industrial policy, accountability, the Asian Financial crisis, the future of energy and gender equality. Read more
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A critical analysis of the WBG’s policy approach to gender equality and macroeconomic reform through the lending process
BWP’s new research reveal that while gender considerations are increasingly integrated into the Bank diagnostics and strategies, they often sit alongside policy reforms centred on fiscal consolidation, privatisation, social protection targeting, PPPs and private sector-led development, which this report demonstrates can have a negative impact on gender equality. Read more
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