Morocco: Host Country of the Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group and the IMF
The Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group (WBG) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are the major annual meeting of the international finance community, bringing together leading figures, Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors from 189 member countries of these institutions, as well as representatives of the private sector, NGOs and academia.
The designation of Morocco serves to show the proven capacity of the Kingdom as a privileged destination for organizing major international conferences and the choice of Marrakesh reinforces its reputation as an international city open to the world. The Meetings will be held at Bab Ighli, formerly the main entrance to the old city (the medina), which takes its name from the guards responsible for protecting its access. Bab Ighli, a vast expanse of more than 300 hectares located just outside of the city walls towards the Ourika valley, was the location where the COP22 for Climate was held in November 2016, hosting some 30,000 participants, as well as the First African Summit on Climate Action. In 2014, the 5th Global Entrepreneurship Summit was held at the same location, bringing together Heads of State, high-level government representatives and more than 3,000 entrepreneurs.
Given the high level of stakeholder participation, the 2023 Annual Meetings offer the opportunity for the Kingdom to strengthen its attractiveness and promote its image: a stable and tolerant, open and dynamic country, rich in its intangible heritage, its secular history, its culture, its gastronomy, and also marked by the progress made over the last 20 years at the democratic, social and economic levels.