Amid global uncertainty and earth-shattering geopolitical shifts, the World Bank Group (WBG) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) convened world leaders and key decision-makers in Washington D.C. from October 13–18 for their Annual Meetings.

The event brought together central bankers, ministers of finance and development, private sector executives, civil society representatives, and academics for a series of discussions on pressing global issues, including the world economic outlook, poverty alleviation, international development, and aid effectiveness.

A central feature of the gathering was the Civil Society Policy Forum (CSPF), which offered a unique platform for civil society organizations (CSOs) to engage directly with global financial institutions. “The CSPF has become an integral part of the Annual Meetings, providing an open space for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) from all over the world to dialogue and exchange views with World Bank Group and IMF staff, their peers, government delegations, and other stakeholders on a wide range of topics,” the organizers stated.

Among the invited participants was John Miller Beauvoir, an international development specialist with extensive experience across more than 20 countries.

“Despite a worrisome trend of democratic backsliding, rising authoritarianism, and global polarization affecting trade, security, and peace across the world, it was refreshing and revitalizing to see CSO leaders holding their ground, strategizing, and pushing for more reforms and inclusive governance,” said Beauvoir. “We spoke truth to power, as it should be.”

Beauvoir commended the Bretton Woods institutions for providing space for open dialogue with civil society but emphasized the urgent need for long-overdue reforms. He urged the World Bank and IMF to take bolder action in addressing systemic poverty, youth unemployment, the climate crisis, and the exclusion of women in the Global South.