Press Release

Bretton Woods Committee Announces Historic Bretton Woods@75 Initiative

Thu, Oct 11, 2018

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Revitalizing the Spirit of Bretton Woods

BALI, INDONESIA, October 11, 2018 – Bretton Woods Committee Executive Director Randy Rodgers announced today the launch of Bretton Woods@75: a global dialogue to honor 75 years of economic progress and to revitalize the spirit of Bretton Woods now and for the future.

“75 years after the Bretton Woods Conference, we must recall that after decades of destruction and despair, the world’s leaders came together to ensure shared prosperity and relative peace through international cooperation,” said Richard A. Debs, International Council Chair of the Bretton Woods Committee. “Bretton Woods@75 celebrates and invigorates that sentiment again.”

As the 75th Anniversary of the Bretton Woods Conference approaches in July 2019, the rules-based international economic system and its staunchest supporters face a significant challenge: how to ensure the global economic system evolves and endures to meet the challenges of the next generation? At this pivotal moment, the Committee is calling on our global community of thought leaders to amplify our collective voice and to make certain that the 1944 promise of peace and prosperity through international economic cooperation will be realized for the next generation.

“Bretton Woods@75 represents the bi-partisan leadership needed in this moment,” Former Congressman Jim Kolbe (R-AZ), Co-Chair of the Bretton Woods Committee, said. “We cannot solve the world’s most pressing economic issues without the fundamental value of cooperation.”

Over the course of the next year, Bretton Woods@75 will advance this dialogue through conferences, focus groups, publications, and other events. The dialogue will feature a few key milestones:

Bretton Woods@75 Compendium: To be publicly released in July 2019, the Compendium is a unique collection of over 40 essays from the Committee’s network of global thought leaders providing recommendations for the future of international economic cooperation.

Bretton Woods@75 Gala: At the culmination of the Bretton Woods@75 initiative in October 2019, the Bretton Woods@75 Gala, taking place in Washington, DC, will celebrate the accomplishments and forward-looking ideas generated through the Bretton Woods@75 dialogue, honor 75 years of global economic progress, and ensure the Bretton Woods Committee is poised to continue to be effective in its mission for the next generation.

“It is time that monumental global economic shifts are met with adaptation, ingenuity, and a strong sense of the interconnectedness of the human race,” said James D. Wolfensohn, Co-Chair of the Bretton Woods Committee and former president of the World Bank Group. “The Bretton Woods Committee brings diverse and influential voices together to recommend the steps that can be taken to assist in developing an economic system that is ready to address the future with wisdom and a sense of global unity.”

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About the Bretton Woods Committee

The Bretton Woods Committee – whose mission is to demonstrate the value of international economic cooperation and foster strong, effective Bretton Woods institutions as forces for global well-being – has operated for over 35 years as a valued advisor, constructive critic, and advocate for the Bretton Woods institutions.

Please contact Kasey Stelter, Program Manager at kstelter@brettonwoods.org or (202) 202.331.1616 for more information.