Recent Highlights

On Wednesday, April 19, 2017 a group of approximately 60 Bretton Woods Committee members and friends held a private roundtable discussion featuring industry leaders, officials from the World Bank Group (WBG) and Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), and other experts involved in private sector development financing to explore ways to overcome current investment challenges and MDB/IFI initiatives that could further spur private sector appetite for resilient, climate-smart infrastructure in Emerging Markets and Developing Economies (EMDEs).

The Bretton Woods Committee would like to thank all our members and friends who joined us for the 2017 Annual Meeting – The Future of Globalism and Multilateralism – where we had insightful discussions around the changing global economic landscape, global development challenges and opportunities, shifting monetary, fiscal, and trade policies, and the future of the global financial system.

Among the distinguished speakers were:

The Henry Owen Memorial Award honors Bretton Woods Committee co-founder Henry Owen, and hopes to inspire new generations of thoughtful young leaders to follow Ambassador Owen’s example as both a scholar and diplomat. This Award has been made possible thanks to the generous contributions of Bretton Woods Committee members, friends, and the Owen family.

On March 14, 2017 the Bretton Woods Committee hosted the virtual conference, Regional Spotlight: Populism Shaking EU Foundations? This event explored European populist political movements and the potential impacts on the future of the European Union, Eurozone, multilateral institutions, and the global economy. Featured speakers included Dr. Gerard Lyons, Chief Economic Strategist at Netwealth and former Economic Advisor to Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, as well as Dr.

Click here to read the Committee’s letter

On November 10, 2016, the Bretton Woods Committee hosted the virtual conference, Regional Spotlight – U.S. Economic and Trade Leadership Globally: Post Election Analysis, to explore the impact the incoming U.S. Administration and Congress may have on U.S. international economic and trade policies. The event featured speakers James Bacchus, Chair, Global Practice at Greensberg Traurig and former Congressman (D-FL), and Jim Kolbe, Senior Transatlantic Fellow at German Marshall Fund and former Congressman (R-AZ).

On October 7, 2016, over 200 Bretton Woods Committee members and friends – including leaders from the public and private sectors as well multilateral institutions – gathered at the St. Regis Hotel in Washington, D.C. for the 2016 Bretton Woods Committee International Council Meeting. This year’s program theme – “Navigating Uncertainty in an Uncharted Economic Era” – explored financial stability risks, progress on the harmonization of financial reforms, regional economic development challenges and opportunities, and the future of globalization in an increasingly uncertain world.

On October 6, the Bretton Woods Committee hosted a roundtable at the International Monetary Fund on the feasibility of a real market for state-contingent debt instruments (SCDIs). The event – moderated by Bretton Woods Committee Advisory Council member Bill Rhodes – brought together a group of 40 sovereign (issuers) and market participants (investors) to advise the IMF as they deliberate proposals for the G20 on SCDIs.

The Bretton Woods Committee would like to thank all our members and friends who joined us for a full agenda of Committee events in October.

Of course the highlight was our 2016 International Council Meeting – Navigating Uncertainty in an Uncharted Economic Era – where we had an insightful discussion on the future of globalization; global and regional economic growth prospects; risks to the financial system; the role of monetary policy and central banks; and harmonization of regulatory reform efforts.