About the Committee

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Who We Are

The Bretton Woods Committee is the preeminent non-profit organization dedicated to effective global economic and financial cooperation.

Towards this end, we demonstrate the value of multilateralism and improve the performance of the international financial institutions (IFIs) through public dialogue, advocacy, and policy analysis.

The Committee was created in 1983 at the suggestion of two former Treasury officials - Secretary Henry Fowler and Deputy Secretary Charls Walker, a Democrat and a Republican - who saw the need for an organized effort to ensure that leading citizens spoke about the importance of the international financial institutions (IFIs).

Committee members are leaders in business, finance, academic, and non-profit sectors, including many industry CEOs, as well as former presidents, cabinet-level officials, and lawmakers who share the belief that international economic cooperation is essential and best served through strong, effective IFIs. Through the Committee, they champion global efforts to spur economic growth, alleviate poverty, and improve financial stability.

What We Do

Our mission is supported by:

  • A diverse, global membership of leaders from business, finance, government and academia who are an unparalleled source of ideas and expertise.

  • We are an independent, non-partisan advocate for the key multilateral institutions. We help inform public officials that global economic prosperity is best served through effective multilateralism.
  • We convene flagship conferences on the most critical economic and financial topics. These serve as important fora for dialogue and debate between BWC members, senior policymakers, multilateral officials, private sector leaders and prominent academics.

  • Working groups that organize roundtables, seminars, conferences, and other events to analyze and make policy recommendations on emerging issues impacting the future of finance, trade and global development.
  • Special projects that produce reports and publications with unbiased analysis and policy prescriptions on ways in which the multilateral system – and the institutions that comprise it – can be strengthened and made more effective.