| All sessions will be held at Radisson Blue Hotel, Livingstone, Zambia |
8:45-8:50 | Introduction: Lilia Razlog, DMF Program Manager, World Bank Group |
8:50-9:15 | Opening Remarks: Ms. Manuela Francisco, Global Director, World Bank Group H.E. Situmbeko Musokotwane, Minister of Finance and National Planning, Zambia |
9:15-10:45 | Session 1 Challenges and Changes in the Sovereign Debt Management Landscape This session sets the stage for the conference by providing an overview of trends in sovereign debt and fiscal risk management – both cyclical and structural. The panel will address increasing debt service payments, limited market access, and reduced capital inflows faced by the world's poorest countries, as well as the need for immediate attention and action to address liquidity pressures and prevent a further escalation of debt vulnerabilities, while scaling up investments towards economic growth and climate resilience. Moderator: Ms. Manuela Francisco, Global Director, World Bank Group Speakers: 1 H.E. Situmbeko Musokotwane, Minister of Finance and National Planning of Zambia 2 H.E. Shehan Semasinghe, State Minister of Finance, Sri-Lanka 3 Ms. Allison Holland, Division Chief, SPR, IMF 4 Mr. David Cowan, Senior Economist for Africa, Citibank |
10:45-11:00 | Coffee Break |
11:00-12:30 | Session 2: Moving Towards Climate Resilient Debt Management The panel will focus on the impact of climate change on debt vulnerabilities and explore options to manage risks from climate change to debt portfolios and leverage financing for climate adaptation and mitigation. It will discuss the concept of green bonds and blue bonds, as well as strategies for integrating climate considerations into debt management frameworks. Tools for the Ministry of Finance to manage climate and disaster risks – such as catastrophe bonds, deferred drawdown options and debt swaps can also be explored. Moderator: Mr. Olivier Mahul, Practice Manager, World Bank Speakers: 1 H.E. Dennis Cornwall, Minister of Finance Grenada 2 Mr. Jean-Paul Adam, Director, Policy, Monitoring and Advocacy, UN Secretariat 3 Ms. Mariam Mohammed, Senior Legal Counsel, ALSF, AfDB 4 Ms. Olga Ricacci, Peru Debt Management Office |
12:30-14:00 13:00-14:00 | Lunch Technical Session Briefing on the Review of LIC Debt Sustainability Framework The IMF and the World Bank have launched a comprehensive review of the Debt Sustainability Framework for low-income countries (LIC DSF). The review aims at making the framework capable of adapting to the growing heterogeneity of counties using the LIC DSF, with many of them increasingly relying on market-based financing and domestic financing. Ahead of the completion of the review, supplementary guidance will help address issues that have become more prominent for DSAs including with regards to domestic debt, climate considerations and the use of DSAs in debt restructurings. Speakers: 1 Ms. Allison Holland 2 Mr. Frederico Gil Sander |
14:00-15:30 | Session 3: The Role of Debt Management in Navigating Crises This session will focus on country experiences and discuss the role of capacity building and sound institutional practices in dealing with challenges such as debt restructuring, liability management operations, and restoring market access amid a liquidity crunch. Limited access to the international capital markets for debt refinancing aggravated the extent of funding constrains. Countries can share what works and what does not to navigate these challenging times. Moderator: Nathan M. Belete, Country Director, World Bank Group Speakers: 1 1 H.E. Shehan Semasinghe, State Minister of Finance, Sri-Lanka 2 Mr. Felix Nkulukusa, Secretary to the Treasury, Zambia 3 Mr. Theo Maret, Associate at Global Sovereign Advisory 4 Mr. Thordur Jonasson, Deputy Division Chief, IMF |
15:30-15:45 | Coffee Break |
15:45-17:15 | Session 4: Digitalization and Use of Technology in Debt Management This session will explore the role of technology and digitalization in transforming debt management processes. The panel will discuss how new technologies can address the challenges faced by debt recording systems and its interaction with public financial management systems. Additionally, the panel may discuss potential use of AI in debt management activities. Moderator: Ms. Abha Prasad, Practice Manager, World Bank Group Speakers: 1 Mr. Leonardo Rocha, Head of Back-Office Unit, National Treasury of Brazil 2 Mr. Rakesh Tripathy, Chief General Manager, Reserve Bank of India 3 Mr. Arouna Sow, Macroeconomist, Agence UMOA Titres (AUT) |
18:30-20:00 | Reception |
