The head of the International Monetary Fund said on Sunday that public debt in some Middle East and North Africa (MENA) states is of 'concern' and that governments need to build resilience through fiscal policies to protect against shocks in uncertain times.
The region needs to boost its average tax-to-GDP ratio to at least 15% from a current 11%, she said.
"We need at least 15% for tax policies to be sustainable. I would argue that we need more... that there is space to double tax revenues," Georgieva said. The Russia-Ukraine war and climate disasters could worsen food shortages for the most vulnerable. Coupled with persistently high unemployment in the region, especially among young people, this posed significant risk to social stability.
Georgieva said the earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria "brought tremendous tragedy on people but also very significant impact on the Turkish economy".She also called for deeper multilateral cooperation to help countries with unsustainable debt and climate change, as temperatures in the region are warming at twice the speed of the rest of the world.
Governments in the region, which have identified multi-year financing needs of over $750 billion for climate action, need to encourage private climate finance through the right policies and financial solutions, she added.
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