RIYADH: The International Monetary Fund and Saudi Arabia will jointly organize a high-level annual conference in AlUla to discuss global economic challenges, it has been announced. The AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies will bring together a select group of finance ministers, central bank governors, and policymakers, along with leaders from the public and private sectors, representatives from international institutions, and members of academia. According to a joint statement by Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of IMF and the Minister of Finance Mohammed Al-Jadaan, the first edition of this series will be held from Feb. 16-17, 2025. “The world is confronting deeper and more frequent shocks, including from conflicts, geoeconomic fragmentation, pandemics, climate change, food insecurity, and the digital divide,” according to the statement. They continued: “If not addressed adequately, these shocks put at risk emerging market economies’ hard-won improvements in living standards. Such setbacks would affect large segments of the world population and put at risk global growth and macro-financial stability.” The gathering will offer a platform to exchange views on domestic, regional, and global economic developments and discuss policies and reforms to spur inclusive prosperity and build resilience supported by international cooperation. Recent economic issues affecting the global landscape include rising inflation rates, driven by supply chain disruptions and increased demand for goods post-pandemic. Supply chain delays continue to impact the availability of essential products, causing bottlenecks in manufacturing and increasing costs. Additionally, geopolitical conflicts, such as the war in Gaza, have disrupted energy supplies and food exports, leading to global food insecurity and fuel price volatility. Concerns over the using the Red Sea shipping lane increased dramatically at the end of 2023, when Houthi militants stepped up attacks on vessels in the wake of the escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict. The effects of these challenges pose significant risks to economic stability, especially for emerging markets that are more vulnerable to such global shocks. The AlUla conference is the latest example of the growing relationship between Saudi Arabia and the IMF, with the organization in April establishing its first office in the Middle East and North Africa region in Riyadh. The facility was launched during the Joint Regional Conference on Industrial Policy for Diversification, jointly organized by the IMF and the Ministry of Finance, on April 24. The new office aims to strengthen capacity building, regional surveillance, and outreach to foster stability, growth, and integration, thereby promoting partnerships in the Middle East and beyond, according to the Saudi Press Agency. The work hub will promote closer collaboration between the IMF and regional institutions, governments, and other stakeholders, according to the SPA report. The IMF also expressed its gratitude to the Kingdom for its financial contribution aimed at supporting capacity development in member countries, including fragile states.