The IMF and Social Welfare in MENA: Prospects for Alleviating Crises in Egypt, Tunisia, and Lebanon

Writers: Bel Trew, Salma Hussein, Hussein Cheaito, Aymen Bessalah, Timothy Kaldas

In late October, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced that it had reached staff-level agreements with the governments of Tunisia and Egypt, months after the IMF reached a similar agreement with the government of Lebanon. While each of these countries face different geopolitical and social challenges, they share increasingly complex and vulnerable economic situations, all intensified by the repercussions of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine which has heightened the Middle East and North Africa region’s vulnerability to energy and food crises.

On Thursday, December 15, 2022, the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP) hosted a virtual discussion featuring Hussein Cheaito, Aymen Bessalah, Salma Hussein, and Timothy Kaldas, and moderated by The Independent’s Bel Trew in which panelists addressed questions such as: What do we know so far about the IMF’s staff-level agreements with Tunisia, Lebanon, and Egypt? How will these programs affect social protections and welfare in these countries? And most importantly: how will these agreements impact ordinary people’s lives?

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