chief economist at the International Monetary Fund (International Monetary Fund), Gita Gopinath, will leave the foundation in January to return to her position in Harvard’s Department of Economics, the foundation announced Tuesday (19).
Exceptionally, Harvard University extended Gopinath’s public service leave by one year, allowing him to serve as chief economist at the International Monetary Fund for three years, according to the statement.
Gita Gopinath, chief economist at the International Monetary Fund – Photo: REUTERS/Rodrigo Garrido
Gopinath heads the International Monetary Fund’s research division, which is responsible for the quarterly World Economic Outlook (WEO).
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said Gopinath’s “contribution” was “really remarkable”. He added that “their impact on the work of the International Monetary Fund was enormous.”
Gopinath, 49, was born and raised in India, before completing his studies in the United States, where he obtained American citizenship.
I made history like The first woman to hold the position of chief economist at the International Monetary Fund.
“We have greatly benefited from his keen intelligence and deep knowledge of international finance and macroeconomics as we go through the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression,” Georgieva said.
The IMF noted that Gopinath co-authored the Epidemiological Paper on how to end the COVID-19 pandemic by setting vaccination targets on a global scale.
“This work led to the creation of the Multilateral Working Group, made up of the leaders of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the World Trade Organization, and the World Health Organization, to help end the pandemic,” he said.
It also led to the formation of a working group with vaccine manufacturers “to identify trade barriers, supply bottlenecks, and accelerate vaccine delivery to low-income and lower-middle-income countries”.
Gopinath also contributed to the creation of the Climate Change Team within the International Monetary Fund, with the aim of analyzing “best climate change mitigation policies”.
The International Monetary Fund said the search for Gopinath’s successor “will begin soon”.
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