This weekend I leave for the US to attend the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting on 16‑17 April and the IMF World Bank Spring Meetings on 17‑18 April in Washington, D.C.
The G20 and IMF World Bank meetings bring together Finance Ministers and Governors from around the world to discuss the major challenges facing the global economy.
Global growth remains modest and uneven while financial markets remain volatile. G20 members need to follow through on their ambition to lift growth by an additional two per cent by 2018.
As such, I strongly support the G20’s focus on implementing the G20 growth strategies we agreed to last year in Brisbane.
At the meetings, I will update G20 members on progress in establishing the Global Infrastructure Hub in Sydney. The Hub will provide a platform to lift quality public and private infrastructure investment.
All countries, regardless of whether they are members of the G20, will be able to work with the Hub and access and contribute to the expertise it gathers.
The permanent board of the Global Infrastructure Hub will hold its first meeting in Washington, marking an important step in the operationalisation of the Hub.
I will also hold a number of bilateral meetings with Finance Ministers including, German Minister of Finance, Dr Wolfgang Schäuble, Chinese Minister of Finance, Mr Lou Jiwei, as well as IMF Managing Director Ms Christine Lagarde, World Bank President Dr Jim Yong Kim and OECD Secretary-General Mr Angel Gurria.
On my way to Washington, I will travel to New York to meet with executives and representatives from the investment sectors.
While in New York, on Tuesday 14 April, I will deliver a keynote speech at an event hosted by Morgan Stanley on the future of global commerce.