Christine Lagarde wins top spot at IMF
Almost 48,000 ONE members signed our petition urging the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to run an open, transparent and merit-based process for their top position — but now the results are in. This week, the IMF’s executive board announced that they have chosen Christine Lagarde of France to succeed Dominique Strauss-Kahn as the managing director of the IMF.
As the IMF’s first female managing director, Ms. Lagarde will have one of the most powerful positions in global finance. She will be in charge of working with the IMF’s member nations to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability and reduce poverty around the world, among other things. Her candidacy has won the support of several key African nations, including the Ivory Coast and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Before coming to the IMF, Ms. Lagarde was the finance minister of France, one of Europe’s most powerful economies, and has been at the forefront of containing Europe’s debt crisis. This experience will serve her well, as she’ll be expected to guide the IMF through these tough economic times at the same level as her predecessor.
“I will make it my overriding goal that our institution continues to serve its entire membership with the same focus and the same spirit,” she said in her first official IMF statement. “As I have had the opportunity to say to the IMF Board during the selection process, the IMF must be relevant, responsive, effective, and legitimate, to achieve stronger and sustainable growth, macroeconomic stability, and a better future for all.”
And when she says “future for all,” she also means Africa — which we were very pleased to hear. In her statement to the IMF board as a candidate, she said that one of the IMF’s key guiding factors should be to enhance its responsiveness to the needs of low-income countries, especially those in Africa.
She has also made it known that the IMF should strive to be even more diverse. “There should be appropriate and proportionate representation at staff level to express and respect both diversity and universality,” she said during her candidacy.
We welcome Ms. Lagarde for her efforts to fight global poverty — but she should know that we’ll be watching her to make sure that she keeps the promises she made to Africa, diversity and the world’s poorest people.
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01/07/2011 at 4:16 pm
We shall see just how keen she is to give a preferential option to the poor – and indeed how the industrialised nations are to giving this same preferential option. Nobody had much to write home about yet!
01/07/2011 at 4:19 pm
I sincerely hope that she will look to the developing countires of Central and South America with sympathy equal to countries of Africa. Central America especially holds levels of poerty and inbalance of wealth at least as bad as anywhere on the face of the planet.
01/07/2011 at 4:35 pm
i sincerely hope that the IMF can make a difference in our world today, as with most organisations it is not the person at the top who calls the shots but rather the collective, if Christine Lagarde can influence the IMF as a whole there maybe some hope for the poorer nations.
01/07/2011 at 4:36 pm
I am a scammed victim, IMF was mentioned on many of my emails, the bugbear was payments to be made , before funds can be transferd, to me that is unfair, with compensation payments fees/charges should be automatically be deducted from the fund of the beneficiary, and in a statement within an email explained, many of my socalled allocated funds all asked me to pay funds to get my funds, on a pension this is impossible as a pension is already under the povery line, so I missed out on funds I rightfully should have had, I believe it should be written into law , that any charges whatsoever are taken out of the fund for the beneficiary thus it stops a lot of scammists,particularly when the IMF sends out emails to all beneficiarys telling them of the changes, stopping them paying socalled agents etc, and give beneficiaries the money they should and are entitled to have without pushing them to the brink of being broke!or missing out like me!further more there should be a squad that goes after those scammists, portraying themselfs as couriers , agents etc, and confiscating what ever funds they stole of people ,throwing them into jail, it wasnt just one email telling me I had to pay because of IMF,s order ?, when there are no ph no or a email address to follow up its hard to know what to do, so i hope this lady wont find her new position too hard, I do not envy her ,I believe its almost insurmountable to solve all the problems that have arisen, my congratulations to her on winning this position! regardsMIko
01/07/2011 at 5:01 pm
Je suis fiere de toi Christine d’etre a la tete du FMI comme premiere femme a ce poste! J’espere que tu seras a la hauteur de nos espoirs et confiance pour agir en faveur des pauvres et desherites et plus de bonheur dans ce monde pour toutes et tous sans exclusion.. Bon courage
et bonne chance Najet from Tunisia…
01/07/2011 at 5:07 pm
Je rejoindre le commentaire precedent: je sutiens Madame Legarde et son humanisme! Bravo et tout mon encouragement!
01/07/2011 at 5:23 pm
am happy for this and we are sincerely hope that you will look to African countries especially Nigeria we welcome you on your efforts to fight global poverty we’ll be watching
01/07/2011 at 5:26 pm
The position being finally filled by a woman is a move in the right direction but what we need is not a charismatic leader but wholesale reform of the entire system so it is not weighted to the West.
01/07/2011 at 5:37 pm
Whatever thing Mrs. Lagarde says will not influence me positively as i am totally against the IMF condition of selecting an European for the Manageing Director’s position.
However, i am not against her competency or are achievements, what i am saying here is the top IMF position must not be given to someone based on her geographical location. Therefore i strongly recommend that such old policies need to be revisited for equal opportunities to be given to all rather than selected few.
01/07/2011 at 5:51 pm
It’s amazing how people surrender to the established ideas that you have to be poor to understand the drama of poors, and that you have not been born in europe to reach out to others!…
What I always have wished for our leaders is that they know the some amount of poetry as they know of economics and finance!
And that they see and listen every day, every hour, and every minute. To others, to their heart, to what’s goin’ on!
01/07/2011 at 6:10 pm
So the IMF appointed an European for the job? shocking!!
The most disappointing thing: that the United states did not support Agustín Carstens. Partners indeed, eh gringos?
Before she lifts a finger to address the problems in Africa and Latin America, she full well knows she was appointed to solve the Greek crisis.
01/07/2011 at 6:30 pm
I hope that she won’t be lobbied down by big money bossing States. I also wish her better luck on the private level than the former IMFchairman (if you see what I mean).
01/07/2011 at 6:55 pm
we africans, expect more from her.wishing all z best…God bless her!!
01/07/2011 at 7:13 pm
While I welcome Mme Lagarde’s achievements and gender, I too agree with many Asian and non-francophone Africans. Her geography is wrong.
She has been recruited to sort out internal European debt problems with the cash from taxpayers around the world. The European Union is a de facto country with it’s own currency ,flag, foreign office, embassies, and bureaucracy…..exactly like the USA, India or Brazil. the IMF does not intervene in these countries when one or two of their provinces get into debt. that is what the federal government is for.
this has all the hallmarks of a first world stitch-up. when Greece defaults on it’s debts it will be more than just Europeans who will get the bill. the hat will be passed around the third world for the poor’s contribution. This is a scandal whether the word is spoken in English or French!
01/07/2011 at 8:18 pm
Je n’ai pas fini! . Elle estt francaise meme nationalite que son predecessor demissione a cause d ‘un viole presume sur une jeune Africaine a New York.
Elle vienne de la meme classe et culture de l’arrogance de pouvoir sur les gens de tiers monde. Elle est Ministre de Finance qui a coupe le budget d’ aide de 0.47% de GNP a 0.39% en 2010. Malgre sa promis de l’augmenter au moyen UE de 0.56%, et loin du constatement d’ achever le cible ONU de 0.7% . Ce cible est acheve seulement par un pays….La Grand Bretagne. elle nest pas le meilleur candidat europeen meme!
this is really bad news for Africa and the world’s poor.
01/07/2011 at 8:28 pm
We hope she will use her motherly mercy to assist in fighting pourvaty especially in Africa. This is a welcome idea for the IMF to choice a woman for the first time.
01/07/2011 at 9:01 pm
The IMF has not got a good track record in helping the poor countries.Borowing more money means more debt and an even worse off economy. Only the wealthy countries gain,since they are the ones that contribute to the IMF.
01/07/2011 at 9:20 pm
In support of Mme Lagarde’s achievements and gender, I hope that she won’t be lobbied down by big money bossing States. I also wish her better luck on the private level than the former IMFchairman.
01/07/2011 at 9:37 pm
The role of IMF and its global policy affects most developing countries. We all know IMF is a tool in the hands of few global powers. It’s policies reflect the strategic interests of the developed countries. Often it has been seen IMF dectates policies that aren’t conducive to poor countries. It means it hinders economic development more than compliments.
Unfortunately the terms and conditions that are imposed by IMF are detrimental to poor countries.They end up paying lot more than original loans. It cripples and ruins economic and agricultureal development of the poor nations. The New Head of IMF despite her best intentions, will not be able to change IMF’s strategic policies that would benefit the poor countries.It’s a real challenge to Christine Lagarde, the new boss of IMF. Good luck to her and her initiatives & negotiating skills.
01/07/2011 at 10:28 pm
i coongratula Christine Legarde as she won the IMF President for the first time as an women.
Hope she will done all her best for the poor and all the world leaders will expand their hands for her.
Iwish her a beautiful long life.
01/07/2011 at 11:11 pm
While welcoming the first female president I am skeptical about a her past political position. As we know politicians are not to be trusted and they do not keep their word. IMF needs to change its policies to be more effective and to assist the poor nations. Christine will be under lot of pressure to assist EU countries to sort out their problems rather than the world economics. We shall wait and see.
01/07/2011 at 11:22 pm
Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose? J’espère que non, vraiment! Qu’elle prenne pitié des pauvres du monde? Je m’en doute. Qu’est-ce qu’elle sait/connait de la pauvreté? Des statistiques? Je prie Dieu pour elle, car la responsabilité qu’elle a maintenant est trop lourde à supporter toute seule.
02/07/2011 at 12:22 am
We very cordially welcome her appointment and hope she will apart from others look after the interest of specially underdeveloped countries and not focus entirely on Europe alone where several countries due to reckless overspending have landed the world economy in a intractable mess. Coming from a political background there is a lurking fear that her priorities and policies may have the flavor of her political leaning and aspirations.In spite of all these let us hope she will look after the interest of nations needing attention most .
We wish her all the best in her new assignment
02/07/2011 at 2:24 am
I am very much happy to hear the news.Congratulations my dear madam Christine Legarde.Welcome you on your efforts.Hope that your god office would do the best and our fullest co-operations and prayers always for you.
02/07/2011 at 2:53 am
It is of no significance that Ms Lagarde is the the chosen one she is a puppet to appease the feminists and the general public we are now making amends for the sins of our Fathers brutality, as we come to terms that we are the outcome of a brutal history, and as some of us move on, we now look at a different type of brutality of the club and lust of bodies dripping with iron or if you like blood, and see that the IMF has a different type of brutality that is giving a loan on one hand and extortion on the other of assets that can be stripped from the loaned, to put it in to the obvious to create poverty and eventually starve people to death, the G20 can make deals behind closed doors but it always the same the Leaders in there limousines and the the vanity of these demented inflated egos get together and make the deals, so who are these idiots that parade with there Italian suits? they are the unknown factor, do you know what Rothschild looks like? besides the anonymity of the criminals that are creating the mind set that paves the way to the ruin of our World now and our future, the lust for power and domination is by far worst than heroin or any other drug, yet the men that are in control are the high priests of our demise.
02/07/2011 at 5:16 am
I like her aims for the IMF, but what she said about applying diversity to staff would seem like something that would cause unwanted discrimination. The skills of a person should be looked at rather than their race, gender etc.
02/07/2011 at 7:08 am
On her watch as minister of finance in France. The aid budget was CUT from 0.47% of GNP to 0.39%.. This is below the EU average of 0.56% and well short of France’ s commitment to the UN to raise it to 0.7%. Even fellow neo imperialist Great Britain spends0.7% of it’s total wealth on aid to poor countries.!
Where exactly do her supporters derive their optimism? It seems to me from some of the above comments that Africans like their new imperialist overlords to be 1. French. 2. Female and 3. Who cares about their past?
02/07/2011 at 8:43 am
Congratulations Ms. Christine Legarde, I wish all countries will be treated equally without discrimination among different groups of people around the world.
02/07/2011 at 9:15 am
Congratulations! The whole world is a finance boat MS. Christine Legarde is the Navigator of that boat.May God save/help her.
02/07/2011 at 9:30 am
“Ms Christine Legarde ?”
Guarded opptimism !
02/07/2011 at 10:57 am
am happy for this and we are sincerely hope that you will look to all development countries especially Asia, Africa & Islands. we welcome you on your efforts to fight global poverty we’ll be watching
02/07/2011 at 12:03 pm
This is worth replicating in all countries of the world!
02/07/2011 at 12:05 pm
I do not believ that just one person, even the head of IMF, could be able to decide and change the policy and rules. The person on the top of IMF is an agent that obligated to follow the rules by the world’s giants and protect their benefits otherwise he or she should be sacked for any reason.
Think who is running and controling the IMF, super powers and economy giants, the person on the top of IMF should work for them . Simple
02/07/2011 at 12:18 pm
Although I signed thepetition to ask the world to ask the IMF management to look for an African IMF boss this time but sincrly I prove the choice of Ms Christine Legarde. As the first woman in this IMF tyop job and because she is a woman we will look Africa with a positive eye. Congs Christine
02/07/2011 at 1:19 pm
Congradulations. Lagarde has vowed to dedicate special attention to low-income countries—especially in Africa—and has made it known that the IMF should strive to be even more diverse. my prayer is that she keeps to her word. as an African, am gland to hear that she is ready to bring change and transformation in the 3rd world countries. May God help you.
02/07/2011 at 1:58 pm
Congratulations Ms. Christine Legarde
the same hope like as Chalin Subpamong,
“I wish all countries will be treated equally without discrimination among different groups of people around the world.”
and sincerely hope that she will look to the developing countries of South Asia with sympathy equal to countries of Africa & America. Because, South Asia also holds levels of poverty and imbalance of wealth.
02/07/2011 at 2:20 pm
I appreciate her idea and very supportive thinking. I wish all best time on her working time.
Ethiopia
02/07/2011 at 7:12 pm
Well, she said “…overriding goal that our institution continues to serve its entire membership with the same focus and the same spirit” and that’s not a good thing. The same focus and spirit from the IMF is not good for the 3dr world, since this institution advocated for privatization and foreignization of national industries and all. We are not stupid in need of teachings, but international solutions for the protectionism of the 1st world governments over their industries and products!!
02/07/2011 at 7:53 pm
Ms Christine Lagarde, it is obvious that both the western world and the developing countries especially the Africans supported you immensely to clinch the top IMF job, my advice to you is for you to be fair and just in your day to day activities otherwise God will judge. Congratulations Lagarde. Buba from jada LGA of Adamawa State, Nigeria.
02/07/2011 at 11:28 pm
The iFM i have notice have put many nation in more poverty.Many country are having more problem since they have gotten monies from them like jamaica.I don’t believed any one who become the front running for the IFM will make any difference.The agenda for the IFM is making sure countries that gets monies suffer and never get out from under them.The IFM is out to put poor countries out of business and make the citizen of these countries die off so they can take control of all the natural resources.The IFM will never be fair because that not is they interested.
03/07/2011 at 7:00 am
i apprecaite your sense of supportiveness towards the african countries, i prayed you stood by your words in your newly positions as the number imf
03/07/2011 at 2:08 pm
Congratulations! Hope you’re not going to do as some of our ancestors (French and Jan van Riebeeck) did to our other ancestors (so-called Hottentots those days) in SA, that has caused more poverty to some of our non-European nations today. May God guide you to see and give equally to all poor countries around the globe.
04/07/2011 at 7:24 am
It is challenging to change everything overnight but I think she can start laying the foundation for fairer and more transparent system.
04/07/2011 at 8:06 am
Congratulations to Ms Christine Lagarde
Well said, but we want to see her walk the talk.
04/07/2011 at 8:32 am
Congratulations to Ms Lagarde, now the world is watching her with hope to deliver.
04/07/2011 at 8:55 am
The problem is not whether there is a male or female managing director of the IMF.
The real problem is the IMF as it is formulated, and unless there are radical changes to the way it now operates, as an autocratic entity imposing stringent and unhelpful conditions before loans are supplied to the unfortunate Country unlucky enough to need help, then the ‘election’ of this woman is going to change nothing and it’s going to be back to business (what a joke) as usual.
04/07/2011 at 10:23 am
It’s matter of wait and see.Otherwise congrats to Ms Lagarde.
04/07/2011 at 10:25 am
Please FREE Africans from sodom and gomora.
04/07/2011 at 10:56 am
Congrats Ms. Lagarde, l believe your coming is a call for change, the entire world, mostly d developing & poor nations are looking up to you. Are you d messiah we are waiting for or do we look for another. Pls be the mother the world will never forget. Have a wonderful stay in office and may God guide you.
04/07/2011 at 1:23 pm
All the best Ms.Lagarde God bless you. Make the world a better place for all of us.