海外之声｜IMF总裁：拯救生命还是挽救生计——一种虚假两难

导读

在全世界应对COVID-19疫情过程中，一个又一个国家面临这样一种局面，即一方面需要遏制病毒传播，另一方面又要承受社会和经济陷入停滞的代价。表面上看，必须做出取舍：要么拯救生命，要么挽救生计。这是一种虚假两难——控制病毒是挽救生计的前提。

这就是为什么世界卫生组织和国际货币基金组织如此紧密地合作。世界卫生组织是为了保护人民的健康，就卫生优先事项提出建议；国际货币基金组织是为了保护世界经济的健康，就经济优先事项提出建议，同时帮助提供融资。

我们确信，只有各国能够实现这一平衡，紧急融资才能发挥作用。世界卫生组织可以在关键的协调领域提供帮助，例如，确保以有效、高效和公平的方式生产和向有需要的群体提供医疗用品。世界卫生组织也在与医护人员个人防护设备的供应商合作，确保供应链正常运转。

就其本身而言，国际货币基金组织的目标是将紧急融资能力提高一倍，从500亿美元增加到1000亿美元，相比成员国在过去紧急情况下可以从国际货币基金组织获得的资金，目前的可用资金增加了一倍。由于成员国采取了果断的行动，国际货币基金组织1万亿美元的总贷款能力目前得到保证。国际货币基金组织还在加强其通过控灾减灾信托向最贫穷成员国提供债务减免的能力，慷慨的捐助方正在向该信托提供赠款。国际货币基金组织还与世界银行一道，呼呼暂停最贫穷国家向官方双边债权人的债务偿还，直到世界经济因疫情而瘫痪的状态结束。

我们在时间紧迫、资源有限的情况下共同努力，必须将重点放在挽救生命和生计的正确优先任务上。我们的共同呼吁是，在人类处于至暗时刻之际，领导人必须立即为发展中经济体的人民采取行动。

作者｜克里斯塔利娜·格奥尔基耶娃，国际货币基金组织总裁；谭德塞博士，世界卫生组织总干事

英文原文如下：

Some say there is a trade-off: save lives or save jobs – this is a false dilemma

Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the IMF

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO

This Op-ed first published on The Telegraph and distributed by the IMF.
As the world responds to Covid-19, country after country is faced with the need to contain the spread of the virus at the cost of bringing its society and economy to a standstill.At face value there is a trade-off to make: either save lives or save livelihoods. This is a false dilemma – getting the virus under control is, if anything, a prerequisite to saving livelihoods.This is what brings the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) so closely together – the WHO is there to protect the health of people and well-placed to advise on health priorities; the IMF exists to protect the health of the world economy – it advises on economic priorities, and also helps provide financing.Our joint appeal to policymakers, especially in emerging market and developing economies, is to recognise that protecting public health and putting people back to work go hand-in-hand.The WHO is on the front line of this crisis by the virtue of its mandate, but so is the IMF. In the short time since Covid-19 started spreading across the world, the demand for IMF financing has skyrocketed.Never in the 75 years history of the institution have so many countries – 85 so far – found themselves in need of IMF emergency financing. And this financing is being made available in record short time, with the first projects already being approved and money disbursed to provide much needed assistance to shield countries against dramatic increase in financial needs at a time of sudden drop in economic activities and in revenues.As financing to support severely constrained public budgets reaches the countries in need, our joint plea is to place health expenditures at the top of the priority list.Paying salaries to doctors and nurses, supporting hospitals and emergency rooms, establishing make-shift field clinics, buying protective gear and essential medical equipment, carrying out public awareness campaigns about simple measures like hand washing – these are critical investments to protect people against the pandemic.In far too many places health systems are unprepared for an onslaught of COVID-19 patients and it is paramount to give them a boost.And this can and must go together with support for economy-wide priorities required to reduce unemployment, minimise bankruptcies and, over time, ensure recovery.They come in addition to – not as a substitute for – health spending, and aim to provide targeted support to most-affected households and firms, including cash transfers, wage subsidies, and short-time work, strengthening unemployment benefits and social safety nets, and limiting the rise in borrowing costs.We recognise how difficult it is to strike the right balance. Economic activity is plummeting as infections and measures to combat the pandemic affect workers, firms, and supply chains, job losses and uncertainty drag down spending, financial conditions sharply tighten, and the oil price collapse hits commodity exporters – all with cross-border spillovers.In countries with large informal economies families depend on daily wages to survive. Highly congested urban slums make social distancing impossible.We are convinced, however, that emergency financing can only help if countries strike this balance. The WHO can help in vital areas for coordination such as ensuring the production and delivery of medical supplies to those in need, in an effective, efficient, and equitable manner – by facilitating advance purchase agreements, for example.The WHO is also working with suppliers of personal protective equipment for health workers to ensure that supply chains are functioning. And this is an area where collaboration with other international organisations can be so effective – for example, the World Bank’s capacity to aggregate demand to purchase medical supplies in bulk.The IMF for its part aims to help by doubling its emergency response capacity from $50 billion up to $100 billion – making it possible for countries to get twice as much money from the Fund as had been made available during emergencies. Its total lending capacity of $1 trillion is now secured thanks to decisive actions of its membership.The Fund is also increasing its capacity to ease debt service obligations of its poorest members through the Catastrophe Containment Relief Trust for which generous donors are providing grant resources. And together with the World Bank it is advocating for a standstill of debt service from the poorest countries to official bilateral creditors for as long as the world economy is paralysed by the pandemic. The course of the global health crisis and the fate of the global economy are inseparably intertwined. Fighting the pandemic is a necessity for the economy to rebound. That is why the WHO and IMF are cooperating closely with one another, and with other international organisations, to help address countries’ priority needs.As we all work together, with little time and finite resources, it is essential that we focus on the right priorities to save lives and livelihoods. Our joint appeal is that in one of humanity's darkest hours, leaders must step up right now for people living in emerging markets.

编译  蓝可琦

编辑  李锦璇

来源  The Telegraph & IMF

责编  金天、蒋旭

监制  朱霜霜

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