What is the IMFs contribution to human rights?
The charter—Articles of Agreement—of the IMF directs it to promote international monetary cooperation and orderly exchange rate arrangements, facilitate the balanced growth of international trade, and help members resolve their balance of payments difficulties. To fulfill this mandate, the IMF works with member countries to reduce macroeconomic imbalances and structural bottlenecks, eliminate obstacles to international payments, and prevent financial crises. If one looks below the surface, all of the IMF’s activities contribute directly or indirectly to reducing poverty and fostering human rights. Macroeconomic imbalances and, in particular, high inflation are detrimental to the poor. The wealthy are partly protected against inflation because they own assets, whose prices rise during inflationary periods. The poor have no cushion against inflation, and their real earnings are often eroded because prices may rise faster than wages. Moreover, inflation creates distortions and contributes
