The Bretton Woods Committee is an American organization created in 1983 as a result of the agreement between U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Henry Fowler, and U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Treasury,

Charls Walker Charls Edward Walker (December 24, 1923 – June 2, 2015) was Under Secretary of the United States Department of the Treasury from 1969 to 1972, and Deputy Secretary of the Treasury in 1973 under John Connally. Personal life, education, and early c ...

– at the time a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

and a Republican, respectively. The agreement they arrived upon was that world leaders should express to the public the significance of international finance institutions (IFIs), like the

Bretton Woods Institutions The Bretton Woods system of Monetary system, monetary management established the rules for commercial relations among 44 countries, including the United States, Canada, Western European countries, and Australia, after the 1944 Bretton Woods Agr ...

, and how important it was for their prominence in the world to be maintained. After the 1944

Bretton Woods Conference The Bretton Woods Conference, formally known as the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference, was the gathering of 730 delegates from all 44 allied nations at the Mount Washington Hotel, in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, United States, to ...

, the

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution funded by 191 member countries, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It is regarded as the global lender of las ...

and

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

were established; they are now often referred to as "Bretton Woods Institutions". The original goal of the committee was to improve the awareness of the

World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland that regulates and facilitates international trade. Governments use the organization to establish, revise, and enforce the rules that g ...

, and other major development banks and their actions to accelerate economic growth, lessen poverty, and increase financial stability, along with demonstrating the importance of international economic cooperation and fostering collaboration among institutions.Kvint, Vladimir. "The Emerging Global Business Order, The Bretton Woods Committee". The Global Emerging Market: Strategic Management and Economics. New York: Routledge, 2009. 246–247. Print. The committee is described as being nonpartisan and composed of notable individuals, more specifically members of the committee who agree upon the significance of international economic synergy which in their view results in well-functioning, adept Bretton Woods Institutions that move to create universal economic progress.

Activities

The committee is based in Washington, D.C., and continues to host events relevant to the shared interests of its members at various academic institutions, government establishments, such as Capitol Hill, the U.S. Department of State, the IMF and related locations pertaining to their goals.

Meetings and events

The committee regularly holds events at various locations related to their goals in spreading awareness of major IFIs, including an annual meeting, the International Council Meeting,Carstens, Agustín
"Remarks at Bretton Woods Committee Annual International Council Meeting by Agustín Carstens, Deputy Managing Director, IMF, Mandarin Oriental Hotel—Atrium Suite (Lobby) Singapore"
International Monetary Fund, September 18, 2006. Retrieved July 15, 2013. educational briefings, round table discussions, events at academic institutions and related events. The two purposes of these events is to first reach a general audience regarding the current actions of the IFIs and the magnitude they have on the global economy. The second is to give members an opportunity to share their opinions and critiques of current management of the IFIs. The committee in addition informs U.S. government officials of the presumed correlation between global economic advancement and national security.

Members

The committee is composed of financiers, economists, politicians, business leaders and distinguished members of the academic community from the U.S. and abroad. A subsidiary of the committee, referred to as the International Council, includes members outside of the U.S. who aim to advance and observe the work of Bretton Woods institutions and political officials of countries that council members are from/involved in, and in addition submit advice when appropriate. Some of the current leadership/members of the committee include: * William C. Dudley, chair * John Lipsky, vice-chair * William R. Rhodes, vice-chair *

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

and

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Ford assumed the p ...

, honorary co-chairsAdministrator
"Working with Bretton Woods Institutions"
Global Envision Latest Stories. Global Envision, December 8, 2005. Retrieved July 23, 2013. * Bill Frenzel, co-chair *

James Wolfensohn Sir James David Wolfensohn (1 December 193325 November 2020) was an Australian-American lawyer, investment banker, and economist who served as the ninth president of the World Bank Group (1995–2005). During his tenure at the World Bank, he is ...

, co-chairWolfensohn, James D. "More Focus on the Social Sector". Voice for the World's Poor: Selected Speeches and Writings of World Bank President James D. Wolfensohn 1995–2005. Washington, D.C.: International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank, 2005. 145. Print. *

, honorary co-chair * Richard A. Debs, executive committee chair * James C. Orr, secretary *

David Miliband David Wright Miliband (born 15 July 1965) is the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the International Rescue Committee and a former British Labour Party politician. He was the Foreign Secretary from 2007 to 2010 and the Member o ...

Colin Powell Colin Luther Powell ( ; – ) was an Americans, American diplomat, and army officer who was the 65th United States secretary of state from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African-American to hold the office. He was the 15th National Security ...

Paul Volcker Paul Adolph Volcker Jr. (September 5, 1927 – December 8, 2019) was an American economist who served as the 12th chair of the Federal Reserve, chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1979 to 1987. During his tenure as chairman, Volcker was widely ...

References

External links

*
Bretton Woods Committee
at

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Reinventing Bretton Woods
{{Authority control 1983 establishments in the United States International finance institutions