Treasury Minister Anne Craine MHK highlighted the success of the Small Countries Financial Management Programme during the annual meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund last week. Mrs Craine delivered a presentation at the summit in Washington which brings together central bankers, ministers of finance, private sector executives and leading academics to discuss issues of global concern, including the world economic outlook. Addressing the Small States Forum 2010, she provided an update on the SCFMP - a major initiative led by the Isle of Man Government in partnership with the World Bank, Commonwealth Secretariat, Small States Network for Economic Development, and the University of Oxford. The Minister explained how the executive education and capacity-building programme allowed the Isle of Man to share its financial expertise to benefit small developing countries around the world. ‘The results have been breathtaking’, she said. Speaking immediately after Mrs Craine, President of the World Bank, Robert Zoellick, acknowledged that international organisations needed to take into account the views and interests of small countries. He indicated a willingness for the World Bank to act as the conduit to give nations such as the Isle of Man access into powerful decision-making bodies, particularly the G20. Mrs Craine said: ‘There has been a sea change and an understanding that there need to be channels by which small states can have their voices heard by the much larger economies of the world. ‘What I have come to realise after attending the Conservative Party Conference and World Bank/IMF event in Washington, is that we need to make greater engagement at every level if we are to position the Isle of Man where we need to be on the world stage.’ The Minister added that the Government’s commitment to international development, particularly through the Small Countries Financial Management Programme, was helping to promote positive awareness of the Island. ‘The programme has generated tremendous prestige and recognition for our small nation at the very highest level. It was repeatedly commented upon, and when introducing myself as the Treasury Minister of the Isle of Man it was a point of recognition and praise. And it is at that highest level that we have to place the Isle of Man,’ she said. During her short visit to Washington, Mrs Craine also attended the Commonwealth Finance Ministers Meeting alongside many of the world’s leading finance ministers, including UK Chancellor George Osborne MP whom she had met days earlier at the Conservative Party Conference. Ends