Prime Minister Brigitte Haas represented Liechtenstein in her capacity as IMF Governor at the meeting of the voting group at the International Monetary Fund on June 29 and 30, 2026.

The voting group at the Bretton Woods institutions, led by Switzerland, meets every two years outside Washington, D.C., in one of the nine countries of the voting group. The meeting is attended by the governors and other representatives of the finance ministries and central banks of the participating countries, as well as representatives of the institutions and academic partners. This year, the meeting took place in Uzbekistan, a member of the Voting Group and the most populous country in Central Asia.

A series of bilateral talks took place during the meeting. Among others, Head of Government Brigitte Haas held bilateral discussions with Uzbekistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Jamshid Kuchkarov; the President of the Swiss National Bank, Martin Schlegel; the Deputy Managing Director of the IMF, Bo Li; the Chief Economist of the Bank of England, Huw Pill; and Cédric Tille, a professor at the Geneva Graduate Institute. In addition, the informal discussions—including those with the heads of the Voting Group’s office, representatives of the Swiss State Secretariats for Economic Affairs (SECO) and for International Financial Affairs (SIF), representatives of the Polish Ministry of Finance and the Polish Central Bank, and representatives of the other countries in the Voting Group—are of great importance.

A series of thematic forums on monetary and trade policy issues took place. During a panel discussion on regional and global cooperation, Prime Minister Haas spoke about the experiences of Liechtenstein’s export-oriented economy. “A shared commitment to rules-based trade and strong economic partnerships are all essential factors for the success of small, open economies like Liechtenstein,” said Prime Minister Haas. She further emphasized that economic resilience, stable public finances, and a rules-based international framework are key prerequisites for sustainable growth.

Voting Groups at the IMF
Each IMF member country is assigned to one of the current 25 voting groups, which represent them in their dealings with the IMF and thus serve as an important interface between national authorities and the IMF. This applies to day-to-day operations, the conduct of Article IV consultations, and decisions regarding IMF support programs. Liechtenstein belongs to the Swiss voting group, led by Switzerland and Poland, along with eight other countries from Europe and Central Asia.