The IMF sees itself as a key player in resolving the current financial crisis [AFP]
"The global crisis has to be addressed with a global view and by strengthening the role of multilateral institutions," Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa, chair of the IMF's International Monetary and Financial Committee said on Saturday.
Tasked with maintaining global financial stability, the IMF, whose own finances are strained, insists its expertise and global range make it a key player in resolving what Strauss-Kahn earlier called the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
During the meeting, Strauss-Kahn said that rising inflation, especially in food, could have terrible consequences for the world if it continues and action needed to be taken to keep rising prices in check.
"Hundreds of thousands of people will be starving ... leading to disruption of the economic environment," he said.
The meeting concluded on the note that sharply higher energy and food prices have complicated the economic problems and have led to social unrest in developing countries.