Jihad Azour: Middle East, Central Asia Face Perfect Storm Amid COVID-19

<p>No region has been spared the economic devastation of the coronavirus pandemic. And with the high level of oil-dependency and informality of many countries in the Middle East and Central Asia, Jihad Azour says the economic impact of COVID-19 has been dramatic. Azour heads the IMF's Middle East and Central Asia Department, which has just published the region's <a href= "https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/REO/MECA/Issues/2020/04/15/regional-economic-outlook-middle-east-central-asia-report"> economic outlook</a> that shows formidable challenges in the face of the pandemic.</p> <p>You can read Azour's’s blog and others about the global impact of the pandemic at <a href= "https://blogs.imf.org/">Blogs.imf.org</a></p> <p><a href= "http://traffic.libsyn.com/imfpodcast/Jihad_Azour-MCD_REO-transcript-IMF_Podcast.pdf"> TRANSCRIPT</a></p>