作者：塞尔吉奥·门多萨 国际货币基金组织已批准一项总额达19亿美元的融资计划，用于援助玻利维亚。该计划包括立即拨付2.14亿美元，旨在帮助总统罗德里戈·帕斯扭转该国经济的急剧下滑势头。
By Sergio Mendoza The International Monetary Fund approved a $1.9 billion financing program for Bolivia, including an immediate $214 million disbursement, in a package designed to help President Rodrigo Paz reverse a sharp economic slump.
根据国际货币基金组织周五发布的声明，该组织的执行董事会认为这项贷款协议有助于恢复宏观经济稳定，同时保护弱势群体。
The IMF’s executive board promoted the loan deal as one that can restore macroeconomic stability while protecting vulnerable households, according to a statement released on Friday.
上任近一年以来，奉行亲商政策的帕斯接手的是一个财政赤字严重、经济持续萎缩的烂摊子：通货膨胀率飙升、外汇储备枯竭，天然气产量也不断下降。
Nearly one year into his term, the pro-business Paz inherited a massive fiscal deficit and a shrinking economy hit by surging inflation, depleted reserves and declining natural gas production.
今年9月，玻利维亚参议院批准了国际货币基金组织与帕斯政府于7月份达成的协议。这项为期36个月的融资安排规定，贷款可在最多10年内分期偿还，利率介于3%至3.5%之间。国际货币基金组织指出，后续资金的发放须以相关计划评估的完成为前提。
In September, Bolivia’s Senate approved the staff-level deal the IMF reached with the Paz administration in July. The 36-month arrangement features disbursements payable over as many as 10 years at an interest rate of between 3% and 3.5%. Subsequent disbursements will be contingent on the completion of program reviews, the IMF said.
该贷款协议旨在帮助玻利维亚重建硬通货储备，改善公共财政状况，并推动“以私营部门为主导的可持续且包容性的经济增长”。近年来，由于帕斯削减开支并逐步取消高成本的燃油补贴，玻利维亚一直面临美元严重短缺的问题，社会动荡也时有发生。
The loan deal aims to help Bolivia rebuild hard-currency reserves while improving public finances and fostering “sustainable, inclusive, private sector-led growth.”Bolivia has been forced to contend with severe shortages of dollars in recent years, as well as social unrest after Paz cut spending and began to unwind costly fuel subsidies.
国际货币基金组织副总裁奈杰尔·克拉克称，这项融资协议有助于缓解玻利维亚的财政与外部风险，同时切实惠及普通民众。
Nigel Clarke, the IMF’s deputy managing director, described the financing deal as a way to address fiscal and external vulnerabilities while helping the population.
克拉克在声明中说道：“财政可持续性是该计划的核心目标，此外还要加强对弱势群体的扶持。”
“Fiscal sustainability is the program’s central anchor, while strengthening support to vulnerable households,” Clark said in the IMF statement.
该协议还致力于推动汇率机制更加灵活、完善货币政策，并推行各项改革以吸引更多私人投资。
The loan deal also aims to promote a more flexible exchange rate, enhance monetary policy and advance reforms that can lure more private investment.
国际货币基金组织特别指出，结束央行此前的赤字融资行为，并推进旨在增强该机构独立性、治理结构和问责机制的改革，对于提升其公信力至关重要。过去一年中，帕斯宣布该国向私人投资开放，并承诺推出一套涵盖油气和采矿领域的投资者友好型法案，但这些法案尚未提交国会。政府还宣布计划重组或关闭亏损的国有企业，以缩减预算赤字。
The IMF singled out the need to end the central bank’s previous deficit financing efforts, and reforms to strengthen the institution’s autonomy, governance and accountability as “critical to bolster credibility.”Over the past year, Paz has declared the country open to private investment and pledged a package of investor-friendly bills covering hydrocarbons and mining, though the bills have yet to reach Congress. The government has also announced plans to restructure or close loss-making state-owned companies to reduce the budget deficit.
作为改革举措的一部分，玻利维亚新任央行董事会在维持了15年之后，放弃了固定汇率制度。与此同时，帕斯已开始逐步取消汽油补贴，并完全取消了柴油价格支持。
In line with the reform drive, Bolivia’s new central bank board has abandoned the fixed exchange rate regime after 15 years, while Paz has begun to phase out gasoline subsidies and completely eliminated diesel price supports.
由于抗议活动，帕斯宣布进入紧急状态，该状态已延长至12月。尽管其政府承诺明年完全取消燃料补贴，但目前汽油和天然气补贴仍在实施中。
Due to the protests, Paz issued a state of emergency that has been extended though December. While his government has pledged to completely eliminate fuel subsidies by next year, gasoline and natural gas subsidies remain in place for now.
国际货币基金组织表示，该贷款计划预计还将撬动其他多边贷款机构约40亿美元的额外融资。
The IMF said the loan program is also expected to catalyze around $4 billion in additional financing from other multilateral lenders.