
SOVEREIGN DEBT FORUM EVENTS
SOVEREIGN DEBT FORUM
The Sovereign Debt Forum (SDF) is the result of a collaboration between the Centre for Commercial Law Studies at Queen Mary University of London and the Institute of International Economic Law at Georgetown University Law Center and was launched at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC on 21, October 2019. The European University Institute joined the SDF as a member in the spring of 2020.
The Forum’s Academic Directors are Rosa María Lastra (Queen Mary University of London) and Anna Gelpern (Georgetown Law), and the Forum’s founding members include: Lee Buchheit (University of Miami School of Law), G. Mitu Gulati (University of Virginia), and Sean Hagan (Georgetown Law). The Forum’s affiliated scholars include Rodrigo Olivares-Caminal (Queen Mary University of London), Ugo Panizza (Graduate Institute of Geneva), and Mark Weidemaier (University of North Carolina).
OUR VISION
The Forum serves as an interdisciplinary research hub and a platform for capacity building, policy development, and research-dissemination programs. The Forum’s capacity building work focuses on low- and middle-income countries at risk of sovereign debt distress, as well as countries that have recently gained market access and have limited debt management experience.
Forum activities include:
- Conducting and disseminating innovative, policy-relevant interdisciplinary research on all aspects of sovereign debt management.
- Development and delivery of capacity-building programs with emphasis on the legal aspects of sovereign borrowing, debt management, restructuring, and litigation.
- Convening experts, researchers and practitioners from diverse academic, policy, and market spheres; organizing conferences, seminars, and policy fora.
OUR MEMBERS
- African Legal Support Facility
- Central Bank of Ghana
- Central Bank of Peru
- International Monetary Fund
- Ministry of Finance of Italy
- Ministry of Finance of the Netherlands
- Paris Club Secretariat
- UK HM Treasury
- World Bank
UPCOMING EVENTS
Sovereign Debt: An Agenda for The Future
June 21 – 12:00 p.m – 2:00 p.m EDT
The world is currently facing an unprecedented level of sovereign debt – and debt is continuing to pile up. The state of sovereign borrowing was critical prior to the pandemic, with several countries already facing limited fiscal space and increasing levels of debt, but the situation has deteriorated, tipping some economies over the edge.
Two years on from the beginning of the pandemic, the debt conundrum has deteriorated considerably. Belize, Ecuador, Suriname and Zambia defaulted on their debt, and other countries are close to joining ranks. In Africa, external debt costs rose by 1.1% of GDP on average over 2010-2019, offsetting nearly two-thirds of the average increase in tax levels over this period. The impact of the pandemic and the ensuing inflation resulting from world conflict will further increase debt-servicing costs.
In this roundtable, a group of international experts representing some of the key players involved in sovereign debt will discuss key areas that require further attention in order to draft an agenda to shape the future of sovereign borrowing and management.
Click Here to Register
ACADEMIC DIRECTORS

