Youssef Boutros Ghali

Youssef Raouf Boutros-Ghali or YBG (; born 20 August 1952) is an Egyptian economist who served in the government of Egypt as Minister of Finance from 2004 to 2011. He was succeeded by Samir Radwan on 31 January 2011.

On 6 October 2008, Boutros-Ghali was elected chair of the IMF's policy-setting committee the IMFC. He beat India's Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram to chair the 24-member International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) the first chairman from an emerging market economy in the 65-year history of the committee; Boutros-Ghali was well suited to assume the chairmanship of the IMFC. Having served both at the Fund and as a prominent government official, he was well aware of the concerns of the membership and of the reforms needed at the Fund. As IMFC Chairman, during the 2008 financial crisis, Boutros-Ghali helped create a consensus among national financial authorities for a coordinated approach, with active IMF participation, to address the fallout in international financial markets. Throughout Boutros-Ghali worked to promote consensus on the Fund's most pressing reform agenda, particularly on governance reforms to enhance legitimacy and evenhandedness in surveillance, establishing a new and sustainable income model for the Fund, and adapting its instruments to better suit the evolving needs of the membership in a global economy.

In 2010 Boutros-Ghali enacted a far-reaching reform of the social security and pension systems in Egypt. He introduced modern concepts of pension systems notional accounting of accumulated benefits and enacted structural changes to account for the erosion of pension benefits and the burden of pension contributions on the national economy.

Boutros-Ghali resigned from his position as Minister of Finance on 29 January 2011. He declined President Mubarak's offer to join the next government headed by Ahmed Shafik.

Post-revolution exile On 31 January 2011, as part of Hosni Mubarak's responses to the 2011 Egyptian protests, the government of Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif resigned and Boutros-Ghali, declining to participate in the following government led by Prime Minister designate Ahmed Shafik, was replaced as Minister of Finance by Samir Radwan. Then, on 4 February 2011, the IMF reported that Boutros-Ghali had resigned the Chairmanship of the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC).

On 11 February 2011, just prior to Mubarak's resignation, the VIP lounge at Cairo Airport opened to accommodate Boutros-Ghali and his wife before they flew to Lebanon while other ex-regime officials, including Mubarak himself, were targeted with travel bans, asset freezes, and even arrests. During the chaotic three years that followed Boutros-Ghali along with many other ministers were subjected to legal proceedings. All, including Boutros-Ghali have been rehabilitated under the Sisi administration. With Boutros-Ghali residing abroad, the final steps are taking somewhat longer in winding their way through the legal system. Boutros-Ghali and two of his three sons are now permanent residents of the United Kingdom.

Writings Boutros-Ghali published texts on exchange rate and monetary policy, external debt problems and debt relief issues, IMF programs, fiscal discipline and exchange rate market reforms.

Personal life Boutros-Ghali speaks fluent Arabic, English, French, Italian and Spanish. His uncle, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, was Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1992 to 1996. He and his wife have three sons, Nader, Naguib and Youssef. While in London, in October 2011 his wife, Michele, died from a thoracic aneurysm. The death was unexpected and sudden and devastated the family.