In a recent meeting held at the World Bank building in Washington DC, officials from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank discussed the overall condition of the global economy and that challenges so far as well as those that are to come.

And even though the economy shows signs of picking up in its fourth year since the financial crisis, there is no doubt that there are uncertainties that are still apparent, and that has been the message that these financial leaders have come to agreement on.

One statistic that has made this conclusion rather obvious is the fact that almost 44 million people were pushed into poverty over the past year, and remains their biggest threat going forward. The World Bank President, Robert Zoellick, says that they greatest concern is that of the ever lifting food prices.

What is also obvious is that they are only one shock away from a financial crisis, and in adopting the “Prevention is better than cure” approach will countries guard against complacency, and will get them back on solid financial ground again.

And if that’s not enough, there are several other challenges such as the tragedy in Japan, the increased rates of commodity prices and the recent events in the Middle East that have made these world financial leaders increasingly aware of the vulnerable situation that they find themselves in.

World leaders also discussed the idea of being able placing improved monitoring strategies for the recent and upcoming global imbalances yet there is no certainty to whether this approach will be effective or not.