Attendees gather on Oct. 8, 2019, to hear Kristalina Georgieva give her first speech since being named managing director of the International Monetary Fund, during which she said the trade war between the US and China is taking its toll on the world's economic activity in general, and on the manufacturing sector in particular. EFE-EPA/Erik S. Lesser

Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), gives her 'curtain-raiser' speech, ahead of the organization's 2019 Annual Meetings in Washington, DC, USA, 8 October 2019. EPA-EFE/ERIK S. LESSER

Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), gives her 'curtain-raiser' speech, ahead of the organization's 2019 Annual Meetings in Washington, DC, USA, 8 October 2019. EPA-EFE/ERIK S. LESSER

Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), gives her 'curtain-raiser' speech, ahead of the organization's 2019 Annual Meetings in Washington, DC, USA, 8 October 2019. EPA-EFE/ERIK S. LESSER

The new managing director of the International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva warned Tuesday of an economic slowdown in 2019 in 90% of the world during her first speech at the helm of the multilateral organization.

"In 2019, we expect slower growth in nearly 90 percent of the world. The global economy is now in a synchronized slowdown," Georgieva said at the IMF headquarters in Washington.