The International Monetary Fund took on a bigger global role Sunday as its 186 member nations accepted the mantle of guiding a lasting economic recovery from the 20 largest economies.

IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn said that with the IMFC meeting, "we are off to the right start -- building on the commitment to sustain cooperation and extending it to a far broader group of countries."

He said the meetings offered "a unique opportunity to reshape the post-crisis world, to usher in a new era of collaborative global governance."