D. Speeches by Paul Wolfowitz (2005-07)

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Clean Energy for Development

( 2006-03-06) Wolfowitz, Paul

Paul Wolfowitz, President of the World Bank, in the development community, the interaction of energy, environment, and poverty have emerged as a central challenge. Lack of consistent electricity in developing countries is a severe obstacle to doing business. It is also affecting school attendance, particularly among girls. Inefficient energy sources can also pose health problems—as many as 1.6 million deaths per year due to indoor smoke. Rich and poor countries alike need to apply energy-efficient technology to cut greenhouse gas emissions. At the G8 summit in Gleneagles, the World Bank Group was asked to take a leadership role in creating a new framework for clean energy and development, including investment and financing. In the first phase we will propose accelerated investments. In the second phase, we aim to generate new knowledge on technology options and the impact on climate change. Wolfowitz summarized the Bank’s ongoing energy spending activities.
China a Model Country

( 2005-10-14) Wolfowitz, Paul

Paul Wolfowitz, President of the World Bank, noted that China has shown astonishing resolve in the last 25 years in fighting poverty, with remarkable progress to show for it. With similar resolve, China can successfully work with the Bank and with other partners to overcome the remaining development challenges it faces today: battling continued poverty, confronting environmental decline, and lowering barriers to global trade. He commented that the upcoming meeting of the G-20 presents a vital opportunity for China and the international community to redress the imbalances in the global economy, to create a more stable and equitable world for future generations. It is the first time that China is hosting this meeting of the G-20-and this is appropriate evidence of China's growing role as a major force in the global economy. The decisions at that meeting can make a difference for the world's poor--between a life of deprivation and suffering or a future with dignity and opportunity.