D. Speeches by Paul Wolfowitz (2005-07)

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Paul Wolfowitz served as 10th President of the World Bank Group from 2005 to 2007.

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Remarks at Annual Conference of the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank, March 16, 2007

2007-03-16, Wolfowitz, Paul

Paul Wolfowitz, President of the World Bank, discussed governance and anticorruption being at the heart of Africa’s development future. He spoke of donor coordination and IDA’s work in the region.

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Remarks at Liberia Partners Forum, Washington DC, February 13, 2007

2007-02-13, Wolfowitz, Paul

In his opening remarks, President of the World Bank, Paul Wolfowitz said that the international community needs to do much more and faster and take advantage of this unique opportunity that Liberians have now, after 25 years of instability, to take control of their destiny. Liberia’s $3.7 billion debt is clearly unsustainable and an unacceptable burden. He called on the international community to work together to clear the arrears so that the country can move forward. He paid tribute to what he terms as the “inspirational leadership of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf,” and added that this new hope must not be allowed to fade away. He said that “Those who remember the horror of the past can hardly imagine that Liberia has now become a place of hope.

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Africa: The Road to Opportunity

2006-10-18, Wolfowitz, Paul

Paul Wolfowitz, President of the World Bank, remarked that the past-quarter century has to count as the most successful 25 years in history in the fight against poverty. The one region that has so far been conspicuously left behind by that progress is Sub-Saharan Africa. The people of Africa are hard at work building a more hopeful future for their continent. There is no shortage of energy, ambition, or entrepreneurial spirit. What are most severely lacking are resources to support good plans and good ideas. For Africa and the poorest countries in the world a critical source of development funding comes from the International Development Association or IDA. France has been a leader in IDA in the past. The World Bank has responded with an ‘Africa Action Plan.’ Wolfowitz briefly discussed four key areas of focus: Education, Health, Private Sector Development, and Infrastructure.

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Cities at the Front Lines of Development

2006-02-09, Wolfowitz, Paul

Paul Wolfowitz, President of the World Bank, stated that the importance of cities is increasing on a daily basis. By 2030, China alone will add 342 million new urban residents, and India 271 million. Africa will add 395 million people and more than half (54 percent) of its population will be living in urban areas. Urbanization creates job opportunities and poverty challenges. Urbanization has place mayors on center stage to implement solutions to alleviate poverty at the local level. The World Bank established a dedicated urban unit more than 30 years ago, with estimated lending on urban issues in 2005 at $7 billion. The Bank looks forward to strengthening partnerships with local governments.

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On the 50th Anniversary of Ghana's Independence

2007-03-05, Wolfowitz, Paul

Paul Wolfowitz, President of the World Bank, congratulated Ghana on its fiftieth anniversary that it has become one of the best performers economically in Sub-Saharan Africa, and is expected to meet the Millennium Development Goal to cut poverty in half. He spoke about World Bank partnership with the university to help create a facility that provides access to a wealth of development information for students, researchers, faculty, and the general public, and encourages all to take advantage of this new resource on the campus. Ghana faces challenges to boost the competitiveness of the private sector, an important engine for job creation. Ghana will need to invest heavily in infrastructure, and reform its energy sector, while ensuring sustained good governance. He concluded by saying that Ghana should inspire Africa by aiming higher, moving faster, taking bigger and bolder steps to achieve the future that the people of Ghana deserve.

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Why Africa Matters to Americans

2006-12-10, Wolfowitz, Paul

Paul Wolfowitz, President of the World Bank, talked about a new generation of leaders emerging in Africa, who increasingly recognize their responsibility to their people. The landscape across Africa is changing. Conflicts diminish. Small Businesses emerge. We are seeing a new breath of hope infused in all parts of that continent. More and more Africans are saying they can’t live with corruption. Strong U.S. support for foreign aid is particularly important to help address issues important to Americans, issues like government transparency, anti-corruption, and civil society participation. Wolfowitz concluded that it will be up to Africans most of all to bring about the momentous changes needed to conquer poverty. But as Americans we must be able to say that we did everything we could to give them the hand that they need and deserve.

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Parliaments and Poverty in Africa

2006-10-17, Wolfowitz, Paul

Paul Wolfowitz, President of the World Bank, reminded participants that it is important to remember the more than 1 billion people worldwide struggling to survive on less than $1 a day. Fighting the scourge of poverty is at the heart of the World Bank Group’s mission. The burden of debt and the disease of corruption threaten to undermine the efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals. Many regions of the world have made significant progress to improve living standards and reduce poverty. Sub-Saharan Africa is moving dangerously in the opposite direction. Africa’s richest resource, and its best hope, is its people. But more development financing and debt relief is needed. In the long run, neither aid nor debt relief will help the poor escape poverty without a transparent and accountable government. We are seeing an informed African citizenry demanding change. The World Bank Group is committed to supporting champions of reform in both government and civil society. Partnering with parliaments from donor countries is as important as working with parliaments in recipient countries. To achieve true prosperity for our integrated planet, we must work together to help give the poorest among us the chance to find their way out of poverty.

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Remarks at Building Science, Technology and Innovation Conference, Washington, D.C., February 14, 2007

2007-02-14, Wolfowitz, Paul

Paul Wolfowitz, President of the World Bank, convened a forum to discuss strategies, programs, and policies for building science, technology, and innovation (STI) capacity to promote sustainable growth and poverty reduction in developing countries. He remarked that if you want to deal with poverty, you better keep science and technology and innovation, maybe especially innovation, in the picture. Education is a major ingredient of success, and investing in people, what economists like to call human capital, is one of the biggest contributors to growth and poverty reduction. Wolfowitz focused on upgrading technology and capturing the latecomer’s advantage; the role of research and development; and reversing the brain drain.

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Remarks at Meeting on 'Sustaining Treatment Costs--Who Will Pay?'

2006-11-27, Wolfowitz, Paul

Paul Wolfowitz, President of the World Bank, at a meeting jointly sponsored by WHO, UNAIDS, and the World Bank, addressed the issue of the financial sustainability of AIDS treatment—especially focusing on the increasing need for second-line combination treatment regimens. The Bank is working to strengthen capacity for effectively mainstreaming AIDS priorities into national planning efforts, particularly development of poverty reduction and implementation processes. As one of many development partners supporting national AIDS programs, the World Bank is committed to improve coordination, and to better align and harmonize its support with country responses.

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Foreign Aid: Challenges and Opportunities

2006-07-31, Wolfowitz, Paul

Paul Wolfowitz, President of the World Bank, discussed Africa’s challenge to unleash the energy of the people, and give people the opportunity to improve their lives themselves. He talked about the challenge of corruption. He appreciated Africa for improving policies to make it easier for new businesses to take off and for businesses that are established to expand. Africans are taking a lead in helping their continent turn the corner, and donors are raising the bar for development assistance to try to ensure that every dollar is used to create a healthier, better-educated, more prosperous Africa. Governance is taken seriously, with performance-based aid strengthening anti-corruption efforts.