10. Speeches of World Bank Presidents [collection under construction]

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Remarks by World Bank Group President David Malpass at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Bali Indonesia

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-11-15) Malpass, David

These remarks were delivered by World Bank Group President David Malpass at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Bali Indonesia on November 15, 2022. He spoke about the developing world faces hunger, poverty, unsustainable debt, and learning poverty above 70 percent. Climate change makes all of these burdens worse. Farmers face droughts and floods. In poor countries, they face severe shortages of fertilizer and diesel. Underinvestment blocks access to electricity and clean water. Current global macro policies create a permanent drain on global capital, risking a long recession. The developing world needs much greater resources. The World Bank Group has achieved the largest increase in commitments in our history and greatly expanded trade finance. Regarding the debt crisis, it is urgent to create a more effective debt reduction process for low and middle-income countries that are in debt distress.
Transcript of Conversation with David Malpass and Samantha Power on the Way Forward

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-06-21) Malpass, David ; Power, Samantha

These remarks were delivered by the World Bank Group President David Malpass in conversation with Samantha Power, USAID Administrator on June 21, 2022. They discussed about the impact of overlapping global crises on the poorest and most vulnerable people. The world, as people know, is in a very complicated situation, especially for people in poorer countries and the poor worldwide. It has to do with inflation, with food, with conflict, fragility, issues that we work with every day at the World Bank and USAID does, too. As people know, the World Bank works on an array of development issues and including and especially right now food and fertilizer. We have announced 30 billion dollars of assistance in the food-related areas as part of our response to the current set of crises. And one of the challenges is, in specific country areas, to find the right program. And we work very, very closely with development assistance agencies around the world, including and especially USAID.
Transcript of Conversation with David Malpass and Masood Ahmed on the Way Forward

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-05-26) Malpass, David ; Ahmed, Masood

These remarks were delivered by the World Bank Group President David Malpass in conversation with Masood Ahmed, the President of the Center for Global Development on May 26, 2022. They both discussed on the following topis: (i) respond to the COVID crisis and now to the latest set of crises from Russia's invasion of Ukraine; (ii) the world moves away from the dependence on Russian energy, then new supplies will be vital; (iii) COVID Vaccination; (iv) fighting climate change; (v) global public goods; (vi) climate change action plan; (vii) climate financing; (viii) sustainable debt finance process; (ix) food security and infrastructure development; (x) possible global recession; (xi) education sector; (xii) human capital index; (xiii) the G7 communique; and (xiv) low-income households.
2021 Annual Meetings Press Conference

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-10-13) Malpass, David

World Bank Group President David Malpass spoke about the world suffering from a dramatically uneven recovery, and inequality worsening across country groups. The highest priority is to secure access to vaccines and speed up shots in arms. He explained that the World Bank Group is working as hard as it can 24/7 to expand the number of doses as soon as it can get, and delivery schedules from the advanced economies and from the manufacturers. Regarding the IDA20 replenishment in December, African heads of state have already called for donors to be ambitious in their support for IDA’s mission. He spoke about 1) making public spending more efficient in a country like Mexico; 2) climate finance provided to the developing countries should be doubled in the next few years; 3) opportunities presented by climate change and to support climate private sector investment in Africa; 4) the role of young people in global climate action; 5) boosting health systems and making them more resilient to shocks like COVID-19 in MENA region; 6) the pandemic impact on India’s poor; 7) measures to save companies in difficulty during COVID-19; 8) lessons that developing countries draw from this health crisis, particularly on the social level; and 9) support to low-income countries efforts against pandemic.
Remarks at Session 1 of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting, February 26, 2021

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-02-26) Malpass, David

David Malpass, President of the World Bank, declared that inequality, poverty, and climate change will be the defining issues of our age. The goal is to achieve fair, broad, and fast access to effective and safe vaccines for developing countries. On climate, the Bank is looking forward to supporting the G20 on the very active climate agenda, including at the Venice climate summit in July. Debt transparency and sustainability remain major challenges for vulnerable countries. Each of these priorities - vaccines, climate, and debt - is plagued with inequality, which is causing a reversal of progress on development.
Remarks at the Fifteenth East Asia Summit

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-11-14) Malpass, David

World Bank Group President David Malpass spoke about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and economic shutdowns that are causing the world’s deepest recession since World War II and the first major recession in ASEAN countries since the 1997 Asian devaluation crisis. He mentioned that women are faring worse in the crisis than men across most countries and across several dimensions including loss of jobs, decline in remittances, food insecurity, and the heavy burden of caregiving responsibilities. He explained that the World Bank Group has moved rapidly to deploy its full financial capacity with much of it going to the poorest countries and to private sectors for trade finance and working capital. He highlighted that the World Bank made available up to twelve billion US dollars of fast-track financing to client countries for them to choose, purchase and deploy Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine. He spoke about the DSSI debt service suspension initiative, which he called a good first step, but the relief so far has been less than anticipated because not all creditors participated. The World Bank Group is working on effective approaches for debt reduction and debt resolution to address low income countries’ unsustainable debt burdens. Countries will need to prepare for a different economy post-COVID, by allowing capital, labor, skills and innovation to move into new businesses and sectors. The World Bank strongly supports trade facilitation measures to encourage greater flows across borders.
Speech at the 2020 Annual Meetings Plenary

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-10-15) Malpass, David

David Malpass, President of the World Bank, spoke about what the World Bank Group has accomplished since last year’s Annual Meetings, particularly the response to COVID-19 and progress made on debt transparency. The COVID-19 pandemic’s toll has been enormous, and people in the poorest countries are likely to suffer the longest and hardest. In response, the approach at the World Bank Group has been comprehensive, focused on saving lives, protecting the poor and vulnerable, working toward sustainable business growth, and rebuilding in better ways. He touched on the four most urgent aspects of this work: 1) poverty and inequality; 2) human capital; 3) debt burdens; and 4) fostering an inclusive and resilient recovery. The scale of the challenges ahead is staggering. IDA-19’s three-year envelope of USD82 billion will not be nearly enough to meet the needs of the world’s poorest countries at this desperate time. IDA has taken broad and fast action to frontload IDA-19 resources and provide surge financing this year to support the initial efforts to address the economic and health impacts of COVID. A USD25 billion supplemental COVID emergency financing package will avert a “financing cliff” in FY22-23 and make available additional resources to IDA countries to support their recoveries.
Remarks at the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-10-14) Malpass, David

World Bank Group President David Malpass spoke about the recession in advanced economies that is less severe than had been feared, but in most developing economies, it has become a depression, especially for the poorest. The World Bank Group was able to launch health emergency programs in one hundred and eleven countries and begin a surge in their grants and highly concessional lending that will reach the limits of our capital structure and commitment authority. The goals for debt relief in the Spring meetings were fiscal savings for the poorest countries, greater debt transparency, and a path forward for countries in debt distress. He insisted that it’s important to note that the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) defers payments into the future but doesn’t reduce them. The World Bank Group Board approved a package of up to twelve billion US dollars to expand the fast-track Coronavirus (COVID-19) response for the purchase and distribution of Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines, tests and treatments. He will propose to IDA Deputies later this month creating a twenty-five billion US dollars supplemental COVID Emergency Financing Package. He concluded that even in the midst of a once-in-a-century crisis, he has confidence that sustainable solutions will emerge, in part by embracing constructive change.
Reversing the Inequality Pandemic

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-10-05) Malpass, David

World Bank Group President David Malpass spoke about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has already changed our world decisively and forced upon the world a painful transformation. He explained the World Bank Group’s approach that has been comprehensive by focusing on saving lives, protecting the poor and vulnerable, ensuring sustainable business growth, and rebuilding in better ways. He focused on four urgent aspects of this work: (i) first, the need to redouble efforts to alleviate poverty and inequality; (ii) second, the associated loss of human capital and what must be done to restore it; (iii) third, the urgent need to help the poorest countries make their government debt more transparent and permanently reduce their debt burdens, two necessary steps to attract effective investment; and (iv) finally, how we can cooperate to facilitate the changes needed for an inclusive and resilient recovery.
Remarks on Universal Health Coverage in Africa

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016-08-26) Kim, Jim Yong

Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank, argues that investing in universal health coverage (UHC) is an investment in the future. He mentioned three: First, UHC confronts poverty head on by protecting people from major disease outbreaks and from catastrophic health expenses; Second, UHC accelerates inclusive growth; and Third, UHC stimulates the health sector and creates jobs. The Bank is working with partners to identify the best ways to scale up interventions to improve nutrition and early child development, and to eliminate childhood stunting. He welcomes the government of Japan’s decision to support the annual production of the World Bank and World Health Organization global monitoring report on universal health coverage, with a strong focus on Africa.