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

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Remarks by World Bank Group President David Malpass at the Future of Digital Cooperation Event: Building Resilience Through Safe, Trusted, and Inclusive Digital Public Infrastructure

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-09-21) Malpass, David

This report discusses the readout from World Bank Group President David Malpass’s meeting at the Future of Digital Cooperation Event: Building Resilience Through Safe, Trusted, and Inclusive Digital Public Infrastructure. There have been severe reversals in development, and global policy trends suggest these will persist. Digital public infrastructure is a vital part of our response. Digital identification, payment, and data sharing platforms have made it possible for countries to respond more effectively, more transparently, at a greater speed and scale, and with more security and privacy. The World Bank Group is engaged across all these elements and our operations with significant digital components have been growing. Our portfolio stands at nearly 4.7 billion dollars. Through country engagements, we support our clients to boost mobile phone networks and remove regulatory barriers to foster access to finance. We are helping with the adoption of e-government platforms and the modernization of social protection systems. Our Global Findex database shows that 71 percent of adults in developing economies now have a formal financial account, often a bank account, compared to 42 percent a decade ago. It is critical to build on this trend. Expanding access to finance, reducing the cost of digital transactions, and channeling wage payments and social transfers through accounts will be critically important to mitigate the reversals in development from the ongoing turbulence.
Remarks at the G20 Session on International Financial Architecture

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-07-09) Malpass, David

World Bank Group President David Malpass remarked that early in the pandemic, the World Bank Group set out to use aggressive financial programming and leverage to increase commitments as rapidly as possible. The World Bank group used a number of powerful financial programming and leveraging techniques toward that goal. He highlighted recent capital increases, aggressive leveraging through bond issuance by IBRD, IDA and IFC, as well as MIGA reinsurance, and private sector mobilization, the combined WBG has been able to provide support to low- and middle-income countries over the last fifteen months. This financing is based on world-class knowledge work, and deep country relationships and know-how in our country teams present on the ground around the world. The World Bank Group strongly supports leveraging donor resources to maximize commitments, respond to emergencies, and prepare for crises. The World Bank Group provides grants to countries that are most in need, including fragile and small states and are investing heavily in social safety nets and digital cash transfer programs. Data sharing by both debtors and creditors enables debt reconciliation, a key for the debt restructuring process and he called on the G20 members to share their lending data and assist in the reconciliation exercise. The Group is actively implementing the Sustainable Development Finance Policy under IDA19 and will continue it in IDA20. The Group continues to strongly and actively support the implementation of the Common Framework, working closely with partners.
Robert S. McNamara at the World Bank: In Retrospect

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-07-01) Lafourcade, Olivier ; Christoffersen, Leif E. ; Ljungh, Anders E. E. ; Burmester, Sven ; Koch-Weser, Caio K. ; Steckhan, Rainer B.

This retrospective on the terms of World Bank President Robert S. McNamara (1968–81) examines his words, actions, and results through the lens of the authors, his six successive personal assistants. They delve into his annual meeting speeches and policy addresses, deconstructing the motivations and actions behind the words. The authors give personal insight into McNamara as president, along with his relations with World Bank staff and world leaders. McNamara’s interactions with a multiplicity of borrowing countries, including China, are highlighted. The sectoral impact of McNamara’s presidency is described in some depth and in relation to current events, including the 1970s’ oil crisis. The conclusion contains a look at the legacy of McNamara, the lasting impact of “McNamara’s Bank,” and a final personal tribute to McNamara.
Interview with Beatrice Janzon, Swedish Radio International

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-06-01) Malpass, David

David Malpass, President of the World Bank, discussed with Beatrice Janzon, Swedish Radio International, the following topics: long-term effects of children out of school during the pandemic, economic recovery for developing countries, importance of vaccinations for the developing countries, and World Bank on Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
Remarks at the World Health Organization Media Briefing on COVID-19 and Vaccine Equity

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-06-01) Malpass, David

World Bank Group President David Malpass stated that the immediate priority is for countries that have sufficient supply to quickly release doses to countries that have vaccination deployment programs. He said that by the end of June, the World Bank will have approved vaccination operations in over 50 countries. It is vital to speed up the supply chain. The World Bank is providing transparent access to very detailed information about projects through an online portal available at https://www.worldbank.org/vaccines. He urged other development partners to publish detailed information about their vaccine financing and deployment programs and their delivery schedules. The World Bank is also working to expand supply and will be making announcements of investments by IFC, the World Bank Group’s private sector development arm.
Remarks to the Nordic and Baltic Ministers and Governors of the World Bank Group

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-06-01) Malpass, David

David Malpass, President of the World Bank, discussed the immediate health impact of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to the long-term effect of climate change, the extent of the global crisis, and the depth of its consequences. He focused on the financing needs in low-income countries, vaccines, climate change, and debt. He introduced Jakob Kopperud as the Special Representative to Europe.
Remarks at the Summit on Financing African Economies

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-05-18) Malpass, David

World Bank Group President David Malpass spoke about the World Bank Group using all possible resources, financing tools, and dedicated staff across the continent to improve African lives and business prospects. He mentioned the Board-approved financing operations in many African countries to obtain safe doses and to administer them quickly and fairly as soon as the producer countries, COVAX, or manufacturers are ready. Over the past decade, the World Bank Group has invested two hundred billion dollars in Africa. Over the next five years, the Group intends to invest and mobilize another one hundred fifty billion dollars to support the continent’s development. He focused on the need for large inflows of long-term resources for Africa. Another important part of Bank's support to Africa will be mobilization of the private sector, either directly through IFC and MIGA, or indirectly through funding by IDA and IBRD on capital markets. He concluded by highlighting the initiatives for Africa that he discussed with the President Macron recently.
Conversation with the Lowy Institute

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-04-29) Malpass, David

World Bank Group President David spoke about the World Bank's response for Coronavirus (COVID-19) was to make health programs available in a lot of countries. The Bank wanted to get as many people vaccinated as possible in countries around the world. The Bank is looking at how to help India now. India has massive needs way beyond the potential of the World Bank alone. World Bank commitments in calendar year 2020 were up by sixty-five percent from calendar year 2019. The World Bank Group has a unique ability to raise funding through the global bond markets, and in that way the donor countries put money in and then it's leveraged through that process. Debt relief, as described by the G20 as a Framework, involves burden sharing among the various official bilateral creditors and commercial creditors. The Debt Service Suspension Initiative that was done in 2020 saved five billion dollars for debtor countries. The Bank is working on climate issues by identifying priorities, working with countries on things where the Bank can add expertise. The OECD has an anti-corruption standard, and it would be good if more countries joined that standard. He mentioned the need to invest in both physical infrastructure and human capital. Human capital is one of the most valuable investments that countries make, and that people make in their own lives. He spoke about the unrest in Myanmar and the Bank has put a hold on disbursements there.
World Bank Group Press Conference at the 2021 Spring Meetings, April 7, 2021

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-04-07) Malpass, David

David Malpass, President of the World Bank, discussed vaccines, climate, and debt. The World Bank commitments grew a record amount both in percent terms and dollar terms in 2020. The Bank is providing financing for several of the countries and they can be large-scale programs, but the countries are working to arrange delivery schedules from the various vaccine providers. That will be an important part of the recovery. The Bank completed a big vaccination operation through Board, which makes financing available to Bangladesh and also technical assistance from the World Bank, which is very helpful to the countries as they try to enter contract discussions, and also as they work within their health systems in order to vaccinate people. The Bank is working actively on biodiversity and agricultural challenges facing Brazil.
Remarks at the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-04-07) Malpass, David

David Malpass, President of the World Bank, discussed the World Bank climate change action plan, debt and the DSSI, and resource needs for IDA countries.