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

Items in this collection

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4

Boosting Shared Prosperity

( 2014-10-01) Kim, Jim Yong

Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank Group, spoke about how the Bank and other institutions can help boost shared prosperity and reduce inequality around the world. He talked about the importance of measuring income growth among the bottom 40 percent and compared that to the general population, but stressed that income alone cannot fully capture whether the bottom 40 percent are sharing in the prosperity of a country. Kim also spoke about the terrible consequences when institutions have too low aspirations for the poor, which the world is once again learning in its late response to the Ebola epidemic. He discussed that it's not only a moral imperative for countries to come to the aid of the three countries most affected by the epidemic, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, but also an economic imperative to respond as rapidly and effectively as possible now before the epidemic spreads much wider.
Within Our Grasp: A World Free of Poverty

( 2013-04-02) Kim, Jim Yong

Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank Group discusses the opportunity to create a world free from the stain of poverty and economic exclusion. He states that the environmental challenge is a fundamental threat to economic development and the fight against poverty in the world. He believes that assuring growth is inclusive is both a moral imperative and a crucial condition for sustained economic development for any country. The World Bank Group is now working on a revamped strategy to significantly strengthen our climate change interventions and help catalyze urgent action among global partners on the scale required. Progress is never inevitable. He concludes by saying that if we act today, if we work relentlessly toward these goals of ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity, we have the opportunity to create a world for our children which is defined not by stark inequities but by soaring opportunities.
Remarks at the Council of Foundations

( 1998-04-28) Wolfensohn, James D.

James D. Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank Group, discussed the issues that link the United States to other countries: health, migration, trade, peace and stability, energy, food, and crime and narcotics. The responsibilities of foundations do not end with our cities and communities. The job the Bank does can only be done on the basis of partnership with the governments, with the other multilateral institutions, with the private sector, but most particularly with civil society. It is crucial that the foundation organizations in the country that have the experience, that know about volunteerism, about taking things in their own hands, diversity of interests, different points of view, and experience, should come together on the global issues.
Address to the U.N. Economic and Social Council, United Nations, NY, December 5, 1968

( 1968-12-05) McNamara, Robert S.

These are the prepared remarks of Robert S. McNamara, President of the World Bank, International Finance Corporation, and the International Development Association (IDA). He declares that our common enterprise is to drive back poverty, to lift living standards and to enhance the dignity of man. The Bank intends to lend twice as much in the next five years as in the previous five. He discusses the Bank’s lending in Asia. He discusses new geographical accents. The Bank and IDA are now ready to finance state-owned development banks; and training of managers and agriculturalists. He discusses putting population policy at the center of future strategy.