10. Speeches of World Bank Presidents

370 items available

Permanent URI for this collection

http://hdl.handle.net/10986/24239

Sub-collections of this Collection

Items in this collection

Now showing 1 - 9 of 9

Coalitions for Change

( 1999-09-28) Wolfensohn, James D.

World Bank Group President, James Wolfensohn addressed the Board of Governors. In the past year the Bank launched a new initiative—the Comprehensive Development Framework (CDF). The aim was to bring the social and the structural aspects of development together with the macroeconomic and the financial so as to establish a much more balanced and effective approach. The Bank will work with the broad development community—the United Nations, the European Union, bilaterals, regional development banks, civil society, and the private sector—to build genuine partnerships. The CDF is now being piloted in 13 countries. The general experience reviewed that strengthening the organization, human capacity, and the structure of the state, both at central and local levels, is the first priority to reduce poverty. The speaker also called for a coalition for change in the new international development architecture in the face of globalization.
Remarks at the Bretton Woods Committee Annual Meeting

( 1999-06-09) Wolfensohn, James D.

James D. Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank Group, discussed the Bank’s focus on the social sector. Since the realignment of the focus of the Bank after the initial objectives of the Bretton Woods agreements for the reconstruction after World War II were met, the more recent and continuing focus has been on development and on the issues of poverty and the issues of sustainable development. On the Bank’s agenda are: first, good governance; second, the legal and justice system; third, an effective supervisory mechanism for banks and capital markets; and finally, a social safety net to deal with the impact of financial crises upon the poor.
Development: A Coin with Two Sides

(International Herald Tribue, 1999-05-05) Wolfensohn, James D.

James D. Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank Group, writes that development economics is the discipline that addresses the world's most enduring problem: persistent and widespread poverty. Within this deprivation is another dimension: hundreds of millions of girls and women whose lives are diminished and shortened by inadequate economic means and discrimination in social status and medical attention. The end of the cold war has been accompanied by a growing recognition of the importance of political, social, and economic participation, by widespread demands for human rights and gender equity, and by an emerging globalized economy. This offers an unprecedented opportunity to make development work. There is a need for effective and impartial legal and justice systems, with protection of and positive support for rights and freedoms of various kinds, a well-organized and supervised financial system, effective social safety nets, and essential social programs.
Remarks at the Council of the Americas

( 1999-05-03) Wolfensohn, James D.

James D. Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank Group, reassessed the global financial architecture and its impact on Latin America. Latin American countries, being small economies, are very vulnerable to world pressures. After a huge drop in private sector finance, we’re seeing the first signs of return. What we need now is greater transparency and supervision in banking and the private sector—and a better common set of principles and standards. We need decent government, trained government, with capacity at all levels. We need legal systems that work. We must ensure social safety nets are in place. The things that bring about equity in a society are education and knowledge. Latin America’s kids need stability and social justice.
Keynote Address on Preserving the Architecture of Historic Cities and Sacred Places

( 1999-05-03) Wolfensohn, James D.

James D. Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank Group, discussed the importance of preserving culture, cities and architecture, and sacred sites. The international system has to be built on structure, on governance, on justice, on legal systems, on social systems, but it also has to be built on history and culture. You do not have to have a dollar sign on something for it to be valuable or for it to be essential. You cannot have an international financial architecture built on sand. He discussed the overwhelming issue of poverty, concentration of people in cities, the pressure on public services and public spaces, and the degradation that accompanies movements of people into cities.
Walter Sterling Surrey Memorial Lecture

( 1999-04-07) Wolfensohn, James D.

James D. Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank Group, discussed the international development framework; legal and justice system; financial supervision and control at the level of banks, financial markets, capital markets, leasing, and agricultural banks; and social safety net and a social structure to come up with programs for privatization in the former Soviet Union. Governments must be the dominant power in deciding the development agenda. In partnership with a country’s government, the Bank agrees upon a Comprehensive Development Framework.
Keynote Address

( 1999-03-06) Wolfensohn, James D.

James D. Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank Group, discussed first, governance and corruption; second, legal and justice system that works; third, financial system to supervise and monitor what is going on in the banks and in the financial sector; and fourth, social system that works to protect people who are out of work, the aged, children, the disabled, and persons that are vulnerable. The leading companies are doing a fantastic job and it is hoped that perhaps with European Institute of Business Administration (INSEAD) can get some leadership in terms of recognition that the future is dependent on peace and social development.
Foundations for a More Stable Global System

( 1999-03-01) Wolfensohn, James D.

James D. Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank Group, discussed the global financial architecture and developing countries. A stable financial architecture cannot be achieved without the proper structural, institutional, social and human foundations needed to make a modern market economy work. He identified the elements that should guide the choices of national governments, and the work that international institutions can do to assist them, and partnerships and co-operation between institutions. These include, first, good governance, strong public institutions, and a system that fights corruption; second, strong legal and a justice system able to guarantee the execution of those laws; and third, a well-regulated financial superstructure. Our social agenda should begin with those elements at the very heart of ensuring an opportunity at all levels of society: a good health system and an education system available to boys and girls equally. The environment is a crucial element in our foundation. We must resist a one-size-fits-all approach. At the Bank we work toward a comprehensive development framework agreed with each partner country.
Remarks at the International Conference on Democracy, Market Economy, and Development

( 1999-02-26) Wolfensohn, James D.

James D. Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank Group, discussed what the Bank learned in coming to look at the issues of poverty and development. Development requires proper economic policies, but also the essential element of the social aspects and human aspects of society. The Bank’s focus is to think first in terms of poverty—fighting poverty with passion was adopted recently as the first line of our mission statement. Wolfensohn discussed an agenda for action on the issues of inclusion, corruption, transparency, education, knowledge, and private sector environment. How we attack this agenda must be a partnership between governments, multilaterals, such as the Bank, and the bilateral institutions, the private sector, and civil society in all its forms—from non-government organizations (NGOs) to trade unions, from religions to foundations, from spokesmen for ordinary people.