B. Speeches by Jim Yong Kim (2012-19)

94 items available

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Jim Yong Kim served as the 12th President of the World Bank Group from 2012 to 2019.

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  • Publication
    Forty Years of Reform and Poverty Reduction: Remarks at the International Forum on China’s Reform and Opening Up and Poverty Reduction
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2018-11-01) Kim, Jim Yong
    Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank Group, spoke about the following: i) understand China’s journey and get the historical record right; ii) understand China’s past reforms, because they are important for future reforms; iii) understanding China’s reforms is increasingly important for the rest of the world; iv) china’s reform and opening up program, which was the foundation for the rapid growth that allowed people to lift themselves out of poverty; v) a focused and sustained effort targeted at poverty reduction throughout the reform period.
  • Publication
    Remarks at the 2018 Annual Meetings Plenary
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2018-10-12) Kim, Jim Yong
    Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank Group, discussed reducing poverty by using a three-pillar strategy. First, drive inclusive, sustainable economic growth by crowding in private sector investment, help countries manage debt levels, and harness the power of technology like FinTech. Second, build resilience to shocks and threats by taking urgent action on climate change, and help countries share the risks of disasters with the capital markets. Third, help countries invest more, and more effectively in their people to prepare for what is certain to be a more digitally-demanding future. He spoke in length about Human Capital Index.
  • Publication
    Remarks on Partnering to Address Severe Food Insecurity
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2018-09-23) Kim, Jim Yong
    Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank Group, said that this is a fundamental moral issue. The fact that tens of millions of people are at risk of starving to death is a tragedy. And in the 21st century, the fact that we haven’t ended famine is a collective failure of shameful proportions. It’s also a critical economic issue. From a human capital standpoint, famines raise child mortality, increase stunting, and impair cognitive development for children in utero at the time of the famine and of the children who survive. First, early warning must translate into early action. Investing in more proactive responses to avert humanitarian crises could save millions of lives, and it can also reduce the costs to the international community by as much as 30 percent. Second, we need sustained collective action, before, during, and after crises. Third, we need to work to develop more comprehensive approaches to famine prevention, preparedness, and early action.
  • Publication
    Remarks at the Opening Press Conference at the 2018 Spring Meetings
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2018-04-19) Kim, Jim Yong
    Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank Group, discussed a few items that are on the agenda for at these meetings. He launched the latest edition of our Global Findex financial inclusion database, which tracks how people use financial services. The World Bank Group is dedicated to ending poverty wherever it exists in client countries. He mentioned two specific initiatives to support that effort: first, a significant of new financial innovation; and second, to review all possible options to enhance IBRD and IFC's financial capacity and develop a package of measures for governors' consideration. He believes a good case for how a stronger World Bank Group can meet the aspirations of shareholders, respond to global challenges, mobilize capital at scale, and make the institution even more efficient and effective.
  • Publication
    Rich and Poor: Opportunities and Challenges in an Age of Disruption
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2018-04-10) Kim, Jim Yong
    Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank Group, spoke about how before 1800 everybody was poor and lived in poverty. He referred to the young people now who may not own a smart phone, but who have access to smart phones. By 2025, as many analysts are saying, the entire world will have access to broadband. He examined three ways to end extreme poverty, that is, people living under 1.90 US dollars a day, by 2030. First, focus on inclusive, sustainable economic growth. Second, focus on fostering resilience to pandemics, climate change, refugees, fragility, conflict, and violence. Third, invest more and more effectively in people.
  • Publication
    Speech at the GSMA 2018 Mobile World Congress, Barcelona, Spain
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2018-02-26) Jim Yong Kim
    Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank Group, spoke about how mobile operators can and must play a critical role in achieving the two goals of the World Bank to end extreme poverty by 2030, and to boost shared prosperity among the poorest forty percent around the world. The World Bank Group asks how can we give everyone a chance to reach their aspirations? We must begin – right now, with a tremendous sense of urgency – to rethink in a fundamental way how connectivity, big data, and new technologies can create new drivers of economic growth and opportunities for all. We will need to give people the chance to learn the new skills needed in a rapidly changing market. Our ambition for our partnership with Big Data for Social Good is to harness mobile data to improve every one of our health, environment, energy, transportation, and urban projects across the globe.
  • Publication
    Remarks at the National Press Club Headliners Luncheon
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2017-11-20) Kim, Jim Yong
    Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank Group, discussed building new foundations of human solidarity, at a time when those foundations are questioned and even under attack. Peace and stability are critical to our efforts to grow economies and help people lift themselves out of poverty. He reviewed the work of the World Bank Group, especially over the past three decades, and outlined the pillars of the current strategy: accelerating inclusive, sustainable economic growth, building resilience to overlapping shocks and crises, and investing more and more effectively in people.
  • Publication
    After the Storm: Recovery and Resilience in the Caribbean
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2017-10-13) Kim, Jim Yong; Mohammed, Amina; Mitchell, Keith; Bibeau, Marie-Claude; Patel, Priti; Green, Mark
    At this high-level roundtable, Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank Group, suggested three actions at the outset. First, in the wake of disasters like Irma and Maria we should channel resources quickly, flexibly, efficiently, and ensure that they reach those most adversely affected. Second, we need to make sure that we use all existing instruments and knowledge to help build resilience. Third, we need to think creatively and come up with innovative solutions to compounded challenges of the Caribbean: high vulnerability, low growth, and high debt. This could include designing debt for resilience initiatives, mobilizing innovative risk financing tools to better manage fiscal risks related to disorders, and mobilizing private sector participation in working out solutions.
  • Publication
    Speech at the 2017 Annual Meetings Plenary
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2017-10-13) Kim, Jim Yong
    Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank Group, discussed the following topics: 1) actions needed to grow the economies and compete in what will be a more complex, demanding, and digitized future; 2) three ways to end extreme poverty by 2030, and boost shared prosperity among the poorest 40 percent around the world: a) accelerating inclusive, sustainable economic growth, b) building resilience to shocks and threats, and c) investing more and more effectively in people.
  • Publication
    Remarks at the High Level Meeting on Famine Response and Prevention
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2017-09-21) Kim, Jim Yong
    Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank Group (WBG), spoke about how famine can affect children, their health, and their ability to learn and to earn a living, which can hinder development progress for a generation. He reported on the Famine Response Package. He noted important lessons learned through these interventions. First, expanding new partnerships is important to deliver in challenging environments. Second, flexibility is key to adapting to emerging needs. Third, with protracted and recurrent crises as the new normal, more has to be done to ensure that the information, systems, and processes to help countries cope are in place, and to find new solutions through innovative partnerships including the private sector.