World Bank

At UN Climate Change Conference in Indonesia, Zoellick Urges Countries to Integrate Development and Climate Change Policies

BALI, INDONESIA, December 12, 2007 ― Actions to lower greenhouse gas emissions can “both protect the global environment and enable developing countries to grow their economies for the benefit of their people,” World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick told delegates to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali.    » read more »

Facility will Tackle Climate Change and Deforestation

BALI, INDONESIA, December 11, 2007— World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick launched a groundbreaking financing mechanism today to combat tropical deforestation and climate change.

The Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) was developed because forests are more important left standing than cut. It will reduce deforestation and forest degradation by compensating developing countries for carbon dioxide reductions realized by maintaining their forests.    » read more »

WASHINGTON, November 20, 2007 ─ The World Bank has offered up to US$250 million in the aftermath of Cyclone Sidr to help millions of Bangladeshis recover and to strengthen the country’s disaster mitigation systems.    » read more »

Washington, DC, November 14, 2007 – East Asian economies are likely to remain robust in 2008 despite growing concerns about the U.S. sub-prime crisis and increasing global oil prices, says the World Bank’s latest East Asia & Pacific Update –Will Resilience Overcome Risk? Highlighting this, the report finds that for the first time, the number of poor people living below $2 a day in East Asia has fallen below 500 million – down from 1 billion in 1990.    » read more »

JOHANNESBURG, November 14, 2007 – Many African economies appear to have turned the corner and may be moving to a path of faster and steadier economic growth needed to reduce high levels of poverty, according to the World Bank Africa Development Indicators 2007 (ADI), released here today.    » read more »

New World Bank report “International Trade and Climate Change: Economic, Legal, and Institutional Perspectives”

WASHINGTON, November 14, 2007―A new report from the World Bank, International Trade and Climate Change: Economic, Legal, and Institutional Perspectives, says liberalization of the global trading system will be a key factor in helping developing countries reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change.    » read more »

November 14, 2007 – After years of stop-and-start results, many African economies appear to be growing at the fast and steady rates needed to put a dent on the region’s high poverty rate and attract global investment.

The encouraging trend is shown in the World Bank Africa Development Indicators 2007 (ADI) released today. The report is based on more than a thousand indicators covering economic, human and private-sector development, governance, environment, and aid.    » read more »

WASHINGTON, November 5, 2007 – Trade logistics, or the capacity to connect to international markets to ship goods, is critical for developing countries to improve their competitiveness, reap the benefits of globalization, and fight poverty more effectively in an increasingly integrated world, shows a new World Bank Group survey released today.    » read more »

October 24, 2007—The World Bank partnered with 183-year-old Dutch bank ABN AMRO this fall to issue World Bank bonds boosting both World Bank projects and climate-friendly companies.

ABN-AMRO, recently acquired by a consortium led by Royal Bank of Scotland, sold about 150 million euro of World Bank Eco 3Plus bonds within a month of their launch September 17, says Frans Kuijlaars, Senior Vice President and Head of Benelux Sales, ABN AMRO Markets.    » read more »

WASHINGTON, October 11, 2007 – The Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank Group today discussed a new Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) for Nicaragua, with project and investment loans and credits by the International Development Association (IDA) concessional lending arm of the World Bank to assist the poorest countries and will total $240 million for five years from 2008 to 2012.    » read more »

World Bank Group President Unveils Strategic Direction to Advance Inclusive & Sustainable Globalization

Washington, October 10, 2007--World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick said, “It is the vision of the World Bank Group to contribute to an inclusive and sustainable globalization – to overcome poverty, enhance growth with care for the environment, and create individual opportunity and hope.”    » read more »

Washington, October 4th, 2007 – World Bank President, Robert B. Zoellick, today announced the appointment of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as a Managing Director of the World Bank. Dr. Okonjo-Iweala will join Managing Directors Juan Jose Daboub and Graeme Wheeler, Executive Vice Presidents Lars Thunell (IFC) and Yukiko Omura (MIGA), and Chief Financial Officer Vincenzo La Via at the top level of World Bank Group (WBG) management.    » read more »

WASHINGTON, September 28, 2007 – World Bank Group President, Robert B. Zoellick, today congratulated Dominique Strauss-Kahn on his appointment as IMF Managing Director, issuing the following statement:

“I wish to congratulate Dominique Strauss-Kahn on his appointment and say how much I look forward to working with him. He is a respected leader and economist, with distinguished service as the Finance Minister of France, many years of international experience, and a career of dedicated public service.    » read more »

BRUSSELS, September 17, 2007 —There are an estimated 191 million international migrants in the world, the majority of whom live in developed countries. And, there is growing evidence that these communities contribute to the development process of home countries through a variety of channels, be it through remittances, investments, entrepreneurial activities, or transfer of knowledge.    » read more »

17 September 2007 -- This week, the World Bank is launching an unusual initiative to get Africans living in Europe to invest back home - through a competition, complete with cash prizes, for the best development projects targeting sub-Saharan Africa.    » read more »