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The World Bank Meetings Center provides links and inside access to the information, ideas, and issues being discussed at various events such as the IMF and World Bank spring and annual meetings.

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Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala recaps the 2009 Annual Meetings

Submitted by Sameer Vasta on Sat, 10/10/2009 - 08:30

I'm back from Istanbul today, looking back at some of the important events and messages that came out of the 2009 Annual Meetings. Before we all left Istanbul, however, Alison caught up with World Bank Managing Director Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and asked her to provide a short recap of the Meetings.

 

Marwan Muasher recaps the Meetings

Submitted by Sameer Vasta on Thu, 10/08/2009 - 07:23

The 2009 Annual Meetings are wrapping up. Before packing up here in Istanbul, I caught up with Marwan Muasher,  World Bank Senior Vice President for External Affairs, and asked him to provide me with his own one-minute recap of the Meetings.

 

Edith Grace Ssempala recaps the Meetings

Submitted by Sameer Vasta on Thu, 10/08/2009 - 07:17

The 2009 Annual Meetings are wrapping up. Before packing up here in Istanbul, I caught up with Edith Grace Ssempala,  World Bank Director for the Civil Society Program, and asked her to provide me with her own one-minute recap of the Meetings.

 

Global business leaders announce initiatives for women

Submitted by Sameer Vasta on Wed, 10/07/2009 - 04:44

Student at Shreeshitalacom Lower Secondary School. Kaski, Nepal. Photo: © Simone D. McCourtie / World Bank

This past Sunday, at an event co-hosted by the Hüsnü M. Özyegin Foundation, global business leaders came together to discuss the impacts of the ongoing economic crisis on women. The event culminated in the announcement of several new partnerships to support women around the world.

Highlights of the new partnerships and initiatives announced at the event include:

  • The Özyegin Foundation and Goldman Sachs will expand the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women program to Turkey.
  • Boeing announced Forum member efforts to track and spend $2 billion over the next three years on goods and services from women-owned businesses in supply chains.
  • Belcorp announced a partnership with the World Bank to train 50,000 women in financial literacy in Latin America.
  • McKinsey presented their new research, “The Business of Empowering Women,” which maps out potential business sector contributions across women’s life cycles.

 

Videoblog: The World Bank and fragile states

Submitted by Alastair McKechnie on Wed, 10/07/2009 - 04:20

 

This is my final video on fragile and conflict-affected states and the impact of the food, fuel, and financial crises. In this video, I talk about the work of the World Bank and other international organizations in conflicted-affected areas.

For more information:

 
Thanks for watching. Here's a link to my first video, and my second.

The new normal

Submitted by James Bond on Wed, 10/07/2009 - 03:21

Representatives of chambers of commerce and private sector promotion agencies from developing countries expressed their concerns about where the new sources of growth would come from in future years, at a meeting of the World Bank Group's Private Sector Liaison Officers held in Istanbul on October 5.

A lively discussion between the PSLOs and MIGA management covered subjects relating to foreign direct investment into emerging economies, as well as investments by emerging economies into other emerging economies ("South-South" investment). 

There is a real concern about how the infrastructure gap in developing countries will be filled following the crisis, given the new scarcity of private funds for public-private partnerships. 

Annual Report 2009 distributed at the Annual Meetings

Submitted by Can Kevenk on Tue, 10/06/2009 - 10:30

2009 Annual ReportWe started distribution of the World Bank Annual Report 2009 this morning at the Annual Meetings in Istanbul. The free publication, outlining the Bank's activities in fiscal year 2008, is available for journalists, government officials, civil society organizations, academic and public libraries — and anyone else interested in learning more about the Bank and what it does.

The report summarizes the Bank Group’s commitments and approved projects during the recently completed fiscal year, and also includes a CD with complete financial information and a slideshow summarizing the regional, sectoral, and thematical categorization of funding.

I had a chance to work with the team that was preparing the Annual Report this year. Our goal was to put together a colorful and easy-to-read summary of the Bank’s development activities for everyone who is interested. Photos from the project sites and personal stories about recent Bank Group projects from all around the world are featured in this year’s report. All six of the Bank’s regions are presented with a regional snapshot as well as the summaries of funding operations taking place.

This year, the Annual Report 2009 website has been enhanced in terms of design, online content, and interactivity. The site includes interesting videos about recent projects taking place in the field. The PDF version of the Annual Report is downloadable in 8 different languages from the website. You can also view the whole ‘Year in Review’ with our interactive widget.

Agreement on climate change financing: 'the greatest economic stimulus of all'

Submitted by Angie Gentile on Tue, 10/06/2009 - 06:26

Morocco. Photo credit: © Curt Carnemark/World Bank

At a Program of Seminars session Monday on “Greening Recovery, Seizing Opportunities,” more than 300 people turned out to hear experts such as Nobel laureate Joe Stiglitz and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner outline how “green” investments are being used as parts of economic stimulus packages.

They were joined by Luciano Coutinho (President, BNDES – Brazilian Development Bank), Yoon-Dae Euh (Chairman, Korean Presidential Council on Nation Branding and Chairman, Steering Committee, Korean Investment Corporation), and Hasan Zuhuri Sarikaya (Undersecretary, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Turkey).

For Stiglitz, the principal question now in responding to the financial and economic crisis is how to increase global aggregate demand. Instead of increasing consumption, he said, more funding should go to increase investment – particularly green investment.

World Bank reforming to meet new challenges

Submitted by Angie Gentile on Tue, 10/06/2009 - 06:05

October 6, 2009 - Istanbul, Turkey. World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings 2009. Opening plenary session.

The World Bank is pursuing an ambitious program of reform to enable the institution to become more efficient and effective while also gaining more legitimacy among the developing countries that it serves, Bank President Robert Zoellick said today.

In a speech at the start of the World Bank-IMF annual meetings, Zoellick said the World Bank’s reforms would focus on improving development effectiveness, promoting accountability and good governance, and continuing to increase cost efficiency.

“To serve the changing global economy, the world needs agile, nimble, competent, and accountable institutions,” Zoellick told the meeting of the Board of Governors of the World Bank Group. “The World Bank Group will improve its legitimacy, efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability, and further expand its cooperation with the UN, the IMF, the other Multilateral Development Banks, donors, civil society, and foundations which have become increasingly important development actors.”

Videoblog: Fragile States facing challenges

Submitted by Alastair McKechnie on Tue, 10/06/2009 - 04:00

 

Fragile and conflict-affected states face significant challenges coming out of the food, fuel, and financial crises. In this video, I give more details on some of those challenges and the environment for international financial assistance to affected countries.

For more information:

 
I'll be posting more videoblog entries over the next few days.

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Discover: IDA

The International Development Association (IDA) is the part of the World Bank that helps the world’s poorest countries. Established in 1960, IDA aims to reduce poverty by providing interest-free credits and grants for programs that boost economic growth, reduce inequalities and improve people’s living conditions. Learn More...

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In Depth: Climate Change

Climate ChangeClimate change is expected to hit developing countries the hardest. Its effects—higher temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns, rising sea levels, and more frequent weather-related disasters—pose risks for agriculture, food, and water supplies. Learn More...

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In Depth: Influenza A (H1N1)

Communication and public health surveillance are critical for an effective response to the H1N1 flu virus as Latin America's experience shows. The World Bank, the United Nations and the World Health Organization are working to increase countries’ pandemic readiness through strengthening their health systems. Learn More...