Marwan Muasher's blog

The other day Bob Zoellick, the Bank’s President, talked about a new “G.” The G-186, also known as the World Bank.

It’s good to see the G-20 assuming a more permanent structure and to note that their influence in the global financial architecture isn’t a blip in history to deal with the current economic crisis.

But at the same time, it’s very important to note that the G-20 doesn’t include the poorest countries. The G-186 brings the poorest voices to the table. And to really be part of the global recovery, which all countries must do for this to succeed, those countries hardest hit will need additional resources. Otherwise, we can forget full recovery.

Another essential ingredient of the recovery is to make sure we do not forget the human aspects of the crisis. We can’t look at recovery in purely numerical terms as the world did during East Asia’s financial meltdown in the late ‘90s. This has a punishing effect on employment, on lives. The world can’t fall into this trap again.

The skies have darkened with rain outside the Istanbul Congress Center, but spirits are high inside. The labyrinth of conference rooms is abuzz with government officials and civil society representatives, looking for pragmatic and innovative solutions to today’s most important development issues.

I personally think the CSO functions are going really well. I’m seeing a lot of collaboration, a lot of common ground, and even more so than in the past.

I think this is due to the Bank’s position as a voice for the poorest and our demonstrated commitment to providing the resources countries need to deal with the food and financial crises.