“The great struggle of our generation is the global fight to end poverty and build inclusive prosperity while safeguarding the Earth for those who will come after us. At its heart, this is a fight for wiser, more capable governance.”
-World Bank Group President Jim Yong KimDaylight Dialogue Speech, Manila, July 15, 2014
During a recent visit to the Philippines, World Bank Group (WBG) President Jim Yong Kim spoke about the imperative of effective governance for ending poverty. His remarks affirmed that good governance is a crucial part of the development agenda. Quoting President Aquino, President Kim also stressed that “good governance is good economics,” and applauded the Philippine government’s powerful “No Corruption, No Poverty” platform.
President Kim defined good governance as delivering public services effectively and efficiently; protecting citizens from violence and ensuring the rule of law; choosing wise policies and investments; maintaining public assets; fostering a transparent regulatory environment that allows the private sector to create good jobs; and directly confronting corruption so citizens have trust in institutions.
As Senior Director of the Governance Global Practice, my team and I are working with President Kim to help governments meet the challenge of building open, responsive, and accountable institutions that achieve their development objectives while including and protecting their citizens.
The World Bank Group’s new structural organization into 14 global practices breaks down old geographical and disciplinary silos to promote greater fluidity in knowledge-sharing and collaboration. The Governance Global Practice is the largest practice, with more than 800 professionals in anticorruption, digital governance, financial management, law and development, information management, procurement, public sector reform, regulatory policy, social accountability, taxation, and transparency. This new structure puts us in a unique position to rapidly mobilize the Bank’s global expertise across disciplines to develop innovative, integrated solutions to tough institutional problems.
That means we are collaborating, both externally (including governments, businesses, civil society and the academic community) and internally (across global practices like Health and Education) to shape innovative practices that are on the cutting edge of governance reform. We are also collecting evidence and reporting on results so that shared experiences will enrich and inspire global dialogue on governance issues.
As President Kim said at the close of his speech, “Let’s build institutions that respond to the slow emergency of poverty with the same intensity as the sudden shock of a typhoon.” It is great to be part of this team at the Bank, committed to strong and sustained impact now and for generations to come.
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