Zoellick kunne ellers have siddet fem år mere
World Bank president Robert Zoellick is to step down from his role at the institution when his five-year term comes to an end on 30 June.
Mr Zoellick (58) was appointed to his role in 2007 by then-US president, George W Bush. He would have been entitled to stand for another five-year term, BBC online reports Wednesday.
The post has always been held by a US national under a loose deal that also sees a European head the International Monetary Fund. It is a situation emerging economies have become increasingly unhappy with.
When French national Christine Lagarde was appointed head of the IMF in 2011, there was an outcry from the Bric nations at this arrangement.
The Bric nations – Brazil, Russia, India and China – along with South Africa said jointly that the choice of managing director on the basis of nationality undermined the legitimacy of the International Monetary Fund.
It may well be the case that these countries will now make the case that the head of the World Bank should be based on talent, not nationality.
NGO-campaigners, including Oxfam, Eurodad and the African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (Afrodad) have called “for an open and merit-based process to elect the next World Bank leader”.
Her er Verdensbankens pressemeddelelse om sagen:
WASHINGTON, February 15, 2012: World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick announced Wednesday he would step down at the end of a five-year term in which a transformed Bank played an historic role during the global economic crisis, using record replenishments (genopfyldning af midler) to provide more than 247 billion US dollar to help developing countries boost growth and overcome poverty.
– I am honored to have led such a world class institution with so many talented and exceptional people. Together we have focused on supporting developing countries to navigate crises and adjust to global economic shifts, he said, adding:
– The Bank has recognized that we live in a world of multiple poles of growth where traditional concepts of the “Third World” are now outdated and where developing countries have a key role to play as growth drivers and responsible stakeholders. At the same time, we have scaled up our support to poor people, countries, and communities and shown that the Bank can be an indispensable innovator, catalyst, and driver of a modernized multilateralism.
– I am very pleased that when the world needed the Bank to step up, our shareholders (de rige lande) responded with expanded resources and support for key reforms that made us quicker, more effective and more open. The Bank is now strong, healthy and well positioned for new challenges, and so it is a natural time for me to move on and support new leadership, noted he.
Among some of the areas of Bank leadership during Zoellick’s tenure:
Nimble/Activist Crises Initiatives
* Provided a record 247 billion dollar of support in the key areas of infrastructure, the private sector, agriculture, trade finance, social safety nets, education, health, and the environment;
* The first general capital increase for the Bank in over 20 years, with over half the new capital from developing countries; and a record 90 billion dollar raised for IDA, the World Bank’s fund for the poorest, against a very challenging backdrop of donor austerity (tilbageholdenhed);
* Putting Food First: Alerted the world to the forthcoming food crisis, and helped marshal new resources and tools to address it. World Bank agriculture lending increased to 6 billion dollar per year.
* Created a new IFC (private sector) Asset Management Company to channel sovereign wealth funds and pension resources (to date 3 billion dollar) to the private sector in Africa and other emerging markets.
Modernized World Bank
* Opened up the World Bank – landmark Access to Information policy, and Open Data Initiative throwing open the doors on Bank processes, projects, and data; to boost transparency and accountability all Bank projects have been geo mapped with clearly defined results-measurement. Last year, the Bank was ranked number 1 for aid transparency by Publish What You Fund.
* Increased the Bank’s results focus and launched the Bank’s third-ever lending instrument – Program for Results, which disburses (udbetaler) money AFTER verifiable results have been achieved.
* Advanced the Bank’s anti-corruption focus with a new sanctions policy, new preventative unit, new cross debarment agreement with other multilateral development banks, new Stolen Asset Recovery (StAR) initiative, and the launch of an International Corruption Hunters Alliance.
* Blended innovation and practicality with new programs such as the Climate Investment Funds (7,1 billion dollar of contributions leveraged nearly 50 billion of investment spanning 46 countries).
* Transformed the Bank’s leadership: Half of senior officers are now women; almost half are from developing countries, including the Bank’s first Chief Economist from a developing country – Justin Lin from China; and
* maintained a flat (uændret) real budget over 5 years, along with the Bank’s AAA rating.
Modernized Multilateralism
* Led the Bank’s efforts with the G-20, helping secure progress on development, agriculture, food security, infrastructure, and other issues.
* New ventures: Nairobi Center focusing on security, conflict and development; “Gender Equality as Smart Economics”; Singapore Hub on Urban and Infrastructure development; Arab World Initiative.
* Expanded voice of developing countries at the World Bank, particularly with an additional board seat for Sub Saharan Africa. Launched a new Partnership for Social Accountability to bring citizen voices into the development mainstream.
Zoellick said that through June 30 he will stay 100 per cent focused on being Bank President and will continue to drive policy and programs at a heightened tempo.
For example, in late February, he will help unveil a joint groundbreaking World Bank-China study on the future structure of China’s growth model, drawing lessons for other middle-income countries.
In April 2011, the World Bank’s Board approved a Presidential selection process, see more on
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/DEVCOMMINT/Documentation/22885978/DC2011-0006(E)Governance.pdf
