Contact:
In Dominican Republic: Alejandra de La Paz (809) 566-6815
adelapaz@worldbank.org
Santo Domingo, December 10, 2007 - Juan José Daboub, World Bank Managing Director concluded a two-day official visit to Dominican Republic last Monday, where he restated the support of the World Bank for the government’s reconstruction efforts after the devastating effects of Tropical Storm Noel. He further announced disbursements of US$50 million as part of the second of three installments of a programmatic loan amounting to US$150 million.
A few weeks earlier, the WB had announced that it would provide US$56 million to the Dominican authorities to offer emergency assistance to the population. With today’s announcement, most of these resources are now readily available.
The high-level international official also met with government authorities, leaders from the private sector and representatives of the civil society and saw firsthand some of the areas impacted by hurricane Noel. He further offered the country technical and financial support, and visited WB-funded projects, including the Early-Childhood Education Project and the Health Reform Project.
After meeting with the Minister of Economy, Planning and Development, Temístocles Montás, the Governor of the Central Bank, Héctor Valdez Albizu, and Vicente Bengoa, Minister of Finance, Daboub said, “Now that the country enjoys macroeconomic stability and growth, it is time to close the social gap by increasing opportunities for all citizens.”
During his visit, Daboub traveled to some areas in the Province of Peravia (Baní), in the country’s south, where he met with, Bienvenido Montero, the Governor, Héctor Oter, Undersecretary of Management and Finance at the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (SESPAS), Gustavo Rojas, Director of the Executive Committee for Health Sector Reform (CERSS), and Héctor Pimentel, General Director of the National Institute of Water Resources (INDRHI).
Daboub visited some areas where the infrastructure was severely damaged by Noel. Additionally, he visited an initial education project and a small enterprise project, both funded by the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group.
Back in the capital city, Daboub visited the El Café de Herrera district, where he was engaged in a lively dialogue with local youth, winners of Development Marketplace 2006 awards for innovative development projects.
During his visit, Daboub was accompanied by Yvonne Tsikata, new World Bank Director for the Caribbean, Christina Malmberg Calvo, World Bank Representative in the Dominican Republic, and by Salem Rohana, IFC Representative in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
As of December 1, 2007, Juan José Daboub, a Salvadoran national, supervises the portfolios of Middle East and North of Africa; South-Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Along with the team led by Pamela Cox, World Bank Vice-President for Latin America and the Caribbean, the Managing Director seeks to materialize the vision of the World Bank President, Robert Zoellick, about an inclusive globalization that benefits all sectors in society.
For more information about the work of the World Bank in Dominican Republic, please visit:
http://www.worldbank.org/do
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