World Bank Office Jakarta
Jakarta Stock Exchange Building
Tower 2, 12th Floor (62-21-5299-3000)
Contact:
Achmad Sukarsono & Prabha Chandran
Tel :(62 21) 5299-3259, 5299-3084
asukarsono@worldbank.org
pchandran@worldbank.org Jakarta, July 1, 2007 –The World Bank office in Jakarta said today its new Country Director, Mr Joachim von Amsberg, had taken up office and was looking forward to a series of meetings with senior Indonesian government officials, as well as representatives of civil society, private sector and international development partners. A long time observer and admirer of Indonesia, Joachim is a German national who was, until recently, the Country Director of the World Bank in the Philippines. Acknowledging that “Indonesia no longer needs the type of support of the years following the economic crisis and the CGI,” Mr von Amsberg said: “Today, Indonesia is a strong middle-income country. Indonesia now faces interesting new challenges as one of the region’s largest emerging economies. I look forward to learning from the leaders and stakeholders in Indonesia how the World Bank can be most useful to Indonesia in the years to come.” “We are keen to provide the full support of the World Bank to Indonesia as the country works toward realizing the dream of all Indonesians - a dynamic country free from poverty where public services work for the people and economic opportunities are shared by all,” he said. Mr. von Amsberg brings to Indonesia many years of experience in supporting innovative development work in middle-income countries of Latin America and East Asia, in particularly in Brazil where he worked for many years. He has worked on a wide range of sectors from environmental management to rural and urban development as well as poverty reduction strategies. “The World Bank is a friend and partner in supporting Indonesia’s goal of prosperity and I feel extremely privileged to be here,” he said. Joachim also has a strong background in governance and anti-corruption work as a member of the steering committee that oversaw preparation of the World Bank’s new Governance and Anti-Corruption Strategy. He has indicated that the World Bank would continue its strong role in supporting Indonesia’s drive to improve governance and combating graft. The World Bank supports the Indonesian government in policy dialogue through analytical work organized around the themes of making local governments work, reducing poverty, improving service delivery, responding to disasters, investment climate and governance. Indonesia has been a major recipient of World Bank assistance since 1967 supporting broad-based economic development in all sectors. Currently, there are 28 active investment projects in the portfolio for a total net commitment of $2.6 billion. In addition, the Bank administers a US$ 1 billion grants program, through more than 300 Trust Funds. ****
BIOGRAPHY
Joachim von Amsberg joined the World Bank in 1993 as an Economist and Young Professional and worked on World Bank supported environmental programs and policy studies for Argentina, Chile, and Paraguay in the Latin America and Caribbean Region, as well as policy studies in Egypt. Subsequently, he worked for years on the World Bank’s Brazil program. His work brought him to the role of Lead Economist, at the World Bank Headquarters where he led the economic policy dialogue, analytical assistance and adjustment lending programs for Brazil.
In 2004, he was appointed World Bank Country Director for the Philippines where he led a new strategy for enhanced support to the country. He contributed to debates on the Philippines’ fiscal and social agenda. With World Bank support, the Consultative Group of the Philippines was transformed into the Philippines Development Forum, a more participatory process that included players in government, civil society, the private sector, and the international community. Joachim von Amsberg has a Ph.D. in Finance and Economic Policy from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, completed in 1993; an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the Technische Universitaet Berlin, Germany, completed in 1991; and an M.B.A. major in Finance from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, completed in 1990. He is married to Anjum Khan, and has three children. He played junior soccer in his teens.
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