2002 | | International events | | Former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic is tried on charges of crimes against humanity. UN ratifies International Criminal Court. East Timor becomes an independent nation. North Korea admits to developing nuclear arms. Palestinian-Israeli violence continues, as Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and PLO Chairman Yasir Arafat are unable to come to any compromise. US troops continue fighting in Afghanistan, and Hamid Karzai was officially elected as President. Chechen rebels take hostages in a Moscow theater. More than 100 are killed during the rescue attempt. UN Security Council passes resolution calling for Iraq to disarm. UN weapons inspectors resume work in Iraq. US President Bush calls for a "regime change" in Iraq. European Union invites 10 new members. Jacques Chirac is elected President of France, ahead of far-right candidate Jean Maire Le Pen. US energy trading company Enron declares bankruptcy and is investigated for illegal activities. A series of corporate scandals, including Worldcom follows the Enron investigation, and sent international financial markets into a slump. UN announces that AIDS deaths could reach 65 million if preventive measures are not adopted. Mars Odyssey probe discovers large ice reservoirs under the surface of Mars. |
2002 | January 1 | New head of the Inspection Panel | | Edward S. Ayensu, a Ghanaian national, was unanimously elected by the members of the Inspection Panel to serve as Chairman of the Panel effective January 1, 2002. |
2002 | January 8 | Leaders of Global Corporations Meet on Corporate Social Responsibility | | World Bank sponsored a meeting of leaders of global corporations on Corporate Social Responsibility. |
2002 | January 9 | Third Development Marketplace | | The third Development Marketplace took place on January 9-10--with webcasts to country offices. Over 200 development entrepreneurs representing 70 countries competed for $3.5 million in start-up funds. |
2002 | January 14 | Poverty Reduction Strategy Conference | | A four-day conference, jointly hosted by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in Washington brought together more than 200 participants from developing countries, donor agencies and civil society groups to find ways to improve international poverty reduction efforts. The Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP) approach--which stresses the need for national commitment and participation for success in fighting poverty--received broad support from developing country, donor and civil society participants. |
2002 | January 14 | Incoming mail to the Bank Group | | The U.S. Postal Service has now resumed regular delivery of incoming mail. Before it is delivered to us, all first class mail is subject to decontamination to ensure that it is free of anthrax spores. In some instances this process will have an adverse effect on the mail and pages might stick together or a letter might appear as though it had been exposed to high levels of heat. Our Health Services Department has indicated that the decontamination process does not pose any danger to the recipient of the mail. With the closing of the USPS Brentwood mail facility in Washington, Bank Group mail has been diverted to several other mail distribution centers and some of our mail may have been misplaced and not delivered. Staff who are waiting for specific mail communications may want to contact their correspondents and ask them to resend the information through other means, if possible. |
2002 | January 19 | Three Bank Staff Involved in Airplane Incident in Bolivia | | Bank staff are involved in an airplane incident in Bolivia . On January 19, three Bank staff - Aurelio Menendez, Elena Correa and Victor Pozadas – were traveling on a chartered plane from El Alto to Yacuiba, Bolivia, with staff of the Bolivian Highway department (Servicio Nacional de Caminos). Thirty minutes into the flight one of the engines sprung a leak and the pilot had to cut the engine. The pilot tried to return to the airport with only one engine. However, after twenty minutes, this engine started to overheat and the pilot had to make an emergency landing. Fortunately, the staff members and pilot were unharmed and were able to retrieve their personal effects before the plane caught fire. With their cell phones, the Highway Department staff were able to call for help which arrived after around an hour and a half. After a check at a local clinic, they were able to continue their journey. In a note to the three Bank staff members, SA Chair Morallina George recognized that Bank staff on mission often have to travel under hazardous conditions and, speaking on behalf of all Bank staff, was very glad that the three had managed to escape safe and sound. Speaking on behalf of her colleagues, Elena Correa thanked all her colleagues, the medical and security services and the Staff Association for their support. |
2002 | January 21 | International Conference on Reconstruction Assistance to Afghanistan, Tokyo | | President Wolfensohn and Bank staff traveled to Tokyo for the International Conference on Reconstruction Assistance to Afghanistan. Mr. Wolfensohn said that he would propose to the World Bank's shareholders $500 million in concessional assistance to Afghanistan over the next thirty months, with immediate action to provide an additional $50-70 million in grants. "It is imperative that the Afghan authorities and the international community show quick and tangible benefits to the Afghan people. The fight against poverty is central to long term peace and stability. The Afghan people need and deserve our immediate help." At the conference, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the United Nations Development Program presented a preliminary Needs Assessment for Afghanistan's Reconstruction. The Assessment calls for $5 billion from the international community for the first two and a half years, with an overall figure of $15 billion over 10 years. |
2002 | January 21 | Asian Development Bank and World Bank sign new agreement | | The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to broaden and deepen the range of cooperation between the two institutions. The agreement on Administrative Arrangements for Cooperation sets out the framework and processes that will lead to better coordination and division of labor among the institutions in providing assistance to the Asia-Pacific region. It emphasizes closer consultation on country assistance strategies, the elimination of duplication of efforts, the harmonization of operational procedures and processes, and the enhancement of efficiency and effectiveness at country and institutional levels. |
2002 | January 24 | Staff Association Participates in Bank Group's Annual Strategic Forum | | The Staff Association participated in the Bank Group's annual Strategic Forum, January 24-25th. As noted in Mr. Wolfensohn's message to staff the focus of the Forum was to take stock of progress over the last year and continue to move forward with implementation of the goals outlined in last year's Strategic Framework Paper. At the Forum, the SA participated in the strategic staffing break-out working group. During this session, which was chaired by Kathy Sierra, HRVP, the SA emphasized the need for strategic staffing to incorporate solutions for unresolved issues related, in particular, to ACS staff and diversity. The SA also emphasized that any discussion of strategic staffing should consider resolution of the past pension credit issue for former non-regular Headquarters and local staff. This issue affecting a large number of Bank Group staff remained a priority issue following the outcome of the First 2002 Delegate Assembly meeting. |
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2002 | January 28 | Meeting with Afghan Interim Administration Chairman Hamid Karzai | | Hamid Karzai, Chairman of the Interim Administration for Afghanistan, discussed the priorities for the reconstruction of his country with World Bank President James Wolfensohn. They agreed that a significant challenge for the interim authority would be the coordination of donor assistance in such a way that commitments and expenditures were transparent and aligned to Afghanistan's needs and its own vision for its future. Mr. Wolfensohn welcomed Mr. Karzai and offered the institution's commitment, first to listen to the plans and priorities as articulated by Afghans themselves, and then to assist in implementing the program which reflected this vision. |
2002 | February 7 | Multi-Country HIV/AIDS Program for Africa (MAP) | | The World Bank approved an additional $500 million for the second stage of its Multi-Country HIV/AIDS Program for Africa (MAP), bringing the amount of its no-interest HIV/AIDS lending to Africa through this program to $1 billion in the course of the current financial year. "Our goal is not merely to finance the fight against AIDS, but to build up the strength of the affected countries to cope with this and similar threats," says World Bank Global HIV/AIDS Advisor Debrework Zewdie. "Now that the Bank, donors, and the Global Fund are bringing real money to the table, the key challenge will be to implement programs quickly." |
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2002 | February 19 | United Way campaign | | World Bank staff contributed over $560,000 to the United Way campaign, a record high contribution. |
2002 | February 22 | Aid for the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) | | A two-day seminar on the seven low-income countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS 7) was held in London to take a first step in an Initiative to intensify reform efforts to address the poverty, growth and debt sustainability problems of the poorest countries of the former Soviet Union. The seminar was hosted by the United Kingdom government and jointly sponsored by the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Asian Development Bank, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Representatives of the CIS 7 (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan), creditor countries and international agencies participated. |
2002 | February 27 | Prototype Carbon Fund increases its capital | | The World Bank's Prototype Carbon Fund (PCF) expanded its carbon emissions reduction reach in developing countries by increasing its subscribed capital from $145 million to $180 million. This decision to expand PCF's capital was agreed to in a recent Participants Meeting. The decision will allow the current PCF shareholders of 17 companies and six governments to increase their headroom, allowing more projects to be done in the developing countries and transition economies. |
2002 | March 6 | Wolfensohn speaks at Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars | | In a speech at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, President Wolfensohn called on wealthy donor nations to double foreign aid over five years and tear down trade barriers that harm the world's poorest workers and rob them of markets for their products. "The horrifying events of September 11th have made this a time of reflection on how to make the world a better and safer place, and we will not create that world with bombs or brigades alone," Wolfensohn said. "We will not win the peace until we have the foresight, the courage, and the political will to redefine the war. Today we fight a different kind of war in a different kind of world. A world where violence does not stop at borders; a world where communications sheds welcome light on global inequities: Where what happens in one part of the world affects another. Inclusion, a sense of equity, empowerment, anti-corruption -- these must be our weapons of the future. Poverty is the war we must fight. I believe we have a greater chance today, than perhaps at any other time in the last 50 years, to win that war and forge that new partnership for peace." |
2002 | March 15 | James Adams appointed Vice President, OPCS | | James Adams was appointed Vice Present Operational Policy and Country Services (OPCS). He succeeded Joanne Salop. |
2002 | March 18 | Monterrey Conference on Financing for Development | | The World Bank, together with other international aid institutions, participated in the Monterrey Conference on Financing for Development. Mr. Wolfensohn noted that this was the first conference of its type ever convened by the international community. It followed the recent meeting on global trade held in Doha, and precede the international meeting on sustainable development held in Johannesburg in August 2002. Thus, Monterrey was an important link in the process and would influence the implementation of the development agenda in the years ahead. In a presentation on the conference, VP for External and UN Affairs, Mats Karlsson, said there was already a great deal of consensus around the Monterrey agenda: * the focus on poverty and the Millennium Development Goals; * the need for partnership between the developing countries (need for good governance) and the developed countries (resources); * a comprehensive approach to the finance agenda--public and private, trade, aid, and debt; and * the need for a systemic, pragmatic approach to issues. |
2002 | March 19 | Federal Republic of Yugoslavia joins MIGA | | The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has recently fulfilled the requirements to succeed to the rights and obligations of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) as a member of the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), as set out in the resolution approved by the Board of Directors of MIGA on March 25, 1993. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has consequently succeeded to the rights and obligations of the SFRY as a member of MIGA on March 19, 1993, the date of succession designated in the above mentioned resolution. Membership in MIGA now totals 155. The Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has requested Mr. Pietro Veglio, Director for Azerbaijan, Kyrgyz Republic, Poland, Switzerland, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, to represent its interests in MIGA until the next regular election of Directors to be held during the 2002 Annual Meetings. |
2002 | March 25 | World Bank report on the Palestinian Economic Crisis | | The World Bank released a report entitled "Fifteen Months – Intifada, Closures and Palestinian Economic Crisis" (the Assessment), which surveyed the economic impact of the current crisis and proposed a strategy for managing the Palestinian economy in 2002. The report demonstrated the tremendous damage that was done to the international donor effort to help bring peace to the Palestinian and Israeli peoples. But the report showed that this tragedy has not extinguished the donor community's belief in the possibility of peace, and donor financial support has virtually doubled during the intifada. |
2002 | April 4 | Joint UN World Bank statement on the West Bank and Gaza | | The UN and the World Bank issued a joint statement expressing concern over the recent escalation of violence in the West Bank and Gaza, warning that it could destroy the progress made to date. |
2002 | April 8 | Education For All Conference in Amsterdam | | Donor organizations met in Amsterdam to discuss means of accelerating the Education For All initiative. |
2002 | April 8 | Corporate Risk Management | | The functions of the Corporate Risk Management Committee were integrated into the Management Committee. |
2002 | April 16 | Gas Flaring Reduction Initiative | | The World Bank and its partners concluded two days of deliberations on efforts to reduce natural gas flaring. The Global Gas Flaring Reduction Initiative convened its first international conference in Oslo, Norway from April 15-16. The Initiative is led by the World Bank Group in collaboration with the Government of Norway. It was launched in Marrakech, Morocco in November, 2002 with the aim of supporting national governments and the petroleum industry in their efforts to reduce the flaring and venting of gas associated with the extraction of crude oil. |
2002 | April 20 | World Development Indicators 2002 released | | The World Bank released its 2002 World Development Indicators. The publication warned that much more needed to be done in order to reach the goals set by the UN Millennium Declaration. |
2002 | April 20 | 2002 Spring Meetings | | The 2002 Spring Meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund were held in Washington. The Action Plan following the Monterrey Conference was outlined to the Development Committee. |
2002 | April 30 | Question and Answer Document on IFC Reorganization Issued | | IFC Executive Vice President Peter Woicke issued a question and answer document on the ongoing IFC reorganization. |
2002 | May 12 | Visit to Pakistan | | President Wolfensohn traveled to Pakistan. During the trip, Wolfensohn toured development projects and met with government leaders, and communities involved in development work. Mr. Wolfensohn evaluated the impact of the Bank's work in Pakistan, and how its mission of poverty reduction was being implemented here. |
2002 | May 16 | Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund | | World Bank announced the launch of the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) to help meet Afghanistan's priority expenditures. A coordinated financing mechanism, the ARTF assists the Afghanistan Interim Administration to fund both physical reconstruction projects and running expenses such as salaries for civil servants including health workers, teachers, and police. |
2002 | May 18 | Visit to Mongolia | | President Wolfensohn traveled to Mongolia for a two day visit. He met with President N. Bagabandi, Prime Minister N. Enkhbayar, Minister of Finance and Economy Ch. Ulaan, and the Speaker of Parliament S. Tumur-Ochir in addition to private sector and civil society leaders, representatives of donor agencies, and project beneficiaries. "I am pleased that the World Bank has such a productive partnership with Mongolia," Mr. Wolfensohn said at the end of his two-day visit. "This constructive working relationship is critical for the Bank to assist Mongolia in tackling the medium-term reform issues, which, in addition to maintaining economic stability, are critical for poverty reduction and improving livelihoods." |
2002 | May 19 | Visit to East Timor | | President Wolfensohn traveled to East Timor. "I am pleased to be here because the World Bank has been with the people of East Timor from the moment the historic ballot for independence was declared in May 1999. We have helped manage the Trust Fund for East Timor which has supported so many projects of reconstruction and early nation-building, and we have done so from the start recognizing that we are guests and visitors here, that the Timorese themselves had to lead their own rebuilding process. They have done that, and they have managed not just the rebuilding, but the holding of elections and the writing of a constitution…If we continue to work together, we can and will overcome the daunting challenges of the future. The World Bank is ready to play its part." |
2002 | May 21 | Bank Anthrax Scare | | Further anthrax scare is reported at World Bank headquarters in Washington, and some staff were sent home or temporarily re-located until further tests could be completed. District of Columbia officials reacted strongly to the fact that they were not notified of the scare, saying that the Bank’s testing procedures were faulty, and caused unnecessary anxiety among the citizenry of Washington. |
2002 | May 22 | Visit to China | | President Wolfensohn traveled in China for eight days. He praised China for leading the world in reducing poverty, and promised strong and continued support in the years ahead. Mr. Wolfensohn said the progress since his last visit in 1995 was "impressive, and remarkable in many sectors," and a strong signal to the world that with the right policies and determined leadership, real inroads could be made in reducing poverty. His visit covered some of the poorest areas in the west and the wealthiest in the south and east. He met with senior leaders, including President Jiang Zemin, Premier Zhu Rongji, Vice-Premier Wen Jiabao, and Finance Minister Xiang Huicheng. He also met with local families, members of civil society, the private sector, international agencies, and local representatives of other governments. |
2002 | May 22 | Anthrax tests concluded | | After extensive testing, it was determined that no mail received by the Bank Group was contaminated by anthrax. Consequently the air conditioning was turned on in the J building, the building was cleaned, and staff who had been moved to other offices could return to their own offices. |
2002 | May 30 | Yukio Yukimoro appointed Vice President and Special Representative for Japan | | Mr. Yukio Yoshimura was appointed as Vice President and Special Representative, Japan. |
2002 | May 30 | World Cup soccer games | | Recognizing the importance of the World Cup to a significant number of staff in Washington, we have made arrangements so that all matches can be viewed in Bank cafeterias in the MC, H, I and J Buildings beginning Friday morning, May 31. Since many of the games are broadcast outside of general working hours, the cafeteria doors will remain open at all times. |
2002 | May 31 | Youth Conference in South Eastern Europe | | A three-day Youth Conference that brought together young people from eight countries in South Eastern Europe ended with a statement calling for the development and adoption of youth policies that will strengthen the participation, empowerment and social inclusion of youth in the region. The conference agreed that promoting the full development of the capacity of youth and responding to their needs is a sound investment and imperative for future stability. Delegates included representatives from civil society organizations, youth groups, government, international agencies, private sector foundations, academia, the Italian Government and the conference hosts (UNICEF and the World Bank). The countries represented were Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, including the UN Administered Province of Kosovo, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova and Romania. |
2002 | May 31 | Senior staff appointment | | The World Bank announced today the appointment of Yukio Yoshimura as the new Vice President and Special Representative, Japan. |
2002 | June 3 | Disability Advisor appointed | | Judith E. Heumann has been appointed as the World Bank’s first-ever Adviser, Disability and Development in the Human Development Network, President James D. Wolfensohn announced today. In her new position, Heumann, an internationally recognized expert on disability and diversity issues, will lead the World Bank's disability work and highlight its importance, include it in the Bank discussions with client countries, its country-based analytical work, and support for improving policies, programs, and projects that allow disabled people to live and work in the economic and social mainstream of their communities. |
2002 | June 11 | Chad Joins MIGA | | Chad becomes the 157th member of MIGA, following completion of the formal requirements for membership. |
2002 | June 11 | Youth Development in the Caribbean | | The World Bank urged Caribbean leaders, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and other multilateral institutions to work together to address the social problems of youth at the Caribbean Group for Cooperation in Economic Development (CGCED) meeting in Washington. "Youth engaged in risky behavior is not a ‘developing world phenomenon’ -youth-related crime, including drug peddling, prostitution and other risky behaviors, is an issue being confronted in both developing and developed countries," said Dr. Mamphela Ramphele, the World Bank’s Managing Director of Human Development. "The only difference is one of scale." Dr. Ramphele’s comments coincided with the release of a new Bank report, Youth Development in the Caribbean, which details the economic and social costs of risky adolescent behavior and the sources of negative and positive youth outcomes. The report warns that there are serious social and economic consequences if countries fail to address the minority group of youth who are at-risk of negative behaviors or are suffering the impact of their negative circumstances. |
2002 | June 13 | Education for All Fast Track | | The World Bank today invited 23 countries to join the Education For All Fast Track to help developing countries meet the Millennium Development Goal of providing every girl and boy with quality primary school education by 2015. 18 of the countries, from Sub-Saharan Africa, East and South Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East, are eligible to receive additional financing to support their primary education programs. By helping these countries to strengthen the quality and delivery of their education systems, and to remove key bottlenecks in school completion, some 17 million children, who do not now attend school in these countries, will have the opportunity to complete primary education. To qualify for financing under the Fast Track, countries must prioritize primary education and embrace policies that improve the quality and efficiency of their primary education systems. |
2002 | June 17 | Bujagali Project | | The Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank today approved Management’s response to a report by the institution’s independent Inspection Panel on power projects in Uganda, including the Bujagali Hydropower Project. During an extensive discussion, the Board commended the work of the Inspection Panel as well as Management’s prompt response. The Board approved specific actions by Management to address the Panel’s findings. Included were provisions for environmental issues and increased consultation with stakeholders, together with more vigorous monitoring of the projects. |
2002 | June 18 | Meeting with Colombia’s President-elect Uribe | | World Bank President James D. Wolfensohn, in his first meeting today with Colombia’s President-elect Alvaro Uribe, said he looks forward to "a productive relationship" between the Bank and Mr. Uribe’s forthcoming administration. Mr. Uribe will be inaugurated as President August 7. "The World Bank Group, including the International Finance Corporation, has had an excellent relationship with Colombia in recent years," Wolfensohn said. "We expect that to continue under President-elect Uribe and his team." |
2002 | June 19 | Restructuring of Financial Sector Vice Presidency Announced | | Restructuring of the Financial Sector Vice Presidency is announced. The Financial Sector Operations and Policy Department (OPD) was created, which consolidated three existing anchor departments. The new Department consisted of four business groups (Banking and Financial Restructuring; Contractual Savings and Insurance; Capital Markets; Technology, Financial Infrastructure and Access to Finance), which included both policy and operations staff, and a small "integrator" team dealing with cross-cutting issues. |
2002 | June 21 | All Operational Travel to India, Pakistan and Afghanistan Suspended | | World Bank Group suspends all operational travel to India, Pakistan and Afghanistan due to the tense international situation existing in the region. |
2002 | June 21 | Prototype Carbon Fund capital increase | | The Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs plus nine companies, including seven from Japan, Statoil from Norway, and Fortum from Finland jointly contributed US$35 million to the World Bank’s Prototype Carbon Fund (PCF). The increase was announced at the PCF annual meeting in Zakopane, Poland. This brings the total fund capital to $180 million, almost twice the amount originally projected, extending the PCF’s carbon emissions reduction reach in the developing world. The Prototype Carbon Fund, established with contributions from governments and the private sector, is the first attempt to experiment with the creation of a market in emissions reductions under the Kyoto Protocol’s "flexibility" provisions. It invests in cleaner technologies in developing countries and transition economies, thus reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. The primary focus is on renewable energy technologies – such as wind, small-hydro, and bio-mass energy technology – that would not be profitable without financial support from the PCF. |
2002 | June 24 | ABCDE Europe Conference held | | The fourth Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics in Europe, or ABCDE-Europe, was held in Oslo Norway, bringing together some of the world's leading development experts with policy makers and NGO representatives to exchange perspectives and research findings on poverty reduction. The ABCDE-Europe conference is a regular academic gathering. The three-day conference focused on five themes currently high on the international agenda: trade policy, development aid and the Millennium Development Goals, failed states, migration, and political economy of crisis and reform. The full program is available at the conference's web site: http://www.worldbank.org/abcde-europe |
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2002 | July 2 | IDA Replenishment | | IDA Donor countries reached agreement on a three year plan to fund the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) program, which provides assistance to 79 countries where the vast majority of people live on less than $2 a day. Approximately $23 billion in resources will be made available during the three years, of which about $13 billion will come from new contributions from 39 donor countries. This represents an 18% increase over levels in the previous replenishment. Sven Sandstrom, who chaired the IDA negotiations, called the agreement "an important step forward in addressing the goals highlighted at the recent development conference in Monterrey." He said that IDA "performs a critical role in balancing the responsibilities of poor countries for their own futures with support from donors and international institutions." |
2002 | July 11 | Visit to Africa | | World Bank Group President James D. Wolfensohn visited Africa from 12 to 17 July, 2002, on a three-nation tour to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Tanzania. The trip focused on post conflict rehabilitation and economic recovery and culminated in a meeting in Dar es Salaam of Ministers from nine African nations emerging from conflict. |
2002 | July 16 | Visit to Tanzania | | World Bank Group President, James D. Wolfensohn, met in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania with finance and economic ministers from nine African countries that have experienced conflict to discuss issues of economic recovery and reconstruction efforts. The meeting with the ministers from Angola, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Republic of Congo, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Uganda, followed visits to the DRC and Rwanda during which Mr. Wolfensohn focused on the emerging consensus in Africa on the need for concerted efforts for peace and economic development. President Wolfensohn discussed the particular needs of countries emerging from conflict, the imperative for countries to own and lead the recovery and reconstruction process, and the Bank Group’s strategy for helping these countries quickly put in place the basic structures needed in rebuilding their economies. |
2002 | July 24 | IBRD, IDA, MIGA Articles of Agreement and ICSID Convention Signed by Democratic Republic of East Timor | | IBRD, IDA, MIGA Articles of Agreement and the ICSID Convention are signed by the Democratic Republic of East Timor, becoming the 184th member of IBRD, 163rd member of IDA, 158th member of MIGA, and the 151st signatory to the ICSID Convention |
2002 | July 24 | Visit by Sri Lanka Prime Minister Wickremesinghe | | Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and World Bank President James D. Wolfensohn met to discuss ways in which the development institution could assist Sri Lanka’s post-conflict reconstruction and economic reform as it moved forward to secure peace following nearly 20 years of conflict. "The World Bank is really hopeful that all Sri Lanka’s nearly 20 million citizens will find accommodation on the path to peace that is being pursued now," said Mr. Wolfensohn. "For our part, we can help Sri Lanka give shape to peace by helping it to rebuild what has been destroyed and, even more importantly, by helping it to establish an economic reform process which gives opportunity to all Sri Lankans, and hope that their lives will indeed be better." |
2002 | August 1 | Kohler and Wolfensohn make joint statement on food aid and financial support to Southern Africa | | International Monetary Fund Managing Director Horst Köhler and World Bank Group President James D. Wolfensohn urged donor nations to commit critically needed food aid and financial support to Southern Africa, and underlined their "grave concern" about the food crisis in the region. "The unfolding food crisis in southern Africa is of grave concern," they stated in a joint letter to the Executive Boards of the IMF and World Bank. "Although the disturbing situation earlier this year has been eased by the new harvest, conditions are expected to deteriorate rapidly over the next few months. Up to 13 million people are likely to require sustained food assistance." Their joint letter was issued as an appeal to the 24-member Boards of the IMF and World Bank for support in urging member countries of the institutions to deepen commitments to the United Nations’ appeal for humanitarian relief for Southern Africa. |
2002 | August 7 | Global Environment Facility (GEF) replenishment | | Thirty-two governments from developed and developing countries reached consensus today in Washington on a US$2.92 billion replenishment of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to fund its operations over the next four years, 2002 – 2006. The 32 donors agreed on this substantial replenishment in order to continue financing existing focal areas – biodiversity; climate change; international waters; and replacing ozone depleting chemicals -- while providing additional support for the new mandate of the GEF with regard to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and desertification. |
2002 | August 20 | 2002 Annual Meetings venue changed | | In light of security considerations, the U.S. authorities have determined that it will be necessary to hold the Annual Meetings and related events in the perimeter of the IMF and World Bank headquarters instead of the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel. |
2002 | August 21 | World Development Report 2002 | | The 2002 World Development Report was issued, warning that environmental problems and social unrest threaten international poverty reduction goals. |
2002 | August 29 | World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg, South Africa | | The World Bank issued a statement outlining the relationship between poverty and sustainable development. |
2002 | August 30 | Global Village Energy Partnership | | The World Bank joined with governments and multilateral institutions to launch the Global Village Energy Partnership, a program which aims to double the number of people who gain access each year to lighting, heating, mechanical energy and electrical power. The partnership aims to reduce poverty in rural and semi-urban areas by linking 400 million people to electricity and cleaner fuels over a period of 10 years, and to provide 50,000 communities with power for productive uses, more modern schools, telecommunications, hospitals and clinics. |
2002 | September 2 | Community Development Carbon Fund | | The World Bank and the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) joined forces to collaborate on a new Community Development Carbon Fund (CDCF) initiative. The US$100 million fund will provide finance for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, to small-scale projects in small developing countries and rural areas of all developing countries. The new fund was launched by the World Bank at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. This initiative is the first to exclusively target small-scale projects and local communities in the developing world through the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol. |
2002 | September 3 | Water and Coastal Resource Management Partnership between World Bank and Australia | | Johannesburg, 3 September 2002--At the World Summit on Sustainable Development, Australia’s Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Dr David Kemp, announced today an initial contribution of $500,000 to the Water and Coastal Resource Management Partnership with the World Bank. Australia and the World Bank joined forces to address water and coastal resource management issues, from source to sea, in the Asia Pacific and Africa. |
2002 | September 10 | First IBRD Adjustment loan with Deferred Draw down Option (DDO) | | The Board of Executive Directors of the IBRD approved the first adjustment loan with a deferred draw down option (DDO), a USD 20.2 million Second Programmatic Structural Adjustment Loan (PSAL II) for the Republic of Latvia. With PSAL II support, the Latvian Government will deepen its reform program to sustain a growth-oriented macroeconomic framework; strengthen the credibility of the public sector; improve institutional capacity to deliver public services; and build a transparent relationship with the private sector. The DDO will give the Republic of Latvia the option, over a period of three years, of drawing down the loan proceeds only if needed, provided that overall program implementation remains on track. If the loan is not disbursed, the only charge is a commitment fee of 0.50%, net of waivers, per annum. The DDO became available for IBRD borrowers in May 2002. Its introduction was one of the recommendations contained in the Report of the Task Force on the World Bank Group (WBG) and the Middle Income Countries, on ways in which the WBG could tailor its products to provide more effective support to IBRD middle-income country members. |
2002 | September 11 | Knowledge and Development Forum for the Middle East and North Africa | | The City of Marseille, the World Bank Group and the Institut de la Méditerranée launched an annual conference series on knowledge and development in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Opening the first Knowledge for Development Forum in Marseille, World Bank Vice President Jean-Louis Sarbib said, "This conference is the first in a series that should help countries in the region and those on the northern shores of the Mediterranean think together about how to take advantage of the benefits of the knowledge-based knowledge economy while avoiding the pitfalls of globalization." Attended by nearly 150 participants from 20 countries, the Forum brought together government officials, academics, technical experts, and civil society and private sector representatives working to harness the region’s human and social capital and steer economies in the region in the direction of high value-added productive activities that could serve as an engine for economic and social development. |
2002 | September 11 | September 11 memorial service | | World Bank Headquarters held a memorial service in commemoration of the September 11, 2001 tragedies. |
2002 | September 12 | Chad Cameroon Pipeline project | | The Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank approved Management's response to a report by the institution's independent Inspection Panelon three projects in support of the Chad Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project. During its discussion, the Board commended the work of the Inspection Panel as well as Management's action plan, and voiced strong support for the project and its focus on poverty reduction. |
2002 | September 13 | President Wolfensohn meets with Peruvian President Toledo | | World Bank President James D. Wolfensohn today met with a high-level Peruvian delegation led by President Alejandro Toledo, and signed a loan agreement for $50 million to improve water supply and sanitation facilities in rural regions of Peru. "It is a pleasure to welcome President Toledo to the Bank and to sign a loan that will deliver drinking water to over a million people, including many indigenous communities, who don’t currently have access," said Mr. Wolfensohn. "It is an example of the commitment to fight poverty that the World Bank shares with the government of President Toledo." |
2002 | September 23 | 2002 Annual Report issued | | The World Bank issued its 2002 Annual Report. |
2002 | September 23 | OED 30th Anniversary event | | OED sponsored a series of events to celebrate the 30th year of its existence. Interviews with former DGOs were conducted, as well as panel discussions and a keynote speech by Robert Picciotto. |
2002 | September 27 | World Bank and World Trade Organization provide funds for standards | | The World Bank and the World Trade Organization are establishing a new fund, called the Standards and Trade Development Facility, as part of their efforts to link aid to trade opportunities in the fight against poverty. The fund - in cooperation with other organizations - will provide a stimulus to important new projects for developing countries in this critical area, helping them shape and implement international standards on food safety, and plant and animal health. The goal is to provide grants and financial support for technical assistance projects in developing countries through enhanced collaboration between the international organizations involved. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) are expected to join the Bank and the WTO in the facility. Also expected to participate are the Codex Alimentarius (the food safety standards-setting organization run jointly by the FAO and WHO), and the Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention at the FAO. |
2002 | September 27 | 2002 Annual Meetings | | The World Bank and IMF Annual Meetings open in Washington amidst protests by anti-globalization groups and other protest movements. Bank staff not involved in the Meetings are requested to not come to the Bank to avoid protests. |
2002 | September 27 | Rwanda joins MIGA | | Rwanda became the 159th member of the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) following completion of the formal requirements for membership. Mr. Bassary Toure, Director on the MIGA Board for Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Senegal and Togo, represents Rwanda's interests in MIGA. |
2002 | September 27 | Singapore joins IDA | | Singapore became the 164th member of the International Development Association (IDA) following completion of the formal requirements for membership. Mr. Abdul Aziz Mohd. Yaacob, Executive Director on the IDA Board for Fiji, Indonesia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Tonga and Vietnam, represents Singapore's interests in IDA. |
2002 | September 29 | 2002 Annual Meetings address | | World Bank President James D. Wolfensohn said today that the international community must deliver on the commitments made during recent world summits to meet the Millennium Development Goal of halving global poverty by 2015. "Together, we have set 2015 as the deadline for our results," said Wolfensohn. "We must now, together, move beyond words and set deadlines for our actions. We have said we are mutually accountable. It is time to deliver." Wolfensohn pointed to the need for urgent action on education, AIDS and clean water "as the first test of our commitment to partnering for results." In his address to the 2002 World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings, Wolfensohn called on rich countries to improve donor coordination, untie aid, and agree a "fixed timetable" for the elimination of agricultural subsidies. "We know that there is so much that can be done by rich countries without waiting for Doha. I urge you to act sooner." Wolfensohn called on all partners in the development business to pay special attention to inclusion, participation and empowerment. |
2002 | September 30 | Republic of Korea contributes to HIPC trust fund | | The government of the Republic of Korea announced that it will contribute US$10 million to the Trust Fund for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC). This contribution, which joins other recent contributions, is an important step forward in a concerted international effort to mobilize resources needed to assist multilateral creditors with the implementation of the HIPC Initiative. "I am pleased to learn about this important contribution" said World Bank President James D. Wolfensohn. "This effort, in addition to recent announcements by other countries, demonstrates the continuing support and commitment by the international community to help deliver debt relief to the world's poorest, most heavily indebted countries. It is another critical building block toward current efforts underway to replenish the HIPC Trust Fund and to achieve full financing of the enhanced HIPC Initiative." |
2002 | October 3 | World Bank debars firms and one individual due to fraudulent or corrupt practices. | | The World Bank announced that it has debarred one firm and one individual for a period of five years and issued a letter of reprimand to a second firm. The sanctions arose out of the findings of a Bank investigation of the Paraguay Maternal Health and Child Development Project. |
2002 | October 7 | Washington sniper attacks | | Bank staff who needed to fetch their children from schools in the wake of the beginning of the Washington sniper attacks were allowed to leave early. |
2002 | October 13 | World Bank guarantee for Argentine bonds is called | | The World Bank (IBRD) confirmed that it had received notification from the fiscal agent for the Series D Zero Coupon Notes of Argentina due October 15, 2002 that the World Bank guarantee on the Notes had been called. The World Bank will make payment on the guarantee on Tuesday, October 15, 2002, and has provided payment instructions to that effect. |
2002 | October 14 | President Wolfensohn meets with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak | | Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and World Bank Group President James D. Wolfensohn met to discuss development challenges and opportunities facing Egypt, and ways in which the World Bank Group can assist. They re-affirmed the need to fight poverty and to design and implement reforms that will increase exports, improve the business and investment climate, help attract foreign investments, and enhance social safety nets that protect vulnerable groups. "In Egypt as in the rest of the world, there is broad consensus on what needs to be done. The challenge is to act and to act now," said World Bank President James D. Wolfensohn today, speaking at a press conference at the end of his four-day visit to Egypt. |
2002 | October 15 | Gregory Ingram appointed head of Operations Evaluation Department | | The Executive Directors of the World Bank Group appointed Gregory Ingram as Director-General, Operations Evaluation (DGO). Ingram, who will serve a two-year term effective immediately, succeeds Robert Picciotto whose retirement was announced previously. |
2002 | October 18 | World Bank website in Mexico is opened | | The World Bank’s Mexico office today unveiled a new Spanish-language website, www.bancomundial.org.mx, featuring the institution’s new Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) for Mexico, as part of implementation of the Bank’s revised disclosure policy. "Consistent with Mexico’s push towards greater transparency and the World Bank’s recently revised disclosure policy, we are pleased to present the entire text of our Country Assistance Strategy for Mexico—online and in Spanish," said Olivier Lafourcade, Director of the World Bank’s program in Mexico. "The Government of Mexico’s request that the Bank disclose this document is clear evidence of its commitment to openness." |
2002 | October 21 | Cooperation with indigenous peoples | | Fifteen representatives of indigenous peoples from various regions of the world and World Bank management agreed to strengthen dialogue on key development policies aimed at incorporating indigenous peoples’ views into programs and projects. During a two-day roundtable held at World Bank headquarters, representatives of indigenous peoples and World Bank management discussed the draft Operational Policy on Indigenous Peoples (OP 4.10) in an effort to improve the document before it is presented to the Bank’s Board of Executive Directors. The participants of the roundtable, including observers from specialized NGOs and other international organizations, exchanged ideas on the creation of a venue for dialogue on issues relevant to indigenous peoples, such as the control of natural resources, land and territory, previously informed consent and resettlement. |
2002 | October 30 | Joint website to exchange country information | | Twenty-four multilateral and bilateral donor agencies launched a joint website to share information on country analytic work, the World Bank announced. The new joint website will help improve development impact and cost-effectiveness. The Country Analytic Work (CAW) Partnership Website http://www.countryanalyticwork.net/ allows donor agencies to share analysis, good practices and advice to strengthen policy dialogue, develop and implement country strategies, and carry out sound lending operations. The website will help donor institutions and their clients use development resources more efficiently, avoid duplication, and build capacity. It will also provide information on development challenges in a particular country or region. |
2002 | October 31 | New Forestry policy approved | | The Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank unanimously approved a new forest policy and strategy aimed at increasing the livelihoods of some 500 million people living in extreme poverty, who depend on forests, while improving the environmental protection of forests in the developing world. Bank Management and Board members emphasized the crucial importance of achieving a balance between environmental protection, and efforts to help poor people manage resources. The Executive Directors commended the policy for moving strongly in this direction. |
2002 | November 1 | Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala appointed Vice President and Corporate Secretary | | Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was appointed Vice President and Corporate Secretary, succeeding Cheikh Fall. |
2002 | November 5 | BioCarbon Fund launched | | The World Bank launched a new carbon fund to create opportunity for the poorest farmers and rural communities all over the developing world. The US$100 million BioCarbon Fund, a public/private partnership, is to provide finance for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Farmers and rural communities will find new value in their agricultural lands and forests as they earn income from sequestering or conserving carbon. |
2002 | November 18 | New strategy for agriculture and rural development | | Increasing support to agriculture and rural development, with a specific focus on improving the lives of the rural poor, forms the core of the World Bank’s rural development strategy, endorsed recently by the Board of Executive Directors. The new strategy, Reaching the Rural Poor, comes after broad external consultations with government officials, civil society organizations, academics, the business community, and donor agencies. The new strategy will guide the World Bank’s future rural lending operations. Bank lending for agriculture for the 2003 and 2004 fiscal years is projected to rise by 20 percent yearly under the new strategy, marking a net increase of about $400 million. |
2002 | November 19 | Agricultural subsidies criticized | | Recent decisions to delay the reform of Europe’s Common Agricultural Policy and to increase agricultural subsidies in the U.S. are egregious examples of rich countries opting to underwrite the status quo rather than using their wealth to support growth and facilitate development, according to World Bank Chief Economist Nicholas Stern. "It is hypocritical to preach the advantages of trade and markets and then erect obstacles in precisely those markets in which developing countries have a comparative advantage," Stern said. "That hypocrisy does not go unnoticed in developing countries. The recent Farm Bill in the United States and the recent agreement in Europe to delay the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy are deeply damaging." |
2002 | November 21 | World AIDS |
