Contacts: Damian Milverton (202) 473-6735 Dmilverton@worldbank.org Ana E. Luna (202) 473-2907 alunabarros@worldbank.org WASHINGTON, June 7, 2005—World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz will visit Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Rwanda, and South Africa June 12th-18th to hear from African leaders and local communities how the continent can make greater strides in reducing the poverty that afflicts hundreds of millions of its people. In taking office as the tenth President of the World Bank June 1st, Wolfowitz declared that the Bank and the international development community must make Africa their first priority if it is to become a “continent of hope.” “Leaving people behind in this world is a formula for failure – for us all,” the World Bank President said in announcing his plans to visit Africa this month. “A clear message from modern history is that this is a small world, and that both the benefits of progress, and the pain of despair, can be felt globally. “I have watched East Asia – my home for several years – and parts of Eastern Europe – make strides that many of us never thought we would see, but Africa has continued to struggle. Believing that Africa’s plight has no effect on the rest of the world is not only naïve, it’s morally wrong,” Wolfowitz said. During his visit, Wolfowitz will meet with heads of state, community leaders, civil society organizations, women’s groups and, in particular, with the people of villages and towns where the Bank and its development partners are working with them on a range of projects. “No single trip could ever hope to encompass all the challenges facing the people of the countries I will be visiting, but I plan to return many times in coming years and I am eager to get started. I feel African leaders are talking in a very different way – on critical issues like corruption and inclusion – to what was said ten years ago, and that is why I believe we face an historic opportunity to help,” Wolfowitz said. World leaders will be gathering several times before the end of 2005 – such as at the Group of Eight Summit in July and the United Nations Summit in September – to discuss the urgent need for progress in reducing poverty worldwide, and Wolfowitz said his discussions in Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Rwanda, and South Africa will directly inform his participation at these critical meetings. For more information, please visit the following web sites: http://www.worldbank.org President’s web site: http://www.worldbank.org/president Africaregion:http://www.worldbank.org/afr Nigeria:http://www.worldbank.org/ng Burkina Faso:http://www.worldbank.org/bf Rwanda: http://www.worldbank.org/rw South Africa: http://www.worldbank.org/southafrica # # # |
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