September 22, 2005 — Results must be delivered for every dollar of assistance to the developing countries, World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz said today. Wolfowitz’s comments were made at a media conference marking the annual meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund this weekend. In his opening statement, Wolfowitz said the world was now at an important moment in history to eradicate poverty and create opportunity. Developing countries had recently made some impressive commitments to deliver better performance, while developed nations had made similarly impressive commitments to deliver more aid - at the G8 meeting in Gleneagles and also at the World Summit in New York. “It’s been a year of momentum – with the potential I think to be a turning point,” Wolfowitz said. “Our task now is to translate the promises and plans into actions and results – for the world’s poor, and not only in the poorest countries but also in some of the successful developing countries,” he said. Wolfowitz said it was now time for everyone to stand accountable and deliver. “There’s an enormous responsibility on the entire development community, including the World Bank Group to help deliver those results and it starts with measuring and evaluating what we are doing,” Wolfowitz said. He said the Millennium Development Goals - the internationally endorsed targets to improve health, education and living standards in developing nations by the year 2015- made an important contribution. “They give us at least one set of benchmarks of accountability – helping us see where we are succeeding as well as where we need to lift our game and improve performance.” Africa Plan For Results Wolfowitz told the media conference the Bank was demonstrating its focus on results with its new action plan for Africa, “one of the regions where we most need to succeed.” He said sub-Saharan Africa had slipped backwards, was the region where roughly half of the 600 million people live on less than a dollar a day, in “not just poverty but extreme poverty.” Wolfowitz said the Development Committee – the senior policy governing body of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund – was placing a special emphasis on Africa at its meeting this weekend. To support their discussions, Wolfowitz said the Bank had prepared an action plan for Africa aimed at using, as effectively as possibly, the resources available for development in Africa over the next three years. “What is different about this plan is that it focuses on impact and measurable results, with more than 20 concrete actions,” he said. Wolfowitz said while the plan emphasized broad issues such as growth and the role of the private sector, it also spelled out specifics such as support for free primary school education, funding for infrastructure, tackling diseases like malaria and HIV/AIDS and doing more to help women, too often ignored by development planners. Debt Relief The World Bank president said he hoped for further progress during the weekend’s round of meeting on debt relief for the world’s poorest countries. “We will be working to advance the debt relief agreement reached by the G8 to ensure that real additional resources flow to the countries most in need, as promised, and so that countries as a whole benefit from this deal. “We have been working with all parties to move this forward. We are committed to getting it done and we expect real progress at these meetings.” In response to questions from the media, Wolfowitz said he wanted the deal on debt relief to deliver not only a cancellation of debt for countries most in need, but also to ensure the viability of IDA – the International Development Association, the Bank’s arm which gives grants and concessional loans to the world’s poorest countries. “We have to get a consensus that debt cancellation doesn’t come at IDA’s expense or at the expense of other countries. “I think if we get debt burdens removed and keep IDA viable, then I think it’s a winner of a deal.” Wolfowitz said preserving the integrity of IDA would ensure that developing countries as a whole benefited from the deal. “We will continue working to ensure that aid reaches the people who so desperately need it. We also will be measuring and evaluating progress and encouraging more effective coordination among donors because development is a team sport. People have to play all positions on the field.” Trade Talks Wolfowitz said the Development Committee would also focus on trade – looking ahead to the pivotal Doha Round of trade talks in Hong Kong in December. “Trade barriers are one of the biggest obstacles to reducing poverty and creating opportunities for the poor, so removing the barriers and subsides that hurt small farmers and small businesses is an urgent priority to development,” he said “Trade is at least as important as aid, because it offers the chance for sustainable shared growth – and so it is no exaggeration to say that the future of millions of poor people around the world depends on achieving real results in the trade negotiations.” Agenda Issues Wolfowitz told the media conference fighting corruption was also a vital issue. “Because for every bribe taker in a developing country there is a bribe giver – often from a developed country – who needs to be held to account. “The bottom line is that – now – we’re hearing talk and seeing real action on combating corruption.” He said other issues on the agenda included not only debt relief and trade, but also health, education, infrastructure, agriculture and women’s empowerment. Later today, Wolfowitz will join former United States president, Bill Clinton, at a meeting on tsunami reconstruction. The global consortium meeting is designed to review progress on helping people and countries devastated by last December’s tsunami in Asia. Wolfowitz said there was a great challenge to be faced in deliver results not only for people affected by the tsunami, but also for the many people around the globe who’d pledged funds to help those in need. |
RSS