Brazil

Development Committee calls for “robust” replenishment of IDA, the World Bank’s Fund for the PoorestWASHINGTON, April 20, 2013 – The Development Committee on Saturday endorsed the World Bank Group’s goal... Show More + to end extreme poverty within a generation as “ambitious”, saying that this endeavor by the Bank was a “historic opportunity” to make a difference. The Committee equally confirmed the Group’s vision to promote shared prosperity and added these goals must be achieved without jeopardizing the environment, magnifying economic debt or excluding vulnerable people.World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim, who pushed this twin-pronged approach in his speech two weeks ago, welcomed the Committee’s support.“I have no doubt that the world can end extreme poverty within a generation. But it’s not a given and we cannot do it alone. It requires focus, innovation and commitments from everyone. This endorsement is an important step. If we succeed, together, we would have accomplished an historic miles Show Less -

Heads of UN and World Bank name team to mobilize action toward universal energy access, doubling of renewables and doubling of energy efficiency ratesNew York and Washington, April 19, 2013 – United Nations... Show More + Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim today announced the members of the Advisory Board for the Sustainable Energy for All Initiative, kicking off a major new phase of activity for this global public-private partnership.The Advisory Board of the Sustainable Energy for All initiative includes distinguished global leaders in business, finance, governments, and civil society. The launch of the Board, co-chaired by the Secretary-General and the President of the World Bank, marks the first time the two leaders have jointly led such an effort, underscoring the emphasis each institution places on providing sustainable energy for all.“Sustainable energy is the golden thread that connects economic growth, social equity, and a stable climate and healthy env Show Less -

WASHINGTON, April 17, 2013 – Urbanization helps pull people out of poverty and advances progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), but, if not managed well, can also lead to burgeoning growth... Show More + of slums, pollution, and crime, says the Global Monitoring Report (GMR) 2013, released today by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF). Urbanization has been a major force behind poverty reduction and progress towards other MDGs. With over 80 percent of global goods and services produced in cities, countries with relatively higher levels of urbanization, such as China, and many others in East Asia and Latin America, have played a major role in lowering extreme poverty[1] worldwide. In contrast, the two least urbanized regions, South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, have significantly higher rates of poverty and continue to lag behind on most MDGs.GMR 2013: Rural-Urban Dynamics and the Millennium Development Goals starkly compares the well-being in the countryside versus th Show Less -

WASHINGTON, April 17, 2013—The number of people living on less than $1.25 per day has decreased dramatically in the past three decades, from half the citizens in the developing world in 1981 to 21 percent... Show More + in 2010, despite a 59 percent increase in the developing world population. However, a new analysis of extreme poverty released today by the World Bank shows that there are still 1.2 billion people living in extreme poverty, and despite recent impressive progress, Sub-Saharan Africa still accounts for more than one-third of the world’s extreme poor.“We have made remarkable progress in reducing the number of people living under $1.25 a day in the developing world, but the fact that there are still 1.2 billion people in extreme poverty is a stain on our collective conscience,” said World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim. “This figure should serve as a rallying cry to the international community to take the fight against poverty to the next level. Our analysis and our advice can help gui Show Less -

Overweight and obesity continues to be a global epidemic even in times of high food pricesWASHINGTON, March 27, 2013 - Global food prices continued to decline for six consecutive months, but still remain... Show More + very high and close to their historical peaks. The persistently high and volatile food prices not only influence conditions of hunger and undernutrition, but also obesity which may increase in the context of high prices as people opt for cheaper, less nutritious food to feed their families, the World Bank Group’s quarterly Food Price Watch report said.“Unhealthy food tends to be cheaper than healthy ones, like junk food in developed countries. When poor people with some disposable income in developing countries try to cope with high and increasingly volatile food prices, they also tend to choose cheap food that is high in calories but without much nutritious value,” said Otaviano Canuto, World Bank Group’s Vice President for Poverty Reduction and Economic Management. “Half of the world Show Less -

First visit to region’s powerhouse includes high level meetings, visit to projects in Bahia and Rio de Janeiro and launch of knowledge and innovation initiativeWASHINGTON, February 28, 2013 – World Bank... Show More + Group (WBG) President Jim Yong Kim will visit Brazil from March 4 to 6 aiming to broaden the Group’s strategic partnership with Brazil in the context of the country’s growing role in global development.President Kim is scheduled to meet with President Dilma Rousseff, Finance Minister Guido Mantega, BNDES (Brazil’s Development Bank) President Luciano Coutinho and to visit projects in Rio de Janeiro and Bahia, where he’s also scheduled to meet with local authorities. This will be the first official meeting between the Bank's leader, who took office in July 2012, and President Rousseff.“I am impressed by the economic and social progress achieved by Brazil in the last decade. Brazil has been at the forefront in combining sound economic policies with opportunities for the most vulnerable and Show Less -

WASHINGTON, 15 Ocak 2013 – Dünya Bankası’nın yeni açıkladığı Küresel Ekonomik Beklentiler (GEP) raporuna göre, küresel mali krizin başlangıcından bu yana dört yıl geçmesine rağmen, dünya ekonomisi hâlâ... Show More + kırılganlığını koruyor ve yüksek gelirli ülkelerdeki büyüme zayıf seyrediyor. Gelişmekte olan ülkelerin bir yandan Euro bölgesindeki ve ABD’deki mali politika riskleri ile baş etmeye yönelik önlemleri güçlendirirken, diğer yandan ekonomilerinin büyüme potansiyellerini yükseltme üzerinde odaklanmaları gerekiyor. Dünya Bankası Grubu Başkanı Jim Yong Kim  konu ile ilgili olarak şunları söylüyor: "Ekonomik toparlanma kırılganlığını ve belirsizliğini koruyor ve bu durum hızlı iyileşme ve daha sağlam ekonomik büyümeye dönüş beklentisini gölgeliyor. Gelişmekte olan ülkeler şu ana kadar önemli ölçüde bir dayanıklılık sergilediler. Ancak yüksek gelirli ülkelerin tekrar büyümeye dönüşlerini bekleyemeyiz, dolayısıyla gelişmekte olan ülkelerin altyapı, sağlık ve eğitim alanlarındaki yatırı Show Less -

New Publication Has Data on Capital Flows through 2011WASHINGTON, December 20, 2012 – Net external debt inflows and aggregate net capital inflows (debt and equity) to developing countries fell in... Show More + 2011, driven by a sharp contraction in net inflows from official creditors and a collapse of portfolio equity flows, according to International Debt Statistics 2013, released today.  The downturn was partially offset by inflows from commercial banks, sustained access to international bond markets and a rise in foreign direct investment. “These international debt statistics are a vital input for experts working to improve the management of capital flows around the world and having the data open to all is a welcome development,” says Ibrahim Levent, Senior Information Officer in the Bank’s Data Group and part of the team that produced the report.International Debt Statistics 2013 contains comprehensive data from developing as well as high-income countries. Following are Show Less -

GENEVA, February 24, 2012 – Developing countries must do more to create transparent, accountable business conditions if they are to raise the capital needed to finance critical infrastructure.  This... Show More + was a key theme underscored at PPP Days 2012, the premier global meeting for senior policy makers on Public Private Partnerships (PPPs)."PPPs are facing new and greater challenges due to the global financial crisis, increased regulation and because some banks are reluctant to provide funding, particularly long-dated debt.  Multilateral development banks can play a pivotal role by helping governments find the right PPP structure and mobilize commercial finance," said Philip Erquiaga, Director General of the Asian Development Bank (ADB)’s Private Sector Operations Department.Andrey Vasilyev, Officer-in-Charge of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, highlighted the role that PPPs can play in assisting countries to meet the Millennium Development Goals through Show Less -

New Studies Show Potential Impact of Programs for Sex Workers, People Who Inject Drugs, and Men Who Have Sex with MenWASHINGTON, November 28, 2012 – As the world prepares to commemorate World AIDS Day... Show More + on December 1, two new World Bank studies urge governments and their development partners to provide better prevention, care, and treatment services for sex workers and people who inject drugs as an important step toward ensuring a world free of AIDS.The studies are the second and third in a three-part series on key populations at higher risk in low- and middle-income countries. In June 2011, the World Bank and partners launched the first study, which focused on men who have sex with men.“In many countries, sex workers, people who inject drugs, and men who have sex with men remain marginalized in society and vulnerable to HIV,” said David Wilson, World Bank Global AIDS Program Director. “Even in countries with epidemics in the general population, these groups are disproportionately affect Show Less -