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 initiative
WASHINGTON, February 28, 2013 – World Bank 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 millions have benefited," said World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim. "At the same time, as we share Brazil's achievements with the world, we are also proud to work with them in overcoming its ongoing challenges in education, health, and shared prosperity."
In the last decade, Brazil has raised more than 20 million people out of poverty and laid strong economic foundations for growth and crisis resilience. The WBG has contributed in these efforts and Brazil is a key strategic partner.
In his first stop, in Salvador, Bahia, on March 4th, Kim will visit the Urban Upgrading Project Dias Melhores, located in the São Bartolomeu Community, and the Hospital do Subúrbio, supported by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the WBG. He will also meet State Governor Jaques Wagner.
In Brasília, on March 5th, along with Brazilian authorities and the United Nations, Kim will launch the Knowledge and Innovation Initiative to eradicate extreme poverty and share prosperity. He will also attend the First Short Documentary Contest on Domestic Violence Law (Lei Maria da Penha) Award Ceremony, to be held in Congress with the presence of ministers, government authorities and representatives from civil society.
Closing his visit in Rio de Janeiro on March 6, President Kim will visit a community supported by one of the Bank’s projects, and the Municipal Control Disaster Risk Management Center. He will have meetings with mayor Eduardo Paes and Governor Sergio Cabral to discuss the partnership and the ongoing projects in the Municipality and the State. He will also meet with BNDES President, Luciano Coutinho.
Brazil is one of the largest IBRD (the WBGs public sector arm for middle income countries) client, with a total of US$54.8 billion in cumulative loans (January 2013) and averaging about US$3.3 billion per year in new commitments during the last three fiscal years. Currently, the Bank supports more than 60 projects in the country in all governmental levels.
IFC has been engaged for over 50 years in Brazil providing financing and advisory services, supporting inclusion and innovation. IFC’s committed investment portfolio in Brazil is $3.7 billion in 96 projects.
