DHAKA, September 21, 2015 —World Bank Vice President for the South Asia Region, Annette Dixon pledged strong support for the development of Bangladesh as she today concluded her second visit to the country in her current role.
Dixon praised Bangladesh’s progress in poverty reduction and economic development during her visit. “The World Bank will continue to support Bangladesh in areas necessary to move up within middle income country status. Bangladesh will need sustained reform efforts for further advancement,” said Dixon. The World Bank classified Bangladesh as a lower-middle country earlier this year.
Dixon visited Bangladesh at a time when the World Bank is preparing its Country Partnership Framework, which will guide the World Bank’s engagement in Bangladesh. The framework is aligned with the government’s 7th five-year plan and follows the same planning cycle. Dixon met with senior government officials, including the Finance Minister and the Governor of Bangladesh Bank, and discussed the World Bank's Country Partnership Framework for Bangladesh for fiscal years 2016-20. She also met with civil society leaders.
“The World Bank will help Bangladesh address its priorities, including creating more and better jobs, a key driver for growth and shared prosperity. World Bank support will continue to improve power and transportation, manage urbanization, improve health and education outcomes, and mitigate climate change impacts ,” said Dixon as she concluded her second visit to Bangladesh since her appointment as a World Bank Vice President in December 2014.
The World Bank is the largest development partner of Bangladesh. The current support of the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank’s concessional lending arm, consists of 36 projects, with a total commitment of around $8.3 billion.
