JAKARTA, February 8, 2012 – Pamela Cox, the World Bank’s newly appointed Vice President for East Asia and the Pacific has concluded a visit to Indonesia by commending the country’s resilient economic growth and ongoing commitment to institutional reforms.
“In a time of global uncertainty, Indonesia’s resilient growth makes it one of the bright spots in the world. Its return to investment grade will hopefully encourage much-needed investment in infrastructure, leading to more jobs and growth that is inclusive and benefits more Indonesians. The World Bank looks forward to working with Indonesia in addressing its development challenges,” says Pamela Cox.
During her two-day visit, Ms. Cox held bilateral meetings with Vice President Boediono, Finance Minister Agus Martowardojo, State Minister for National Development Planning, Armida Alisjahbana and Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, Head of the President’s Delivery Unit for Development Monitoring and Oversight. She also had the opportunity to learn more about Indonesia’s development challenges and goals through interactions with a number of opinion-makers representing academia, media and the private sector.
“The World Bank has had a close and important partnership with Indonesia for the past 60 years. This first trip back to Indonesia since assuming my new post has provided valuable insight on how the World Bank can continue to support Indonesia’s far reaching institutional reforms. We stand committed to being Indonesia’s partner in offering practical solutions to development challenges including: poverty reduction, public service delivery, infrastructure development, environment and governance,” says Cox.
Ms. Cox previously worked as Vice President for the Latin America and the Caribbean Region of the World Bank, playing a leading role in supporting inclusive growth in emerging economies and providing innovative and practical financial and knowledge services to meet developing country needs. She brings with her considerable expertise in disaster risk management, in which Latin America and the Caribbean has been particularly successful, and which is extremely relevant for East Asia, a region that faces very high risks from natural disasters. In the past, she has also worked as Chief of Country Operations in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, and Korea.
In her new role as Vice President for East Asia and the Pacific, Pamela Cox will manage staff working across 22 countries –including Indonesia— and a US$ 29.7 billion lending portfolio. Projected World Bank lending for the region –both for low- and middle-income countries— in the 2012 financial year is US$ 6.7 billion.
