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From: Center for Economic and Policy Research <[email protected]>
Date: Mon, Apr 16, 2012 at 12:11 PM
Subject: Kim's Selection as World Bank President is a "Rare Historic Event"
CEPR Co-Director Says
To: [email protected]
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Kim's Selection as World Bank President is a "Rare Historic Event" CEPR
Co-Director Says
*Could Lead to Significant Improvements In Health Care and Education for
Poor People*
------------------------------
*For Immediate Release:* April 16, 2012
*Contact: *Dan Beeton, 202-239-1460
*Washington, D.C.*- The announcement that Jim Yong Kim will be the next
president of the World Bank is positive news for people living in poverty
or struggling with illness, Center for Economic and Policy Research
Co-Director Mark
Weisbrot<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=3C%2FCaHjavuoGGJI8Wpnmz3p6nQ22DvXB>said
today. Kim’s track record at Partners in Health and the World Health
Organization (WHO) shows that he has what is needed to take on a tough
challenge, Weisbrot added.
Weisbrot called Kim’s appointment a “rare event, historically” and noted
that, despite being a U.S. citizen, he was as least as unlikely to take
orders from Washington as anyone that might be appointed from another
country.
“There’s just no comparison between him and any of the prior World Bank
presidents,” said Weisbrot. “The others were political insiders; they
spent most of their lives getting rich or becoming politically powerful, or
worse. Kim, by contrast, has spent most of his life trying to improve the
lives of poor people.”
“He’ll have battles ahead with the Board of Directors, against Washington
and its allies, but I would bet he will have some significant
accomplishments to show by the end of his term,” said Weisbrot.
Weisbrot noted that, even looking at the appointment from the viewpoint of
U.S. politics, it was an anomaly. “Many millions of people who voted for
President Obama had great hopes that he would appoint someone like Kim to a
cabinet position, but it didn’t happen.” He compared Kim’s nomination to
President Obama offering Nobel Laureate economist Paul Krugman the position
of Secretary of the Treasury.
Weisbrot added: “The Bank has often tended to prioritize corporate
interests, and historically the U.S. has used the Bank to promote its own
political and economic agenda. Kim can help limit the damage that the Bank
does, and steer some money into positive projects that improve health and
education.”
Weisbrot noted that “Kim fought tenaciously at the WHO to get treatment for
3 million people for HIV/AIDS. This is the kind of leadership that will be
needed at the Bank.”
This year was the first time in the Bank’s 68-year history that countries
besides the U.S. have put forward candidates for the World Bank president.
Developing countries nominated two candidates, Jose Antonio Ocampo, and
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who competed openly against Kim for the position.
Several developing countries broke Washington’s monopoly on the selection
process by nominating economist and health expert Jeffrey
Sachs<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=2dDO490OSz8T2S25l30u%2F3p6nQ22DvXB>at
the beginning of March. Sachs withdrew following the announcement of
Kim’s nomination, throwing his support behind Kim.
“This could be the last time the U.S. gets to pick the World Bank
president,” Weisbrot said. “But it is truly good fortune that Kim was the
choice this time.”
###
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