Is the Guardian really arguing that leaders who don’t jet into Davos aren’t committed to poverty reduction and climate action (World Bank chief’s Davos snub dashes hopes of climate consensus, 23 January)?
The World Bank Group (WBG) is taking concerted action to tackle global poverty and boost shared prosperity by delivering concrete results for the world’s poorest and most marginalised people, including broad-based and sustainable growth, jobs, debt transparency, rule of law, good governance, human capital and green financing.
In his first year, the WBG president, David Malpass, has met more than 100 leaders around the developing world, in countries from Pakistan and Egypt to Ethiopia and Mozambique. Our strong focus on country results is one reason why the World Bank has repeatedly been given the highest rating among international agencies in the UK Department for International Development’s reviews of multilateral development partners.
The WBG is committed to climate action and provides by far the most climate-related finance among multilateral development banks and other international organisations, almost half of the total. In the last fiscal year alone, the WBG committed $17.8bn (£13.6bn) to climate-related investments – and we announced $200bn of climate finance over the period 2021-25.
The World Bank Group and our leadership remain focused on the urgent and significant challenges facing more than 700 million people living on less than $1.90 a day.
Jeremy Hillman
Director, corporate communications, World Bank Group
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