Friday, July 27, 2007

New World Bank president to visit Cambodia in early August

July 27, 2007

As part of his first official visit abroad, World Bank (WB) President, Robert Zoellick will arrive in Cambodia on Aug. 4 to assess challenges the nation is facing and the progress of WB projects, local media reported on Friday.

During the two-day visit, the president will meet with Prime Minister Hun Sen, a number of high-ranking officials, representatives of the private sector and civil society, and locals who have benefited from WB projects, said Cambodian- language newspaper the Rasmei Kampuchea.

"Cambodia is emerging as a vibrant economy, having posted double-digit growth for the past three years. But the challenges of building institutions and improving the governance environment are major ones, and I will be interested to learn more from the people behind the push for reform," said Zoellick when announcing the visit in Washington, according to a WB statement.

He will arrive in Cambodia after visiting Australia to attend a meeting of APEC finance ministers, where he hopes to gain insights into the Asia-Pacific region's recent financial and developmental performance, added the statement.

Whilst in Cambodia he will meet with local WB officials to see at first hand the challenges the nation is facing. He will visit rural areas where WB projects are underway and meet locals who have benefited from the schemes, which include land rights for the poor; improved livelihoods through better rural roads; small-scale irrigation; and basic education and health services, said the statement.

Following trips to Vietnam and Cambodia, Zoellick will visit Japan as the Far Eastern nation is a major Bank shareholder and will host the G8 summit next year.

Robert Zoellick replaced Paul Wolfowitz as WB president in June, following a protracted corruption scandal over a promotion Wolfowitz arranged for his girlfriend, then a fellow Bank employee.

Source: Xinhua

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