The IMF projects that consumer prices in the country will rise by 7.9 percent by the end of the fiscal year
World Bank President Jim Yong Kim to visit Bangladesh next month
World Bank President Jim Yong Kim is coming to Bangladesh to catch a glimpse of the country's success in bringing down poverty.
Published : 11 Sept 2016, 09:42 AM
Updated : 16 Sept 2016, 02:36 PM
He is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on Oct 16 and will observe the ‘International Day on Poverty Alleviation’ slated for Oct 17.
According to Zahid Hussain, the lead economist at World Bank Dhaka Office, Jim will meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Finance Minister AMA Muhith.
He will also visit ongoing development projects funded by the World Bank and deliver a ‘public lecture’ on poverty alleviation during his stay.
PM Hasina, Muhith, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, and former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd will also deliver lectures.
Jim will start for Dhaka after the annual conference of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to be held from Oct 8-10 in the US.
The World Bank president will also hold meetings with representatives of the civil society during his stay, said Zahid Hussain.
Finance Minister Muhith says the World Bank chief is 'stunned' by Bangladesh's achievements.
“The World Bank president is stunned by Bangladesh’s success in achieving MDGs and meeting poverty alleviation targets. So, he will be visiting Bangladesh on the occasion of the International Day on Poverty Alleviation.”
Bangladesh is going to set an example on the global platform by observing the International Day on Poverty Alleviation with the president of World Bank, Muhith said.
The minister added that during the last annual meeting of WB-IMF, Jim had praised Bangladesh for women empowerment, which contributed to poverty alleviation.
In 2013 the poverty rate in Bangladesh was 22.5 percent while the rate of ultra poor people was 9 percent, said Muhith.
By 2018, the rate of poverty will come down to 12 percent, he hoped.
Jim will be the fifth World Bank president visiting the country since its independence.
Former WB chiefs Robert Strange McNamara and Robert Bruce Zoellick, had previously visited the country.
A US citizen of South Korean origin Jim became the president of World Bank in 2012.
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