Communiqué

Development Committee Communiqué, Annual Meetings, September 24, 2011

September 24, 2011

1. The Development Committee met today, September 24, 2011, in Washington DC.

2. We note with concern the turbulence in global financial markets and widespread fiscal strains, which put at risk the robustness and sustainability of global economic recovery. Volatile commodity prices and pressures on food security are critical challenges. We are alert to the possible global impacts of these issues, particularly for the poor. While developing countries have been the main contributors to recent global economic growth, the economic crisis has reduced their capacity to withstand further shocks. We commit to do everything within our means to support strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth in all our member countries. We reaffirm the need to work cooperatively to meet our development commitments to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 and to support the poor in developing and emerging countries through this period of instability, as well as in the long term. We commend the G20 for anchoring development in its agenda.

3. Jobs are vital in translating growth into lasting poverty reduction and broad-based economic opportunities. We reiterate our commitment to job creation, especially by supporting the expansion of a vibrant private sector. In this connection, we recognize the important role IFC and MIGA play in poorer countries and in challenging markets. We welcome and encourage the cooperation of the World Bank Group (WBG) with member governments and other partners, such as the G20, the International Labor Organization and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to pursue a comprehensive approach to job creation for women and men. We look forward to discussing the next World Development Report (WDR) on jobs.

4. The WBG must continue to help member countries build resilience and respond to crises. To do this effectively, the WBG must remain prepared with human, knowledge and financial capacity. We welcome the WBG’s enhanced focus on innovative approaches to support countries in the Middle East and North Africa region to address the social and economic consequences of their current transition. We call on the WBG to scale up support and strengthen collaboration with all relevant stakeholders, in particular other Multilateral Development Banks.

5. We are saddened by the scale of human tragedy caused by the drought and famine in the Horn of Africa. We welcome the WBG’s $1.88 billion contribution to tackling the crisis and its underlying causes, including $250 million from the recently created IDA Crisis Response Window, as well as the steps the IMF is taking to provide additional concessional financing. An emergency of this magnitude needs swift, coordinated and effective international action to save as many lives and livelihoods as possible. We also need to build national capacity and resilience to speed recovery, reduce the risk of future disasters and create longer-term solutions. We must put agriculture and food security at the top of our development priorities. To do this, we need to harness the creativity and resources of the private sector. We call for continued innovation to tackle longer-term challenges, including climate change and infrastructure investment.

6. We strongly welcome the WBG’s World Development Report on Gender Equality and Development and its clear message that equality between women and men is smart economics and an essential ingredient in poverty reduction. We agree that the WDR has important lessons globally and that gender equality requires specific action from governments, the private sector and development partners. To this end, we endorse the recommendations for the WBG set out in the accompanying implications note and look forward to reviewing its implementation in a year. We urge the WBG to integrate further equality between women and men into its operations and reporting, working within its mandate and respecting national values and norms.

7. We welcome progress the WBG has made in institutional reform to meet new challenges. Greater transparency through the Open Data, Open Knowledge, Open Solutions Initiative and improved accountability via the new Corporate Scorecard will contribute to a more efficient and effective WBG. We call on the WBG to continue to promote staff diversity. We urge the WBG to maintain the momentum on its modernization agenda and look forward to discussing further progress at our next meeting.

8. We welcome the addition of the 25th Chair to the WBG Boards and look forward to a proposal in the spring to align the Development Committee with the new structure.

9. We thank Mr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa for his valuable leadership and guidance as Chairman of the Committee during the past two years.

10. The Development Committee’s next meeting is scheduled for April 21, 2012, in Washington DC.