Contacts:
In Kathmandu: Rajib Upadhya (9771) 4226792/3
rupadhya@worldbank.org
In Washington: Erik Nora (202) 458 4735
enora@worldbank.org KATHMANDU, February 4, 2009 – Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Managing Director of the World Bank Group, concluded a three-day official visit to Nepal today. During her stay she visited World Bank assisted projects in Baglung and Palpa districts in western Nepal and also visited a cantonment site in Nawalparasi district for ex-combatants of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Dr. Okonjo-Iweala met with Prime Minister Puspa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda”, Finance Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, and other senior officials of the Government of Nepal. In Baglung, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala visited the Girindi Khola Micro-Hydro Plant – one of 82 such plants installed so far under the World Bank-financed Power Development Project. She discussed the benefits of the scheme with the local community that owns and operates the plant. Another 101 micro-hydro plants will be installed in various parts of Nepal by the time the project closes at the end of this year. Over 40,000 rural households will be served when all the plants are commissioned. In Palpa, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala visited the community-managed Damkada Higher Secondary School and met with students, teachers, and parents. The World Bank is aiding the transfer of school management to local communities through its support to the Education for All Project. One in every five schools in Nepal is now managed by School Management Committees – composed of parents – since Parliament enacted the voluntary transfer in 2001. The remarkable expansion of school education, which has resulted in a net enrolment rate of nearly 92%, is widely attributed to the implementation of this policy. In Palpa, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala also visited the Madan Pokhara Health Post. The World Bank has been assisting Nepal’s health sector for the past 20 years, helping the government build health facilities, train personnel, and strengthen public health care services. The Bank is currently supporting the Government of Nepal’s Health Sector Program which intends to expand access to essential services and address disparities across geographical regions and social classes. Dr. Okonjo-Iweala visited the Jhaltung Danda cantonment site of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) ex-combatants in Nawalparasi district and met with camp residents and commanders. Under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of November 2006, the government and the CPN-Maoist agreed that the PLA would retire to cantonments and secure their weapons under lock and key while the Nepal Army would retire to barracks and secure the same number of weapons. A World Bank-assisted Emergency Peace Support Project finances subsistence allowance payments to PLA ex-combatants in the cantonments as well as compensation for the families of the victims of the conflict. During her meeting with Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda”, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala conveyed the World Bank’s commitment to support Nepal during its transition, specifically with programs designed to help unleash the private sector’s potential; generate youth employment; as well as broadly owned development programs focused on practical results. The Prime Minister welcomed the World Bank’s continued partnerships in Nepal’s development agenda during the delicate transition. During her meeting with Finance Minister Dr. Bhattarai, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala commended the government’s efforts at preparing a National Development Strategy. She encouraged the government to implement investment-friendly policies that would support Nepal’s agenda of economic growth and job creation, as well as to address governance issues that continue to impede implementation of the budget’s development goals. Finance Minister Dr. Bhattarai thanked the World Bank for its continued assistance. Nepal joined the World Bank in 1961 and acquired its first development credit in 1969. Since then, the Bank has provided assistance of nearly US$1.79 billion. Another US$843 million is currently available from the World Bank to Nepal for the implementation of 17 ongoing projects. The International Finance Corporation, the World Bank’s private sector lending arm, currently has investments of US$38 million in seven projects. For more information on the Bank’s work in Nepal, please visit http://www.worldbank.org.np |
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