David Malpass: "Future generations' prosperity will depend on bold action now"
David Malpass: "Future generations' prosperity will depend on bold action now"
The President of the World Bank Group said the organization is eager to work with countries across the region to respond to the crisis and build a strong recovery.
July 1, 2020– As part of the 2020 Washington Conference on the Americas virtual series the Council of the Americas (COA) held a plenary session featuring David Malpass, president of the World Bank Group, to discuss regional economic prospects and COVID-19 recovery. Watch the video and read the transcription.
In his initial remarks, Malpass said that the World Bank is eager to work with countries across the region to respond to the crisis and build a strong recovery. “There’s no doubt that the health and economic challenges facing Latin America and the Caribbean are vast and risks are great. Our hope is that people in the region make strong gains in living standards in the next decade. Future generations’ prosperity will depend on bold action now," said Malpass.
In a conversation with COA’s President and CEO Susan Segal, Malpass talked about transparency as one of the World Bank’s big initiatives: “Transparency of all government financial commitments is going to be critical in creating the attractive investment climates that could make substantial progress this year.” The World Bank Group created a one-stop website for the latest information about the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI).
Malpass has held the position of president of the World Bank Group since April 2019. He previously served as U.S. Treasury under secretary for international affairs.
For 50 years, the Council of the Americas’ annual Washington Conference on the Americas has been the premier event on the region, bringing together presidents, secretaries, and ministers, as well as the most senior leaders from both the public and private sectors. This annual conference is a platform for the top government, industry, and policy leaders in the hemisphere to discuss and debate the state of regional affairs with a business-relevant focus.
The 2020 Washington Conference on the Americas will be a virtual series of periodic (generally monthly) keynote addresses and interviews with senior leaders, interspersed with high-level panel discussions. The upcoming event will feature President of Chile Sebastián Piñera on July 28.
