Wednesday, July 19th, 2006
Briefing on South Asia with World Bank SAR Vice President Praful Patel
GDLN Asia Pacific Sites Connect for Cross-Asia Dialogue
Next door neighbors can benefit from a good discussion – as was proven at the TDLC on July 19, 2006, when World Bank South Asia Region Vice President Mr. Praful Patel, India Country Director Mr. Fayez Omar and Sri Lanka Country Director Ms. Naoko Ishii gave an overview of their region to an audience in East Asia Pacific. The cross-Asia dialogue was attended by over 100 journalists, students, development agency representatives and others connecting via the GDLN from Sydney, Manila and Singapore to learn about the Bank’s strategy and development issues in South Asia.
Vice President Patel gave an optimistic view of South Asia, pointing to a steady growth rate of 5.5% for the region with Pakistan and India coming in at 7%. Mr.Patel highlighted several challenges for further growth such as building infrastructure, developing human resources and creating jobs, while proposing that the region’s youthful population was an advantage in building partnerships with aging countries such as Japan, where there is a growing demand for labor. HIV-Aids and public accountability were identified as priorities of the Bank in the region.
Mr. Omar briefed the group on the situation in India, painting a bright picture overall but emphasizing the challenges that robust growth brings, most notably the disparity between rich and poor states. Ms. Ishii described the political turmoil which had impeded development in Sri Lanka, and also spoke of uneven growth. Integrating the rural population into the global economy was one of the challenges facing the nation.
As the largest country in the region, many questions focused on India, and Indian students participating in Manila took the opportunity to seek policy advice on the effective use of foreign reserves and other issues.
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