As president of the World Bank, James D. Wolfensohn oversaw over ten thousand employees and managed operations in almost one hundred and fifty countries. Responsible for tens of billions of dollars in aid to the world's poorest nations, Wolfensohn made sustainable poverty reduction the World Bank's overarching mission and used the Bank as a bully pulpit to declare institutional war on global poverty. Under his leadership, the Bank grew in both size and scope, becoming the single largest provider of resources to the developing world for HIV/AIDS programs, the largest supporter of environmental projects, and the largest funder of education. Wolfensohn not only turned the Bank into a respected source of research on developing countries but helped the Bank return to its position as the pre-eminent global economic institution that it once was. This volume brings together the most important and inspiring speeches made by James Wolfensohn during his time as World Bank president.
Spanning all ten years of Wolfhenson presidency (1995-2005), the book presents his most stimulating and thought-provoking writings on critical global issues, including poverty, debt relief, corruption, HIV/AIDS, climate change, human rights, and globalization. Written during some of the most tumultuous times in recent history, Wolfhenson writings address and examine key global events and issues, from the Asian financial crisis, the rise of the antiglobalization movement and the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 to strife in Sudan, the global spread of AIDS and the global war on terror. With over 100 of Wolfensohn's writings, this book will be an invaluable resource for readers interested in international relations, international development, the World Bank, and James Wolfensohn himself.