World Bank Denounces Illegitimate Attempt to Tie Its Existence to Poverty Eradication
WASHINGTON, October 10, 2014 – Activists impersonating the World Bank released a fraudulent press release yesterday announcing a plan to abolish the institution by 2030, in line with goals to end extreme poverty. This claim is entirely false and in no way represents the views, policies, or intentions of the World Bank Group.
“This sort of childish prank helps no-one,” said Pedro Alba, Vice President for Budget, Strategic Planning & Performance Review. “The World Bank Group has a proud history of fostering the economic growth of nations over many decades. We needn’t tie our own jobs to amorphous global goals to prove our commitment to eradicating the poorest of the poor. We encourage all media outlets to ignore this attempt to discredit us.”
The fake announcement targets the #EndPoverty2030 campaign, a hopeful and pragmatic vision designed to engage the public that is in no way meant to suggest a binding commitment.
“As Dr Kim made clear in his TedX talk yesterday, we have our eyes firmly set on ending extreme poverty by 2030,” said Alba, “But we cannot account for all possible contingencies, nor would we pretend to be solely responsible for global poverty goals.”
Over the past three decades, the extent of global poverty has declined rapidly. The percentage of people living in extreme poverty in 2013 is less than half of what it was in 1990. Based on this trend, it is possible to envision a world in which extreme poverty will effectively be eliminated within a generation.
In this context, the World Bank Group has established ambitious but achievable goals on which to anchor its work in meeting these historic challenges. This effort will involve investing in opportunities for citizens, private enterprise, and infrastructure, all of which are integral to creating prosperity and sustaining economic growth. These goals will be pursued in an environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable manner to ensure that development gains do not harm the welfare of current and future generations.