Robert E. Zoellick, World Bank President
Leading international not-for-profit organisations seeking an end to an unwritten rule relating to the appointment of World Bank president, have joined Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) to press for merit based, transparent and competitive system to get World Bank’s top leader.
In an open letter dated February 15, 2012 to all World Bank governors, the 57 global coalition of campaigners including London based Bretton Woods Project touted for a new culture in getting the next World Bank president.
“As you will soon have to make a decision about a successor to Robert Zoellick as World Bank President, we are writing to urge you to push for the selection of the best candidate through an open, merit-based, transparent process, and to ensure that developing countries play a central role in the selection process,” the coalition said in the letter.
Urging the governors to follow the Development Committee has endorsement of an open, merit-based and transparent selection process last April, the coalition argues that such a move will underscore previous commitments by the G20. BRICS are members of the Group of 20 leading economies in the world which represent the fastest growing economies with China overtaking Japan as the world’s second largest economy in 2010 while Brazil cruised past Britain last year.
BRICS members have vowed to present their common candidate to replace Zoellick who retires next summer. “To ensure the selection of the best candidate, with the legitimacy gained from the support of the wider World Bank membership, not just a powerful minority of countries, we believe three things are essential; first, the candidate must gain the open support from at least the majority of World Bank member countries, and from the majority of low and middle-income countries,” the coalition argues in its letter.
As the Bank only operates in developing countries and has most impact in low-income countries, any candidate that was not supported by these countries would seriously lack legitimacy.
Source Tanzania Daily News
