Ulaanbaatar, September 18, 2013 - Axel van Trotsenburg, World Bank Regional Vice President for East Asia and Pacific, will make his first visit to Mongolia on September 19-22.
Mr. van Trotsenburg, a distinguished economist with extensive development experience, will meet with government counterparts, to discuss how the World Bank Group can continue to support the development of Mongolia and help improve the lives of its citizens, in particular the most vulnerable.
“Mongolia has been able to grow its economy at an average 12% since 2010 and it has made impressive gains in reducing poverty from 38.7 percent to 27.4 percent since 2010. The challenge for the country now is how it can sustain strong growth and make it more inclusive so more people benefit, especially the poor,” said Mr. van Trotsenburg. “I look forward to visiting Mongolia to better understand the country’s development challenges, so we can help create opportunities for all.”
“Mongolia’s economy has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years and as the government addresses current challenges it also has the opportunity to make long term investments for the future,” said Mr. van Trotsenburg. “It’s important to diversify the economy, invest more in the skills of young Mongolians and prudently managing the country’s mineral wealth so future generations can benefit.”
In Mongolia, Mr. van Trotsenburg will also visit Bank-supported projects in rural areas which focus on making development work for all, including a school where providing books and integrating reading into the curriculum has helped improve primary education quality.
As Vice President for East Asia and the Pacific, Mr. van Trotsenburg manages more than 1,000 staff working across 22 countries – including Mongolia— and a US$30.2 billion lending portfolio.
