KYIV, June 30, 2020 – The World Bank is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Arup Banerji as Country Director for Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine.
In this position, Mr. Banerji will lead the Bank’s engagement with governments, stakeholders, and partners in all three countries. He will oversee the delivery and implementation of the pipeline, portfolio, and knowledge products, and guide the future direction of the programs. Arup Banerji will work with the World Bank’s sister institutions – IFC and MIGA, to strengthen World Bank Group delivery in Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine.
Prior to the current appointment Mr. Banerji, an Indian national, was the Regional Country Director for the European Union (EU), overseeing World Bank’s operational, strategy and knowledge work in the EU member states. Previously, as Senior Director and Head of the Global Practice for Social Protection, Labor and Jobs at the World Bank, he oversaw the Bank’s global work on jobs, social safety nets, and pensions.
Prior to joining the World Bank in 1998, Mr. Banerji taught at the Center for Development Economics at Williams College, Massachusetts, USA, where he was the Director of Graduate Studies, and at University of Pennsylvania, USA. He holds a Ph.D. and a Master's degree in Economics from University of Pennsylvania,and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from University of Delhi, India.
He authored books and papers on economic growth, public finance, human development, social protection, institutions, jobs, poverty reduction and inequality.
Before this appointment, Ms. Satu Kahkonen served as Country Director for Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine from July 2016.Ms. Kahkonen was appointed Country Director for Indonesia and Timor-Leste in February 2020.
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World Bank Group COVID-19 Response:
The World Bank Group, one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries, is taking broad, fast action to help developing countries strengthen their pandemic response. We are increasing disease surveillance, improving public health interventions, and helping the private sector continue to operate and sustain jobs. Over the next 15 months, we will be deploying up to $160 billion in financial support to help countries protect the poor and vulnerable, support businesses, and bolster economic recovery, including $50 billion of new IDA resources in grants or highly concessional terms.
