Kabul, July 1, 2021 – The newly appointed World Bank Country Director for Afghanistan Melinda Good joined the Kabul office on July 1, succeeding Henry Kerali, who completed his term.
Melinda Good, a United States national, joined the World Bank in 2005 and has worked in several leadership positions across the World Bank, including in South Asia. Before joining the World Bank, Melinda worked with the Asian Development Bank in Manila, Philippines, and the Millennium Challenge Corporation in Washington, DC. She began her career as a private-sector lawyer in New York and Singapore. She has worked in South Asia, East Asia, Central Asia, the Pacific Islands, and North America.
“I am honored to take on my new position as the World Bank Country Director for Afghanistan and serve the people of Afghanistan,” said Melinda Good. “The country is facing unprecedented hardship due to COVID-19 and high levels of uncertainty. Continued international support to maintain Afghanistan’s public services is critical to maintain development gains. The World Bank Group has been a key partner of the Afghan people in the last 20 years and has helped achieve significant development progress. Together with our international partners, we will continue to stand alongside the government and people of Afghanistan in their journey toward recovery, self-reliance, and a more prosperous future.”
About the World Bank Group activities in Afghanistan:
The World Bank Group’s (WBG) program in Afghanistan is currently governed by its Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for fiscal years 2017-2021. The Bank also administers the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF), the World Bank Group’s largest single-country multi-donor trust fund. To date, the World Bank has provided more than $5.3 billion for development and emergency reconstruction projects and eight budget support operations in Afghanistan. This support includes more than $4.8 billion in grants and $436.4 million in no-interest loans. The Bank has 12 active projects funded by the International Development Association (IDA) for the total amount of $940 million, and 15 projects jointly funded with ARTF, with a net commitment value of over $1.2 billion from IDA. The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank Group’s private sector development arm, has a cumulative committed investment portfolio of over $300 million and its advisory services portfolio stands at $11.3 million. The World Bank Group’s Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) has $116.5 million of gross exposure for two projects in dairy and cashmere production in Afghanistan. ARTF was established in 2002 to provide a coordinated financing mechanism for the Government of Afghanistan’s budget and national investment projects. Since its inception, 34 donors have contributed over $12.9 billion to the ARTF, making it the largest single source of on-budget financing for Afghanistan’s development.
