Editorial
Zoellick's visit to Dhaka
World Bank must address concerns of developing nations
The visit by World Bank President Robert Zoellick was one more manifestation of the close links which Bangladesh and the World Bank have maintained since the liberation of this country. In these many years, the Bank has been a major partner in our development projects. However, it has also been noted that in recent times the people of Bangladesh have grown disappointed, if not exactly disillusioned, with the manner in which the World Bank has sought to have its policies followed in the implementation of development programmes in this country. The sentiment has grown, for certain very understandable reasons, that the Bank's policies toward developing nations have been of a generalised pattern rather than country-specific. The latter approach would have been more rewarding.
It is in such a context that we take note of certain points raised on the issue by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. The economist has surely reflected the concerns of broad sections of society in Bangladesh through pointing out that the World Bank needs to bring about changes in the way it operates in developing countries. His emphasis on local offices of the Bank requiring more autonomy to be able to operate, indeed playing a role in the making of country-specific policies, is something that strikes a responsive chord in us. Dr. Yunus' conviction that the participation of the poor in infrastructural development needs to be part of WB policy draws attention to a long-felt grievance: WB policies have traditionally had little room for popular participation in policy-making and its implementation. Mr. Zoellick has, of course, had his own responses to Yunus' concerns. He has agreed that the World Bank, like any other institution, also needs to change. However, he also stressed the need for transparency, fund protection and good governance. We consider that the exchange of ideas is a good sign of a hopeful new beginning in future WB-developing world relations.
A paramount need for Bangladesh is to develop its negotiating skills with not just the World Bank but with other multilateral institutions as well. At the same time, our policy makers need to ensure that in dealing with other nations on a bilateral level, our diplomats and individuals in various professional areas develop the kind of expertise that can assist hugely in an upholding of national interests in the global arena. Governments that negotiate with others through doing their homework as well as employing skill stand a most appreciable chance of ensuring respectable niches for their countries internationally.
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