WORLD NEWS | UNITED STATES: Kamala Harris meets World Bank President Ajay Banga

washington [US]June 7 (ANI): Vice President Kamala Harris met with World Bank President Ajay Banga at the White House.

This meeting is the first official contact with the US side since President Banga took office.

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The White House said in a statement that the vice president emphasized during the meeting that the Biden-Harris administration strongly supports the World Bank’s efforts to implement investment and stimulus reforms to reduce poverty and advance the Sustainable Development Goals.

Harris praised the steps taken to grow the World Bank — including expanding its mission to build resilience to global challenges such as climate change, pandemics, fragility and conflict.

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She emphasized that addressing these global challenges is inextricably linked to the Bank’s work to end extreme poverty and promote shared prosperity. The statement added that the Vice President welcomed President Banga’s commitment and ambition in driving this development plan forward.

The Vice President conveyed the United States’ intention to work with World Bank shareholders and President Banga in preparation for the G20 leaders’ summit in September.

Recognizing that the public sector alone cannot meet the enormous development needs, the vice president also emphasized our commitment to working with the World Bank and other stakeholders to develop and implement an action plan to increase the level of ambition to mobilize private investment, according to the White House.

The Vice President discussed her work with President Banga around the world, from Southeast Asia to Africa to the Caribbean. In particular, as the Vice President has made clear at this meeting and others, countries should have access to the funding and tools they need to accelerate clean energy transitions and build resilience to shocks.

The Vice President and President Banga also discussed ongoing work to stimulate private investment in developing countries, particularly in Central America and Africa. The meeting coincides with the Vice President’s upcoming trip to the Bahamas on June 8 to join President Benga for the U.S.-Caribbean Leaders Meeting, where she will further discuss U.S. commitment to support sustainable and inclusive economic development in the Caribbean region and action.

To this end, she stressed the importance of all creditors offering climate-resilient debt terms to allow for a temporary suspension of debt repayments following a natural disaster, the statement added. (Arnie)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)