World Bank Vice President visited Dhaka

Isabel Guerrero yesterday concluded a two-day visit to Bangladesh, her first visit to the country as World Bank Vice President for South Asia, a position she commenced on July 2, 2008.
During her visit, Guerrero met with Chief Adviser Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed and Finance Adviser Dr. A. B. Mirza M. Azizul Islam to discuss the Bank's program here and how it can help the country address the shocks of rising commodity prices, particularly oil, food, and fertilizer.
"The rise in food prices, and particularly rice, has really hit poor people in Bangladesh," Guerrero said. "I am heartened by the government's efforts to help the farmers achieve a bumper boro rice harvest and to protect the poor from food price inflation, and we remain deeply committed to helping them overcome this urgent challenge." Given the declining availability of land for agricultural uses, she also emphasized the critical need for increasing agricultural productivity in the medium-term in order to enhance food security in Bangladesh.
The Bank is currently preparing an operation under the World Bank's Food Crisis Response Program (FCRP), focusing on fiscal issues, social protection, and agriculture, she said. The Bank is also conducting a household level survey to directly gauge the impact of food price increases on the poor in Bangladesh.
The World Bank has also recently approved funding to expand the Social Investment Programme (SIPP) and a disability and Child at Risk project, with plans to also provide financing for secondary education, water supply and sanitation, social protection, and environment in the coming months.
With the Chief Adviser and Finance Adviser, Guerrero also discussed key development priorities including infrastructure, human development, climate change, and the Government's governance program. Guerrero lauded the Government for its commitment to economic policy reforms and its anti-corruption drive.