World Bank
Founded in 1944, the World Bank is one of the world's largest sources of development assistance. The Bank, which provided US$19.5 billion in loans to its client countries in fiscal year 2002, is now working in more than 100 developing economies, bringing a mix of finance and ideas to improve living standards and eliminate the worst forms of poverty.The main focus of the World Bank is to help the poorest people and the poorest countries, but for all its clients the Bank emphasizes the need for:
- Investing in people, particularly through basic health and education;
- Focusing on social development, inclusion, governance, and institution-building as key elements of poverty reduction;
- Strengthening the ability of the governments to deliver quality services, efficiently and transparently;
- Protecting the environment;
- Supporting and encouraging private business development;
- Promoting reforms to create a stable macroeconomic environment, conducive to investment and long-term planning.
Given this area of expertise, the World Bank aims to focus its CPF collaborative and coordination activities within the UNFF elements of financial resources for forests and economic aspects of forests. The World Bank has recently elaborated its Forest Policy and Strategy that further defines and prioritizes the issue of forests within its work.
World Bank website