Claus, but not Santa

The new head of the World Bank office in the Russian Federation starts work

From Monday, the post of head of the Russian representative office of the World Bank will be taken by Klaus Roland. For the previous four years, Mr. Roland held a similar position in Vietnam. In turn, Kristalina Georgieva, who worked in Moscow for four years, is heading to the bank’s headquarters in Washington, where she will take the position of head of the thematic network on environment and infrastructure. There is nothing extraordinary in this replacement itself. Regular rotation of personnel is provided for by the World Bank's charter. However, Klaus Roland will have to work in completely new conditions. Russia needs less and less money and advice from the World Bank, and at the same time increasingly wants to play an active ideological role in it.

So far, Russia has not completely refused assistance from this international organization. Currently, about twenty programs are being implemented on Russian territory with the participation of the World Bank. It was approximately the same in all previous years, starting in June 1992, when Russia joined the World Bank. But the programs have become more interesting to Russia not because of the amount of funding, but because of the experience that the World Bank has. Russia now has enough money both for itself and for helping poor countries.

Last December, a new three-year strategy for relations between Russia and the World Bank was signed. The main core of the document is the transition from the World Bank's assistance strategy to Russia to a partnership strategy. The four main areas of interaction are maintaining the rapid growth of the Russian economy, improving the quality of public administration, as well as the quality of social and public services, and, finally, increasing Russia’s role in solving global world problems. If the pace of economic growth in Russia does not yet inspire concern, the quality of public administration and social services clearly leaves much to be desired. So, if the Russian authorities are willing, the World Bank will have room to turn around.

The Bank intends to expand cooperation with the government to support Russia's new role as an international donor. According to the new strategy of cooperation with the World Bank, the volume of borrowing from the federal government will be strictly limited while simultaneously increasing direct financing of the private sector, guarantees and new mechanisms for the provision of fee-based services in the field of consulting on investment and strategic issues. In addition, an important aspect of the new strategy is the transition to providing subfederal loans without sovereign guarantees. That is, the state will not be responsible for loans from the regions.

The new head of the World Bank office has already arrived in Moscow. As Vremya Novostei learned, this week he had already met Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov, Minister of Regional Development Vladimir Yakovlev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrei Denisov, Deputy Minister of Economic Development Andrei Sharonov and the head of Vnesheconombank Vladimir Dmitriev.

Klaus Roland was born in Germany and began his career at the World Bank in 1981. From 1981 to 1985 he was Advisor to the Executive Director of the World Bank for Germany. From 1985 to 1993, Mr. Roland worked at the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation, where he was involved, among other things, in development assistance programs for Eastern Europe and the countries of the former USSR. In 1996, he returned to the World Bank as head of the East Asia and Pacific Division, where he led the China and Mongolia programs.

Vera SITNINA