included food security concerns; strategies and support for specific natural disasters, such as those in Haiti and Samoa; and the issues raised by the United Nations (UN) Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio + 20) and the UN Climate Change Conference in Doha. And the Update on the Implementation of the Gender Equality Agenda at the World Bank Group reported on gender challenges. The Directors also discussed the flagship report Global Monitoring Report 2013: Rural-Urban Dynamics and the Millennium Development Goals. Fragility and conflict-affected economies were at the forefront during discussions of strategies and operations. The Executive Directors look forward to the World Development Report 2014: Risk and Opportunity—Managing Risk for Development, which will be published in time for the Annual Meetings in Washington, DC, in October of this year. To streamline the Bank Group’s operational effectiveness, the Board discussed and approved changes to investment lending policies with the aim of focusing lending on performance and results. It also considered reforms to the procurement framework and greater disclosure of Board records. The Executive Directors endorsed a series of measures to enhance the effectiveness of corporate governance by setting criteria for identifying IBRD/IDA operations for Board discussion and aligning them more closely with corporate priorities. The Board also welcomed the Bank’s reengagement with Myanmar after a 25year absence and with Suriname after a 30-year absence. The Board approved $31.5 billion in World Bank financial assistance in fiscal 2013, comprising $15.2 billion in IBRD lending and $16.3 billion in IDA support. The Executive Directors also reviewed 22 Country Partnership Strategy products, 21 of which were prepared jointly with the International Finance Corporation (IFC). The Board approved an administrative budget for the World Bank of $1.9 billion for fiscal 2014. (See worldbank .org/boards.)
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18 19
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23 24
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21 25
1: Merza Hasan; 2: Agapito Mendes Dias; 3: Satu Santala; 4: Roberto B. Tan; 5: John Whitehead; 6: Marie-Lucie Morin; 7: Shaolin Yang; 8: Gwen Hines; 9: Vadim Grishin; 10: Mukesh N. Prasad; 11: Mansur Muhtar; 12: Piero Cipollone; 13: Omar Bougara; 14: Ibrahim M. Alturki (alternate); 15: Gino Alzetta; 16: Hideaki Suzuki; 17: Ingrid-Gabriela Hoven; 18: Denny H. Kalyalya; 19: César Guido Forcieri; 20: Juan José Bravo; 21: Sara Aviel (alternate); 22: Hervé de Villeroché; 23: Frank Heemskerk; 24: Jörg Frieden; 25: Sundaran Annamalai
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T he W or l d B an k A nn ua l R eport 2013