Bijlage 1: Oral Statement zoals uitgesproken door Minister Ploumen op 18
april 2015 tijdens het Development Committee:
Oral statement
(18 April, 2.30pm)

I just came from the impressive and historic earth day event on the Mall and
feel quite inspired! It wasn't just the music.
In 2015 we aim to make historic decisions. 2015 will be the year that we
pledge to leave no one behind. Attaining inclusive growth and a world where
women, girls and youth can contribute and benefit equally is a necessity.
Effectively addressing climate change and sustainable production and
consumption are key.
With the ‘what’ of the sustainable development goals close to agreed, we
must now agree on the ‘how:” financing our development priorities. The
WBG under the leadership of President Jim Kim, with its twin goals of
ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity, is crucial to that
cause.
This is why our constituency asks three things of the WBG.
First, leveraging.
The Addis conference must be a success. We welcome the joint paper drafted
by the MDBs and the IMF to support the Financing for Development process.
The leveraging potential suggested will help meet the needs not just of the
poorest countries, but also of emerging economies. However, I feel the last
chapter is missing: what can the MDBs specifically deliver? We call on these
institutions not only to write together, but to also work together. Work
together and get specific. As the largest development bank, the WBG should
take the lead. Together with the UN, the WBG can forge the necessary
partnerships.
In the Netherlands, we have extensive experience leveraging private sector
investment through public expenditure. The so-called “Water Bank” offers
pooled and secure investment opportunities to private investors. This concept
has been applied successfully in India, Colombia, the Philippines, the USA
and Canada. We would welcome working with interested partners to set up
these water financing facilities in other countries.
Second, ODA.
ODA remains key for the poorest countries, mainly conflict-affected fragile
states. We call on the WBG to double down on supporting fragile states. The
new thematic focus of the WBG should in no way mean a loss of focus on the

countries that will need the WBG’s attention the most and the longest. With
such states forming IDA’s main client base in the near future, and given their
pressing needs, the WBG should continue to put its focus on effectively
supporting these countries.

Third, safeguards.
The World Bank's comparative advantage is not just money and know-how –
it's also safeguards. I applaud the Bank for its worldwide listening tour and
look forward to the results. The current proposals are promising, but not
perfect. The framework needs work especially with respect to the rights of
workers and indigenous peoples. It is not development, if it happens to their
detriment. I am positive the Bank will continue to lead by example on
safeguards – an example to other development banks, both old and new.
Our constituency is still banking on the World Bank, for example because of
the crucial assistance, also by the IMF, to Ukraine in its hour of need.
The world is still banking on the World Bank, because it can help deliver the
development goals. Beyond our Spring Meetings, I hope that next month’s
Development Finance Forum in Rotterdam will serve as an important
milestone on the way to Financing for Development.
The public library there has a quote on the façade by Erasmus of Rotterdam
which we hope will inspire the participants of the forum: “Quaevis terra
patria” – any country is your home country.

Bijlage 2: Written Statement namens de Nederlandse Kiesgroep voor het
Development Commitee van 18 april 2015:
DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
Joint Ministerial Committee of the Boards of Governors of the Bank and
the Fund on the Transfer of Real Resources to Developing Countries
Washington, DC, 18 April 2015

Statement by Lilianne Ploumen
Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation
of the Kingdom of the Netherlands,

representing the constituency comprising Armenia, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Georgia, Israel, Macedonia,
Moldova, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Romania and Ukraine

Introduction
1.

The Development Committee (DC) is meeting at a decisive time for

the Financing for Development (FfD) agenda. This year, we should adopt
ambitious new sustainable development goals for the future and reach a
Financing for Development agreement. Our constituency underscores the
major responsibility that the international financial institutions (IFIs) have in
making Addis a resounding success. We therefore welcome the discussion
of the joint paper that is before us today. Other pressing issues, also in our
constituency countries, demand the World Bank Group (WBG)’s ongoing
attention too.

2.

First and foremost, the continuing turmoil and fragility in large parts of

the world, especially parts of Africa and the Middle East but also Ukraine,
require our unremitting attention. We call on the WBG to continue to
strengthen its engagement in these countries affected.

3.

We welcome the much-needed measures that the WBG has put in

place to assist the countries affected by Ebola, in order to kick-start their
economies after the end of the immediate emergency. We call on the WBG
to collaborate as closely as possible, also when it comes to valuable
exploratory efforts to enhance global readiness for future health crises, with
the IMF, the World Health Organization and other UN agencies to avoid any
possible duplication. We commend the WBG for its continued efforts to
enhance global readiness for future health crisis.

4.

Some countries in our constituency also face serious economic

challenges. Poor growth prospects (close to zero for 2015), combined with
structural challenges, put the successes of the transition years at risk. There
are reverse trends to previously made gains on poverty and shared

prosperity. We therefore encourage IBRD, IFC and MIGA to step up their
support, both in lending and advisory services. We specifically welcome the
continued support of both the WBG and the IMF in helping Ukraine address
its current economic challenges.

6.

Our constituency reaffirms that the internal changes being made in

recent years must be successfully completed shortly, so that the WBG can
focus on external challenges and better help forge and implement the new
development agenda. We call on management to ensure that the new Global
Practices and Cross-Cutting Solutions Areas indeed improves the delivery
model of the Bank to its clients.

5.

Furthermore, our constituency underlines the importance of clearly

positioning the WBG in the new international development playing field. The
rise of new international public actors like the Asian Infrastructure Investment
Bank (AIIB), and developing countries’ increased access over the past
decade to private capital flows, make this foreseeable. New stakeholders like
foundations and the private sector are playing an active role in the run-up to
Addis Ababa. Our constituency considers these developments promising
opportunities to reposition the WBG. Meanwhile the poorest and often
conflict affected countries much remain a strong focus.

Financing for Development (FfD)
7.

Our constituency welcomes the discussion of the joint paper drafted

by the MDBs and the IMF. We urge these institutions, including the WBG, to
not just write together, but to also work together closely. We urge the IFIs to
coordinate and align their activities and benefit from each other’s work by
sharing due diligence results and making their respective comparative
advantages the basis of a real division of labour.

8.

The WBG’s two central goals – ending extreme poverty and ensuring

shared prosperity – are highly complementary to the post-2015 agenda. As
the largest development bank, the WBG should play a much-needed

leadership role in shaping the post-2015 agenda and achieving the SDGs.
The close alignment between on the one hand the Bank’s Global Practices
and Cross-Cutting Solutions Areas and on the other hand the Sustainable
Development Goals makes the WBG especially well-positioned to play a
leading role in the effort to achieve the goals.

9.

Next to continuing to secure ODA especially for the poorest countries,

domestic resource mobilisation, public financial management and private
sector involvement, are of decisive importance for a good outcome in Addis.
We would like to see the MDBs’ and IMF’s governing bodies adopt measures
to boost their performance in these three specific areas.

10.

Firstly, we underline the importance of domestic resource mobilisation

(DRM). Countries should be supported in increasingly helping to finance
development by themselves. Providing capacity building in this area should
be a top priority.

11.

Secondly, our constituency calls on the MDBs and the IMF to put

forward strong proposals on public financial management (PFM) in general
and debt management in particular. The IMF’s Debt Limits Policy, that allows
for flexibility in borrowing whilst preserving debt sustainability, should be a
best practice for other multilateral institutions. Furthermore, the IMF and the
World Bank should develop more sophisticated models within the Debt
Sustainability Framework for lower income countries. Through the IMF, the
poorest countries can access the best knowledge about PFM. Besides
providing TA, MDBs can help by making their own financial flows transparent
and predictable and by opting for budget support whenever possible.

12.

Thirdly, we underline that the private sector is a major source of

finance for the SDGs. It will also be an essential partner for resilient and
inclusive economies that provide jobs for women and young people. Public
sector measures to encourage private investment need to reduce perceived
risk or help ensure returns. Our constituency is therefore following the
development of innovative financing instruments at the WGB, such as the

Global Infrastructure Facility (GIF), with great interest. The GIF could play a
useful role by leveraging private sector funds with public capital to finance
the infrastructure gap. We therefore call on the MDBs to put forward clear
proposals to change the way they do business and structure their operations
to focus more on the private sector. We need dedicated instruments and a
clear division of labour between the MDBs on this point.

13.

We are very pleased that the WBG has chosen Rotterdam, the

Netherlands as the site for the Development Finance Forum on 21-22 May.
We hope this forum will serve as an occasion to flesh out the political
agreements to be reached at this DC, and as a major milestone on the road
to Addis.

Economic consequences of cheaper oil
14.

Our constituency welcomes the analysis of the implications of

cheaper oil for oil-exporting and oil-importing countries. The insights and
considerations presented in this paper can be of help to policymakers all
around the world.

15.

The global oil price shock poses many challenges for oil-exporting

countries and gives importers some breathing space. Our constituency
therefore agrees with the Bank that cheaper oil is welcome but not problemfree, at least if the opportunity is not seized and used to efficiently restructure
public finances in a way that benefits the greatest possible share of the
population. This should be an opportunity to cut down on energy subsidies,
for example, thus creating scope for fiscal reform and productive investment.
We have already seen encouraging policy shifts in major oil-importing
countries like India, Indonesia and Egypt. At the same time, governments
should stay focused on the long run, doing everything possible to encourage
the energy transition, so that the current winners from cheaper oil are also
the winners of the future.
Voice

16.

The WBG is this year discussing shareholding and representation

within the IBRD. Our constituency calls on the WBG to put forward solutions
that bring the WBG closer to its clients, enhance the Bank’s responsiveness
to client needs and strengthen clients’ voice, for example by deploying more
Bank staff in fragile states.
Safeguards
17.

We welcome the WBG’s ongoing effort to improve its safeguard

policies. In our view, the safeguard policies are vital to delivering effective
development results, thus contributing to the twin goals of ending extreme
poverty and ensuring shared prosperity. While the current draft is a strong
basis, the framework does need some work, for example, when it comes to
the protection of the rights of workers and indigenous peoples. We
encourage the Bank to build on best practices, thus ensuring that its
safeguards continue to be the ‘gold standard’ for other institutions, both new
and old ones. In this changing world, we encourage the WBG to nurture its
comparative advantages, including its leadership on safeguards.

Bijlage 3: Communiqué van het Development Commitee van 18 april 2015:

DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
JOINT MINISTERIAL COMMITTEE
OF THE
BOARDS OF GOVERNORS OF THE BANK AND THE FUND
ON THE
TRANSFER OF REAL RESOURCES TO DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
1818 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20433
Washington, DC April 18,
2015
1.
The Development Committee met today, April 18, in Washington, D.C.

2.
The global economy is growing slightly faster than in 2014, although growth
rates vary widely among countries. We remain vigilant to the risks from
potential financial market volatility, movements in exchange rates and oil
and other commodity prices, and sluggish global trade. While some middleincome countries (MICs) are experiencing easing of growth, low-income
countries, as a group, continue to record good growth rates. We call on the
World Bank Group (WBG) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to
support countries’ efforts to spur inclusive growth and job creation and build
resilience to adverse shocks, in order to reduce poverty, and enhance shared
prosperity in a su stainable manner, and protect hard-won gains in these areas.
3.
In aggregate, cheaper oil and commodities will result in a significant real
income shift from oil exporters to oil importers, with a net positive effect on
growth in
developing countries. This creates challenges for policy makers in oil
exporting countries, but also provides a favorable environment for subsidy
and tax reforms for more inclusive and sustainable growth. We urge the WBG
and the IMF to help countries hit hard by falling export receipts, tax revenues,
or remittances, and to a dvise on energy pricing and the use of clean energy.
4.
In this critical year, the international community will set the development
vision and agenda for the next 15 years. We look forward to the Third
Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa in July, as one of
the key steps in determining the framework for financing the Post-2015
development agenda, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
We commend the WBG, the IMF and the African Development Bank, Asian
Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development,
European Investment Bank and Inter-American Development Bank for their
close cooperation on this agenda. We also welcome the special participation
of the Secretary-General and high level officials of the United Nations, and
the Heads of the Multilateral Development Banks at this Development
Committee meeting. We encourage the WBG to ensure the technical
robustness of the goals and targets and to strengthen countries’ data capacity,
to enable development and to monitor progress towards the WBG’s goals and
the SDGs.
5.
The WBG’s goals of ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity,
set in the broader context of social, economic and environmental
sustainability, are
fully in line with the SDGs. Achieving the SDGs requires a transformational
vision that builds on lessons from the MDGs and combines all potential
sources of financing, including more effective and catalytic use of ODA,
particularly for the poorest; strengthening domestic resource mobilization,

sound public financial management, and addressing the challenge of illicit
finance; promoting private finance and investment; and coordinating action
on global issues. We expect the
WBG and the IMF to continue to work in partnership with governments, the
UN, multilateral institutions, bilateral agencies, civil society and the private
sector, as well as with the new development institutions, within their
respective mandates.
6.
We welcome efforts to deepen local financial markets and improve the policy
and regulatory environments to address risk, and catalyze investment from
traditional and non-traditional, institutional and other public and private
investment sources and the development of innovative solutions to global
challenges. IFC and MIGA
have a distinct and critical role in engaging the private sector to implement
this ambitious agenda.
7.
We urge the WBG to enhance its support for sustainable infrastructure
development and financing, an enabling environment to mobilize private
long-term finance for commercially-viable projects, and strengthening public
and private partnerships, including through the recently approved Global
Infrastructure Facility (GIF).
8.
IDA and IFC’s rapid response, in coordination with other partners, was
critical to contain and mitigate the Ebola outbreak and we encourage the
WBG to continue
to support the affected countries in the recovery. Looking ahead, we
encourage the WBG to explore, in coordination with other international
actors, the potential of a Pandemic Financing Facility to mobilize and
leverage public and private resources, including insurance mechanisms, to
help countries receive rapid funding in the face of an outbreak based on
strong preparedness plans. We commend the IMF for its support to Ebolaaffected countries and for creating the
Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust. We welcome the approach of the
Global Financing Facility in Support of Every Woman Every Child to be
launched in Addis Ababa. We also note the importance of addressing hunger
and malnutrition.
9.
Enhancing and accelerating gender equality is central to a comprehensive
vision of sustainable development. We look forward to the renewed gender
strategy later this year and its implementation in the context of the one WBG
approach.
10.

Achieving the SDGs will also require countries to deal with the challenges
and consequences of climate change and natural disasters. We commend the
WBG commitment to mainstream low-carbon development and Disaster Risk
Management while maintaining focus on its poverty eradication mandate. We
encourage the WBG to further enhance its efforts and financing to contribute
to the success of the 21stConference of the Parties of the UNFCCC in Paris.
We take note of the WBG and IMF work on appropriate market-based
solutions and energy policy reforms.
11.
We encourage the WBG to continue to implement its new strategy and
complete the associated reforms, including the Expenditure Review, in order
to effectively deliver knowledge and financing to its clients. We also
welcome the ongoing consultations on the proposed World Bank
Environmental and Social Framework
and the new Procurement Framework. We emphasize the importance of
effectively implementing the new frameworks with sufficient resources,
building country capacity, and protecting communities and the environment.
12.
We ask the WBG to continue to monitor carefully the quality of its portfolio,
to strengthen collaboration across the Group focusing on development results,
to
promote South-South cooperation and to provide effective support to fragile
situations, small states, and regional cooperation. We emphasize the
importance of the WBG and IMF in providing significant support, where
feasible, for countries in turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa and in
other regions. We also urge the WBG to enhance its engagement with MICs
to help them end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity in a sustainable
manner. We look forward to the
exploration of different options to generate additional IDA financing
capacity, while focusing on the poorest countries.