The Deputy Chairperson of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dr. Bisera Turković, spoke in her capacity as the Governor of Bosnia and Herzegovina…
… at the meeting of the Constituents of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund held in Sarajevo.
The gathering is attended by representatives of the member states of the Constituency, including numerous member states of the European Union.
– We are all facing big challenges, budgets are under pressure from rising inflation. Nevertheless, we have gathered today in large numbers to show our willingness to work together in the interest of our countries and peoples – Minister Turković said in her presentation.
At the press conference, Minister Turković pointed out that BiH is marking 30 years of membership in the World Bank and the IMF in this way.
– The partnership between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the World Bank Group has proven to be reliable and has produced results. We will never forget that you were with us when it was the most difficult, right after the war, but also during the floods and pandemic. The total amount that the World Bank has invested in BiH, together with donors in the past 30 years, amounts to over 3 billion US dollars through 120 projects. Over 60 schools throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina and 18 hospitals have been rebuilt, over 500 kilometers of road network have been reconstructed, including tunnels and over 50 bridges. In the period from 2017 alone, World Bank projects supported the creation of over 30,000 jobs – the minister pointed out.
A new partnership strategy was agreed with the World Bank, which will support projects worth 700 million US dollars.
– We expect that the BiH Council of Ministers will rapidly consider the possibility of joining the fund for aid to poor countries called IDA, to enter the society of donors, to improve the partnership relationship with the World Bank, so that we will move from the group of those who receive to the group of those who make increased contributions to finance projects in countries in need – Minister Turković added.
