World Bank President Banga met with Ministers from the Nordic-Baltic countries

The annual meeting of the Nordic-Baltic Governors with the President of the World Bank Group, Ajay Banga, took place in Reykjavík on 29th and 30th of April. Support for Ukraine, reconstruction of Gaza and job creation in developing countries, were high on the agenda of the meeting. The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland, Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, also had a bilateral meeting with the President of the Bank.

The Nordic and Baltic states jointly form a constituency within the World Bank and share a seat on its Board of Governors. The states cooperate closely with the Bank and these annual meetings of Nordic-Baltic Governors are a central element of that work.

„The World Bank is a key partner for Iceland. We have seen that it is uniquely positioned and trusted to mobilize funding for developing countries. The Bank has also been one of Iceland’s main partners in our support to Ukraine as a large part of our economic support has been channeled through the World Bank,“ says Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Iceland’s priorities in its cooperation with the World Bank and the role of the Bank in the current global context were among the topics discussed in the bilateral meeting between the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the President of the World Bank.

„The role of the World Bank is ever so important during these times of global decline in Official Development Assistance. Much strength lies in our great cooperation with the Bank and our Nordic and Baltic friends,“ says Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Yesterday, Daði Már Kristófersson, Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, hosted a visit to Grindavík and to the Svartsengi Power Plant. Banga also met bilaterally with Halla Tómasdóttir, the President of Iceland.