Rodrigo Rato Quotes

Energetic action on debt would make a radical difference to the prospects of many of the poorest countries in the world, at no practical cost to creditor countries.

Let us, above all, be clear that, without a convincing program of debt relief to start the new millennium, our objective of halving world poverty by 2015 will be only a pipe dream.

Third World nations will recognize [their] debts only so long as they're able to get them rescheduled and have money lent to them.

The only way really to influence countries, in terms of poverty, is to get them to change their policies and get them to understand what the issues are.

One of the things that Africa needs, everybody seems to agree, is some measure of debt relief.

We expect that in the next years, the economy will improve. And we expect that extreme poverty will drop from 22 percent to 11 percent by the year 2000.

World Bank is a bank that's focused on economic development and poverty alleviation.

The call for debt cancellation is welcome, but debt does not just go away.

Handouts are not going to end global poverty, but work - real work - just might.

I have dedicated many years to economic study, up to the Ph.D. level, to analyze and understand the inherent weaknesses of aid and why aid policies have consistently failed to deliver on economic growth and poverty alleviation.

Growing economies are critical; we will never be able to end poverty unless economies are growing. We also need to find ways of growing economies so that the growth creates good jobs, especially for young people, especially for women, especially for the poorest who have been excluded from the economic system.

My dad's main client was the World Bank, and he spent most of his time traveling to Third World countries. His particular interest lay in the eradication of poverty through development and business.

Germany, Japan and, to a lesser extent, Britain and Italy, were lifted out of the debris of war by the Americans who poured in billions of dollars and forgave other billions in debts.

I am bullish on the global development. I am bullish on billions of people getting out of poverty.

Let me first say that I don't think the millennium target of cutting global poverty in half is an impossible or abstract target. I think it is a real and achievable goal.

I want to eradicate poverty. I think that there's a tremendous passion for that inside the World Bank.

Global poverty is falling faster today than at any time in human history.

Debt relief without the opening of markets will not relieve third world countries from their poverty.

International aid as a means of development is a major failure, and not just in Haiti.

Britain's generosity in the world has allowed us to help the poorest countries to get on the road to industrialisation through economic development and private sector investment in the world's most difficult frontier markets, where jobs and economic opportunities are desperately needed.

The only really effective means of enabling States to deal with the grave problem of poverty is to provide them with the necessary resources through foreign financial aid - public and private - granted under reasonable conditions, within the framework of international commercial relations regulated with fairness.

The rich do not have to invest enough in the poorest countries to make them rich; they need to invest enough so that these countries can get their foot on the economic ladder . . . Economic development works. It can be successful. It tends to build on itself. But it must get started.

Looking at these issues as a businessman, I believe that investing in the world's poorest people is the smartest way that our government spends money.

People from the world's richest countries should be prepared to accept the burden of debt reduction for heavily indebted poor countries, and should urge their leaders to fulfill the pledges made to reduce world poverty, especially in Africa, by the year 2015.

What we ask of the developed countries is to let the Third World find a third way.