Canada’s foreign aid chief was in Washington Friday to listen, learn and leverage his political clout to advance Canadian business interests with the World Bank.
Christian Paradis, Canada’s minister of international development and la francophonie, met with World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Heather Higginbottom and Overseas Private Investment Corp. President and CEO Elizabeth Littlefield.
The blending of public and private funding for development is a key priority for Paradis, and in the U.S. capital, he sought advice for Canada’s own efforts in that area, and unity on upcoming negotiations in Addis Ababa, New York and Paris.