Colombia’s historic peace agreement sets the stage for a massive development push, Syria’s volunteer rescue workers find some international recognition amidst ongoing danger, and the Clinton Foundation’s partners look to the future. This week in development news:
U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew announced the nomination of Jim Yong Kim to serve a second term as president of the World Bank. The nomination came on Thursday, just after midnight, the first day of a 21-day nomination period few believe will produce any challengers to Kim. Devex spoke with Hafed Al-Ghwell, a former bank official with close ties to the institution's executive directors, about the process. Al-Ghwell said that Kim has been citing the upcoming U.S. presidential elections — and the possibility of a Donald Trump presidency — as reason to move the reappointment forward quickly. Al-Ghwell also described his experience during the 2012 World Bank presidential appointment, which brought Kim into office. The World Bank cites the 2012 process as an example of a merit-based, open competition for the position, which the bank intends to replicate this year. But to Al-Ghwell, the 2012 appointment process was hardly an example to be celebrated.
The Colombian government and the FARC rebel group signed a peace accord Wednesday in Havana, Cuba after 52 years of conflict — the longest war in the Americas. As Devex reported last month, “the accord is premised on a fundamental trade: In exchange for FARC renouncing violence, demobilizing, disarming and dismantling the illicit drug trafficking network that has funded its insurgency, the state will address the grievances that first bred conflict a half century ago.” While most Colombians appear to be in support of the treaty, some remain divided over its terms, which will allow the FARC some political representation and allow rebels to avoid jail time for crimes committed during the war. Now, the government of Colombia faces the difficult task of reaching out to those communities that have been cut off from government services for decades. The government has also agreed to undergo a major land restitution process, which could take a decade to complete.
About the author
Michael Igoe@AlterIgoe
Michael Igoe is a Senior Reporter with Devex, based in Washington, D.C. He covers U.S. foreign aid, global health, climate change, and development finance. Prior to joining Devex, Michael researched water management and climate change adaptation in post-Soviet Central Asia, where he also wrote for EurasiaNet. Michael earned his bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College, where he majored in Russian, and his master’s degree from the University of Montana, where he studied international conservation and development.