James Wolfensohn Quotes (46 Quotes)

Anwar is not only a friend and valued colleague, he was a distinguished chairman of our Development Committee, and a man who believed in speaking his mind,

The notion of the world as a village is becoming a reality.

Some Palestinians are wondering why it shouldn't be three months, or maybe one month or one week. They are forgetting that Rafah being in Palestinian and Egyptian hands, without an Israeli presence, is something they should be proud of as a major achievement.

Commercial success will depend to a significant extent on adequate export arrangements. Time is short, and optimism is a fragile commodity.

...It is our hope that we will be able to encourage the developed countries to recognize that it is in their interest to bring poverty alleviation in the developing world because we are one world, and unless we get stability and growth in the developing world, we are not going to have a peaceful world,

Good morning. Well, thank you very much. You got up very early.

If we do not want to see rising tension leading to violence and chaos particularly just before the Israeli election we will have to develop urgently a convincing strategy addressing the PA's financial and developmental needs, not only in the short-term of the next few weeks but also in a longer time frame.

I am just going to see in the next quarter of this year what my own plans are, and see whether I can still make a contribution, or maybe there will be others who can do better than me.

Our focus is on poverty, which is an issue that affects everybody, but there's little doubt that other events of interest will make their way into different discussions,

possible to move in and out, and trade as freely as possible within the constraints of security for Israel.

If you don't pay the civil servants, who support 900,000 people, I'm afraid the frustration would reach a level where you couldn't contain it.

If you want to blow each other up, I have a nice house in Wyoming, and in New York and in Australia and I will watch with sadness as you do it,

We must of course assure security for Israel -- but the best security will be hope and work for the Palestinians,

My ... agenda is only a beginning but it is a gateway through which we must step if we are to get back to the road map, and move to a settlement of this bitter and wasteful conflict,

Outside these walls, young people are demonstrating against globalisation, ... I believe deeply that many of them are asking legitimate questions, and I embrace the commitment of a new generation to fight poverty. I share their passion and their questioning.

I think the immediate needs of HIPC, subject to the passage by the U.S. Congress of the U.S. contribution, are probably met, ... I think the 2.6 billion to 2.8 billion target is achievable, and then we will need to consider funding the rest of it.

I was deeply concerned then, and have become more concerned since, that unless we can deal with the questions of development and the questions of poverty, there's no way that we're going to have a peaceful world for our children.

As you look at the flow of Muslim fundamentalism, or fundamentalism in various areas and various religions, they all play on the people who have very little.

What is happening outside is that people are scared -- they are afraid they may lose their jobs, ... These are legitimate fears, but the trend toward globalization is irreversible.

I think it will be a tragedy for both sides if that opportunity is not done, but can I give you a guarantee No. I can only tell you that we are clear in what we are trying to do, and in the next few days, we will know whether we are successful or not.

We can only have success in partnership with others in the development community, including civil society and the private sector. There must be effective performance in utilizing development assistance -- corruption-free and reaching the poor.

We are also looking economically at an 8 trillion dollar economy, in the developing world growing seven to eight times in the next 50 years and the rich world 2 12 times. These are dramatic shifts.

It is not in the purview of the bank to either start globalization or stop it, ... We have to recognize that globalization is taking place and work with that. We can't change it, but we must not ignore the situation. The challenge is to manage globalization.

If you cannot make up your mind on the issue (the borders) we have been talking around for 20 weeks, there's probably not much more I can do,

If you have Palestinians who have no hope, who don't have a job, who've used up all their resources, the notion of getting rid of violence is a dream.

I have listened to the President about how to move along in light of this new situation.

So the first thing you need to do about conflict is to prevent it, and the best way of preventing it is by dealing with the question of poverty.

There is no sense in trying to help developing nations develop their capacity and build their economic viability if you don't give them markets.

One need only look at the cement barriers surrounding these buildings to understand the big difference of the past year.

I know I do not need to tell each of you that the failure to pay salaries may have wide-ranging consequences -- not only for the Palestinian economy but also for security and stability for both the Palestinians and the Israelis.

Time is short, and optimism is a fragile commodity, ... miss this opportunity for change, we will regret it for the next decade.

But when someone is on a winning horse, and everything looks wonderful, it's very hard as an outsider to persuade them something is wrong.

There is a need for cultural change in the bank to trust NGOs and to talk to them, but there is an equal need for some members of civil society to give us a chance and not say simply that it's the bank and it must be evil,

We are asking for calm, and the opportunity to build a bridge, ... But it's very difficult to build a bridge if only one side is building it.

We respect the demonstrators' right to protest, but who wins by shutting down discussion of some of the world's most pressing problems

One of the assumptions that divides institutions of faith from those based on politics and international agreements is the automatic assumption that you have to teach me spirituality, that you have to give me a moral center, that you must convince me there's more to development than economic mechanisms.

We have three billion people, half the world's population today, living on less than two dollars a day.

We cannot turn globalization back. Our challenge is to make globalization an instrument of opportunity and inclusion -- not fear and insecurity. With all the forces making the world smaller, it is time to change our way of thinking, time to realize we live together in one world, not two -- this poverty is in our community wherever we live. It is our responsibility.

The truth of the matter is ... I have found it difficult to understand why on six issues in 20 weeks of negotiations it has been impossible to bring about more progress

His work in the developing world has afforded him a deep understanding of the many challenges of development. He knows what a remarkable institution this is, he appreciates its outstanding team of development professionals, and I know he will bring continuity to its programs and its mission of fighting poverty.

Well the specific role of the World Bank is to be ready with financial assistance immediately after this emergency takes place because you need to reconnect water, you need to reconnect power, you need roads, you need bridges, and that has to be done urgently.

I do not believe you can have a million starving Palestinians and have peace.

Our objectives are one and the same, ... If the protesters took a moment to understand what we do then they might view our cause a little differently.

We estimate that tens of thousands more children will die worldwide and some 10 million people are likely to be living below the poverty line of 1 a day because of the terrorist attacks.

I do believe that Secretary Rice is very keen to make sure that the deal is done,

Until the movement issues are resolved however, and the PA ( Palestinian Authority ) is able to provide stable governance and to reassert civil control, we will be hard-pressed to convince governments or investors that anything much has changed, and that this is truly a bankable part of the world once again.