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2012-04-17 13:47:30 World Bank Names Jim Yong Kim as New President

Transcript by http://www.newsy.com BY JIM FLINK The World Bank has a new President. But you might say, he's from the old world order. American Jim Yong Kim defeated Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for the post. The BBC puts the selection like this: "In the end, it went the way it always has done. ... The U.S. has held the world bank presidency since it was founded in 1944. This year there was real pressure to open up the job to outside competition." Kim has a wealth of international experience. Fox Business reports — Korean-born, American-educated and raised, he built a career in the health and education sectors. "Unlike previous heads of the World Bank, Kim is not a politician, a banker or diplomat. He is a trained physician and anthropologist who has worked to bring health care to the poor in developing countries, whether fighting tuberculosis in Haiti and Peru or tackling HIV/AIDS in Russian prisons." Even so — he met stiff opposition. For the first time ever, the vote was NOT unanimous. On CNN, heading into the vote, his opponent said she was concerned the process was tainted by Western influences. "The argument is not really about nationality. The development committee of the World Bank as well as the G20 had signed onto a merit-based, open and transparent process." It's not just that Kim represents Western influences. Some think he's also not the best choice based on his background. A Sky News analyst goes as far as to say — the only reason he got the job is because he's American. "He has very little experience of politics. He has no experience of finance and banking and he was a worse candidate than the Nigerian finance minister. ... Much less qualified. Very little experience of the bank. Very little experience of developing countries in any area other than health." But France 24 reports, Jim Kim is regarded as a leader in development, which is a major function of the World Bank. It's how President Obama sold his nomination.... Obama: "It's time for a development professional to lead the world's largest development agency." Reporter: "As a leader in global development, he's leadership credentials are not in doubt." Russia and Mexico's votes were key to putting Kim's nomination over the top.

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