Led by Dr. Ibrahim Al-Assaf, Minister of Finance of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Arab Ministers of Finance and Central Banks Governors held a meeting with outgoing World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick to bid him farewell, it was reported here today. Zoellick's term of office ends in June 2012. During the meeting, Al-Assaf thanked Zoellick for his efforts to enhance the role of the WB in the Arab region through launching the Arab World initiative which resulted, among other things, in improving the level of education in the Arab region through a series of studies and research and also improving the level of commerce and transport sectors in the Arab area. During Zoellick's tenure, the World Bank has also managed to collect nearly $750 million from investment funds specialized in supporting solar energy projects in the region. In collaboration with the Islamic Development Bank, the WB has also established facilities for investment in the infrastructure sector in the Arab countries aiming to achieve collective economic growth and vowed commitment to support small and medium institutions in cooperation with the African Development Bank in addition to launching the Arab Food Security initiative, activating the private sector role and improving the recruitment opportunities of Arab personnel joining the WB institutions.
