The Prime Minister, Taur Matan Ruak, accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Adaljiza Magno, received, this Tuesday, August 10th, 2021, in his Official Residence in Bairro do Farol, Dili, in a courtesy visit, the new World Bank Country Representative for Timor-Leste, Mr. Bernard Harborne, who came to introduce himself to the Head of Government, as he has just arrived in Timor-Leste, on August 5th, to exercise his new functions, replacing his predecessor, the Nigerian, Macmillan Anyanwu.
“My name is Bernard Harborne, I am the World Bank’s Country Representative, and this was my first meeting with the Government, with His Excellency the Prime Minister”, explained World Bank Country Representative, Bernard Harborne, after the meeting.
In this courtesy visit, the Briton, who is now the National Representative of the World Bank, also made an update with the Head of Government regarding the programmes that are being financed by the World Bank, and regarding the programmes that this institution will support in the future.
For his part, the Head of Government congratulated the new representative on his appointment and welcomed him, taking the opportunity to thank the partnerships that have been established to support the national development process.
The Head of Government also shared information on the priorities to be achieved during this mandate, including the Economic Recovery Plan, as a response to the impacts of the COVID-19 situation and Cyclone Seroja, which hit Timor-Leste on April 4th this year, and damaged some private and public infrastructures, creating even more difficulties to the country’s economy, which was already at a standstill due to COVID-19. The sharing of this information was intended to make the new World Bank Representative aware of the country’s situation.
Regarding the fight against COVID-19, the World Bank Representative expressed his contentment and satisfaction, namely regarding the national immunization program in Timor-Leste, which has been showing progress, due to a good level of citizen participation, considering it as the main instrument for the fight against COVID-19 in Timor-Leste.
The programmes supported by the World Bank are related to the areas of education, agriculture, health, infrastructure as well as a programme to support the fight against COVID-19, to which the World Bank has allocated US$ 5 million. In addition, the programmes also cover other areas, notably in the diversification of the economy and the tourism sector. The World Bank also made investments in the areas of drinking water supply and basic sanitation, together with the Asian Development Bank, for the municipalities of Baucau and Dili.
The World Bank Representative for Timor-Leste was appointed on April 1st, 2021.