World Bank President to address the Global Economy

Next week, the President of the World Bank will visit Minneapolis to address challenges in the global economy before a large public audience-- free admission.
The World Bank's claim is to work towards a world free of poverty. But time and again, its policies have eased up on the destructive practices of multinational corporations.
Recently, as the Rainforest Action Network and scores of its allies have pressured multinationals like Cargill to stop using palm oil from old rainforests & end deforestation of the rainforests of Indonesia, the World Bank proposed changes to its own palm oil policy.
According to Climate Action's blog of November 22,
"The World Bank’s proposed easing off on its palm oil strategy [of no funding to palm oil companies] has roused relief for corporations worldwide whilst attracting mixed reactions to its plan to finance only firms pursuing green standards....
Robert Zoellick was responsible for freezing World Bank Group funding worldwide in the palm oil sector, pending the social and environmental concerns. It is now his responsibility to ensure safeguards are in place to protect all stakeholders."
Will he go forward with the green standards, & make the right decisions? Come listen & pose your questions this Wednesday:



Challenges Facing Global Economic Development with the President of the World Bank, Robert Zoellick

Wednesday, December 1st, 2010
3:30-5:00 p.m.
Cowles Auditorium, Humphrey Institute
301 19th Avenue South, Minneapolis

From tensions over trade balances and currency valuations to the sharp economic disparities between rich and poor countries, global economic development continues to face enormous challenges. One of the country's most important figures in the global economy, Robert Zoellick, president of the World Bank, will discuss the current policy response to these challenges. Former Congressman Vin Weber will moderate the discussion.

Robert Zoellick is the current president of the World Bank, a position he has held since July of 2007. Mr. Zoellick has served in various positions throughout his career, including Managing Director of Goldman Sachs, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, and U.S. Trade Representative. From 1985 to 1988, Zoellick served in various positions at the Department of Treasury, including Counselor to Secretary James Baker, Executive Secretary of the Department, and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Financial Institutions Policy. In August 1992, Zoellick was appointed White House Deputy Chief of Staff and Assistant to the President. Mr. Zoellick was also appointed Bush's personal representative for the G7 Economic Summits in 1991 and 1992.

>From 1993 to 1997, Zoellick served as an Executive Vice President of Fannie Mae. Afterwards, Zoellick was appointed as the John M. Olin Professor of National Security at the U.S. Naval Academy (1997–98), Research Scholar at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, and Senior International Advisor to Goldman Sachs. From 2001 to 2005, Mr. Zoellick served as U.S. Trade Representative and from 2005-2006, he served as Deputy Secretary of State. He then took office as President of the World Bank on July 1, 2007. Mr. Zoellick graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Swarthmore College in 1975. He earned a J.D. magna cum laude from the Harvard Law School and a MPP (focusing on public management and international issues, especially economics) from the Kennedy School of Government in 1981. He lived in Hong Kong on a fellowship in 1980.

Vin Weber is a senior fellow at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. He is also actively involved in the Humphrey Institute Policy Fellows program. He served in Congress from 1981 to 1993, representing Minnesota’s Second Congressional District. He is a partner at Clark & Weinstock, a consulting firm that provides strategic advice to institutions with matters before the legislative and executive branches of the federal government. Prior to opening Clark & Weinstock’s Washington office in 1994, Weber was president – and co-director with Jack Kemp, Jeane Kirkpatrick and Bill Bennett – of Empower America, a public policy advocacy group. From 2001-2010, he served as chairman of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a private, nonprofit organization designed to strengthen democratic institutions around the world through nongovernmental efforts. Weber is a regular commentator on National Public Radio and is often sought as a political analyst for network programs such as CNN’s Capital Gang.

This event is free and open to the public, however, registration is required. Please RSVP at http://robertzoellick.eventbrite.com/.

For parking and directions please go to http://www.hhh.umn.edu/contact/parking.html. To request disability accommodations, please call 612-625-2530 or e-mail cspg@umn.edu.