She made the comments as she wrapped up her week-long visit to Nepal on Monday. The comments also come at a time when the World Bank is set to launch its next assistance strategy for Nepal in July 2013.[break]
So far, the World Bank is satisfied with progress made by Nepal in various sectors, according to Goldstein. But she encouraged authorities not to lose sight of longer term development goals and effectively utilize US$1.3 billion currently allocated for 17 ongoing projects in the country.
“Despite the prolonged transition, the government has managed to achieve stable development results. Nepal has also made good progress in the areas of health, education and livelihoods,” she said. “The breakthrough we look forward to achieving in the coming days is in the areas of infrastructure that contribute to growth and jobs.”
During her visit, she took stock of the implementation of World Bank supported projects through meetings with senior government officials, including the finance minister and the education minister, a WB statement says.
She also visited project sites related to education, health, agriculture productivity, irrigation, targeted poverty reduction and urban development in Rupandehi, Kapilvastu and Palpa districts. She also met with civil society representatives, development partners as well as community leaders during her extensive visits to the country´s mid-western region.
World Bank Country Manager for Nepal Tahseen Sayed and other bank officials accompanied Goldstein during the meetings.
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