Kazakhstan joined the World Bank in 1992 after it had gained independence from the in 1991. Kazakhstan has one of the fastest growing economies of all, and as a result had its classification changed from a lower-middle income state to and upper-middle income state in 2006. [1] Because of this, Kazakhstan has begun to rely less on international financing as it had in previous decades; however, Kazakhstan still takes out loans from the world bank, primarily relating to the countries environmental issues. [2]
Upon leaving the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan showed impressive growth due to its governments willingness to accept Market liberalization and widespread banking reforms. Spearheaded by its booming oil industry, Kazakhstan was able to produce 60% of the GDP of Central Asia while it experienced an average of 10% growth rates from 1996 through 2006. [3] The rapid growth in the economy has meant that World Bank efforts in Kazakhstan have been primarily focused on fixing issues related to the countries dire environmental issues. Specifically, early World Bank efforts had focused around replenishing the dried Aral Sea which had been reduced to nearly 10% of its original size since Soviet irrigation projects had begun in the area in the 1960s. [4] It is in the view of the World Bank that efforts to bring water back to the North Aral Sea have largely been successful thanks to the construction of the Kok-Aral Dam which raised the water levels by 4m. [5] Along with projects to restore the Aral Sea, early on in Kazakhstan's reemergence post-Soviet Union, the World Bank also invested in infrastructure projects. World Bank investments in infrastructure in Kazakhstan were primarily loans given to supplement ongoing projects such as the construction of an electricity grid and thousands of Kilometers of planned roads. [6]
Currently the branch of the World Bank which provides the most funds to Kazakhstan is the IBRD. The IBRD has had 48 projects in Kazakhstan and has committed more than 8 billion USD to infrastructure, developmental, and environmental projects. [7] The most recent major project that has been funded by the IBRD was a 1 billion dollar loan given for programmatic development policy financing. [8] The goal of this major project, contradictory to the World Banks primary goal of environmental reform in Kazakhstan, is to help Kazakhstan reorient its economy so that it is less reliant on the Oil Industry. The loan, which was approved in 2015, is currently being repaid by Kazakhstan.
The International Finance Corporation has also had major involvement in Kazakhstan's development efforts. It has directly invested in 26 projects worth over 1 billion dollars, and has been an adviser on 5 projects totaling nearly 10 million dollars. Most recent investment from the IFC have been to financial institutions with the goal of providing support for small enterprise in remote parts of Kazakhstan. [9] Some recent projects have also targeted Agribusiness, in order to increase the countries food production and decrease its reliance on foreign imports. [10]
MIGA has also given two loans to Kazakhstan, although MIGA does not participate much in the growth of Kazakhstan as its focus is primarily on lower-income developing countries. MIGA's only involvement in Kazakhstan was two loans of 190 million dollars given to the ATF Bank in Kazakhstan in the effort to alleviate stresses from the 2007–2008 financial crisis. Both of these loans aimed to allow the ATF Bank to diversify its portfolio to include more small and medium enterprises. [11]
Overall trends for the economy in Kazakhstan indicate that World Bank efforts to help the development of Kazakhstan have been a net positive for the country. This is reflected in the rising life expectancy and decreasing poverty ratio of the country. [12] However, evidence suggests that the World Bank has failed to effectively tackle one of its main goals in Kazakhstan, protecting the environment. Although efforts to revitalize the Aral Sea have largely been successful, Carbon dioxide emission in the country have rapidly increased since the year 2000. [12]
The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) is an international financial institution, established in 1944 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States; it is the lending arm of World Bank Group. The IBRD offers loans to middle-income developing countries. It is the first of five member institutions that compose the World Bank Group. The initial mission of the IBRD in 1944, was to finance the reconstruction of European nations devastated by World War II. The IBRD and its concessional lending arm, the International Development Association (IDA), are collectively known as the World Bank as they share the same leadership and staff.
The World Bank Group (WBG) is a family of five international organizations that make leveraged loans to developing countries. It is the largest and best-known development bank in the world and an observer at the United Nations Development Group. The bank is headquartered in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It provided around $98.83 billion in loans and assistance to "developing" and transition countries in the 2021 fiscal year. The bank's stated mission is to achieve the twin goals of ending extreme poverty and building shared prosperity. Total lending as of 2015 for the last 10 years through Development Policy Financing was approximately $117 billion. Its five organizations are
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Sri Lanka has been involved with the World Bank since its initial entrance into the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) on August 29, 1950. Currently, Sri Lanka's quota in the IBERT is approximately 515.4 million dollars, thus allotting 5,846 votes or 0.25% of the total votes in the institution. Sri Lanka later became a member of the other institutions in the world bank such as the International Finance Corporation (IFC) on July 20, 1956, with a current quota of 7.491 million dollars, allotting 8,311 votes or 0.32% of the total votes; the International Development Association (IDA) on June 27, 1961, with a current share of 98,100 votes or 0.36% within the institution; the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) on November 11, 1967; and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) on May 27, 1988, with a current quota of 4.78 million SDR. Sri Lanka is currently in the India-led constituency for these organizations, representing the country as part of the South Asian block.
The World Bank Group country partnership framework aims to support Haiti's efforts to reduce poverty and provide economic opportunities for all Haitians. The framework aims to strengthen institutions, government capacity, and public financial management as aid and concessional financing rapidly decline.
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Uruguay and the World Bank have been working together for a long time. This is because they both mutually benefit.
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Croatia joined the World Bank in 1993, two years after declaring independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1991. The World Bank's projects from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s primarily focused on infrastructural and environmental projects.
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