SHANGHAI, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Dilma Vana Rousseff, the newly elected president of the New Development Bank (NDB), said that fighting climate change, addressing social inequality, and investing in infrastructure development will be the focus during her term of office.
Rousseff made the remarks Thursday during an interview with Xinhua in Shanghai after an inauguration ceremony was held.
The bank announced on March 24 that its board of governors unanimously elected Rousseff as the president of the bank.
"I know the importance of the work of multilateral banks to support developing countries, particularly NDB, in addressing their economic, social, and environmental needs. The NDB is a bank that really has the capacity to be a tool for developing countries," said Rousseff.
To tackle the infrastructure and development challenges faced by emerging economies, the NDB, with its headquarters in Shanghai, was founded by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, and formally opened in July 2015.
Since its establishment, the NDB has approved 98 projects with a total value of 33.2 billion U.S. dollars. By the end of the first quarter of 2023, the bank had approved 22 projects in Brazil, among others.
Outlining the priorities during her term at the NDB, Rousseff mentioned infrastructure development, addressing the problem of social inequality and fighting climate change, as well as meeting sustainable development goals.
The NDB was created to be a global multilateral development bank, and its membership is open to all UN member nations.
Key areas of the NDB's operation include clean energy and energy efficiency, transport infrastructure, water and sanitation, environmental protection, social infrastructure, and digital infrastructure.
In 2021, the NDB admitted Bangladesh, Uruguay, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt as new member countries. ■
