President of the World Bank to Speak at Yale

Robert B. Zoellick, the President of the World Bank, will speak at Yale on Wednesday, February 9. Free and open to the public, the talk will take place at Luce Hall auditorium, 34 Hillhouse Avenue, at 4:15 p.m.

The format of the talk, which is hosted by the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization, will be an interview of Zoellick by Center Director Ernesto Zedillo. The former President of Mexico was appointed by Zoellick in 2008 to chair a commission charged with exploring ways for the World Bank to operate more effectively in the global economy of the 21st century. The Commission’s final report, “Repowering the World Bank for the 21st Century,” was launched in October 2009.

Zoellick became the 11th President of the World Bank Group in 2007. Established in 1944 at Bretton Woods, the World Bank Group is dedicated to fighting poverty worldwide by providing resources, sharing knowledge, helping to develop human potential and forging partnerships in the public and private sectors. The World Bank is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world and has more than 10,000 employees in more than 100 offices worldwide.

Prior to becoming the World Bank chief executive, Zoellick served in the U.S. Cabinet as the 13th U.S. Trade Representative from 2001 to 2005; Deputy Secretary of State from 2005 to 2006; and Vice Chairman of the Goldman Sachs Group as well as Chairman of Goldman Sachs Board of International Advisors from 2006 to 2007.

He worked with Ministers from nearly 150 economies to launch the Doha Development Agenda in the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001 and was instrumental in completing the accession of China to the WTO. Zoellick was briefly the Deputy Chief of Staff at the White House and Assistant to President George H.W. Bush, and helped prepare the President for the Economic Summits of 1991–92.

The Yale Center for the Study of Globalization is devoted to examining the impact of an increasingly integrated world on individuals, communities, and nations. The Center aims to bridge the gap between the worlds of academia and public policy and is particularly focused on practical policies to enable the world’s poorest and weakest citizens to share in the benefits brought by globalization.

The event is not ticketed and no reservations are necessary, but seating is limited and early arrival is advised.

For more information call 203-432-1904 or email globalization@yale.edu.