Jean Pesme

From Bangladesh’s informal sector to Bhutan’s hydropower industry, women are building livelihoods in very different ways. The common thread is practical support: training, market access, finance, and better pathways into #jobs. #ClearHerPath wrld.bg/7kZ650YAnGY

Meet Mim Akhter, a floor supervisor at a private electric firm in #Bangladesh. With @WorldBankGroup support, her company adopted international standard technology, expanded exports, created new #jobs and higher incomes. Learn more: wrld.bg/kLaa50YpUz5

In #Bangladesh, exports were dependent on manufacturing of ready-made garments. A @WorldBankGroup project supported export diversification in priority sectors including leather, electrical goods, and more, creating over 180,000 new jobs. Read more: wrld.bg/T12550YpUeR

World Bank VP Johannes Zutt concluded a 3 day visit to #Bangladesh, reaffirming the World Bank Group’s commitment to job creation, inclusive growth, and economic resilience. Read more: wrld.bg/FsrE50Yv848

World Bank VP Johannes Zutt met the 🇧🇩 Finance & Planning Minister, Commerce Minister, and Bangladesh Bank Governor to discuss urgent macroeconomic and financial sector reforms—key to creating more and better jobs and strengthening economic resilience.

Bangladesh’s development has remarkable progress, but the road ahead is complex. In my #BangladeshRising blog series, I explore how the country can turn growth into inclusive progress. All blogs are now available: worldbank.org/en/news/featur…

UNFPA joined @WorldBank & Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics to share findings from the 2024 VAW Survey, capturing voices of 27,000+ women across 🇧🇩. The event also launched the World Bank Women’s Economic Empowerment Toolkit to address gender gaps in economic participation.

@WorldBank Division Director @JeanPesme and @IFC Regional Director Imad Fakhoury concluded a first-ever visit to Bhutan today, reflecting a strong commitment for leveraging full force of the World Bank Group for Bhutan's inclusive growth and development.

Happy Pythagorean Triple Square Day! Today’s date is made of 3 perfect squares and they form a Pythagorean triple: 3² + 4² = 5² This only happens once a century.

Affordable disaster insurance is possible—with the right partnerships. The World Bank Group Academy is helping countries scale public-private models that work. @JeanPesme and @ArupBanerji blog breaks it down. wrld.bg/HSYy50WG9l9

Affordable disaster insurance is possible—with the right partnerships. The World Bank Group Academy is helping countries scale public-private models that work. @JeanPesme and @ArupBanerji blog breaks it down. wrld.bg/HSYy50WG9l9

Learn more in @JeanPesme and @ArupBanerji's blog: wrld.bg/kfZY50WG9j8

Governments can’t shoulder disaster costs alone. Public-private insurance partnerships offer a scalable solution. The World Bank Group Academy is helping countries turn lessons into action. Learn more in @JeanPesme and @ArupBanerji's blog: wrld.bg/rzFE50WG94O

Bhutan and the World Bank dare to dream big blogs.worldbank.org/en/endpovertyi… via @WorldBank

World Bank VP meets Chief Adviser, praises Interim Government's economic steps Dhaka, July 15, 2025 – Johannes Zutt, the newly appointed World Bank Vice President for South Asia, expressed strong support for Bangladesh's inclusive growth and appreciated Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus for the Interim Government's reform agenda in the economic sector. Zutt, accompanied by World Bank’s new Division Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan, Jean Pesme, called on Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna late Monday. During their discussion, Zutt shared his deep affection for Bangladesh, recalling his previous tenure as the World Bank's country director for Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal from 2013 to 2015. "Kudos to you and your fantastic team for doing a good job," he said, acknowledging the Interim Government's efforts under Professor Yunus's leadership, particularly in addressing "some very challenging issues in the financial sector". He added, "We are very much prepared to continue our journey and share the ambition of the people of Bangladesh." He paid tribute to the students who lost their lives in the July Uprising last year, calling it "a very moving moment for everyone who is connected with Bangladesh." The Chief Adviser thanked him for his support and appreciation. "When we assumed the office, it was like a catastrophic zone, like a place after an earthquake. We didn’t have any experience. Yet, all the development partners supported us. And it helped us a lot; it made us confident, he said. Professor Yunus highlighted the role of the youth in the July Uprising and said, “They showed this nation a dream of building a new Bangladesh." He said, ‘What our young people did last July was historic; especially our girls and women played a significant role. We are observing July Women’s Day today. Their sacrifices must not go in vain. Young people are the focal point of our country. We need to concentrate on young people and match their ambition.’ Professor Yunus urged the World Bank not to view Bangladesh merely as a "geographical boundary", insisting that the Bangladeshi economy is much bigger than that. "If Bangladesh prospers, the whole South Asian region will prosper. If we separate ourselves, we are not progressing. We need to develop our international trade facilities and transport. We have an ocean. It is an important part of our economy." "Most countries are short on young people, so we told them to bring their factories here. We will provide the essentials for industries to make a production hub," said Professor Yunus. World Bank Vice President commended Professor Yunus's work in empowering women. "We will continue supporting you. With the World Bank support, Bangladesh had a pioneering girl’s education stipend program that had been replicated in other countries, Zutt mentioned adding ‘the World Bank will help Bangladesh create opportunities for the youth.’ He noted that the global lender financed over $ 3 billion in Bangladesh last financial year and pledged to continue similar support in the next three years. Lutfey Siddiqi, special envoy for international affairs to the Chief Adviser, was also present at the meeting. He provided an update on the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) of Chattogram Port. He noted that container handling at the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) of Chattogram Port has increased with the new operational management. "Our plan is to make it more effective. We also saw a significant surge in net foreign direct investment (FDI) in the January-March quarter of 2025, driven by a sharp rise in intra-company loans and strong equity investments," Siddiqi said.

My new @WorldBank Policy Research Working Paper with @CerianiLidia and Samuel D. Restrepo-Oyola is out! Without a consistent and responsive presence across the territory, governments risk deepening inequality and leaving communities behind. In this paper, we develop an index to capture what we call "state discontinuity" - the uneven presence and responsiveness of the state across the territory. The index reflects various dimensions of state presence related to basic services, education, health, and security. We apply this index to 545 subnational regions across 32 developing countries. We find that the majority of countries in our study have high levels of state discontinuity and the 10 countries with the highest levels are all located in Sub-Saharan Africa. These results underscore the need to consider sub-national variations in state effectiveness when designing development policies, as high levels of state discontinuity can undermine national efforts to promote inclusive growth and stability. Read the full paper here: shorturl.at/OMgPk

Discover how the World Bank’s Finance for Development #F4D trust fund is changing lives, driving systemic changes in financial systems worldwide. Our new e-book highlighting stories of impact is out now: finance4development.org/f4d_stories_of… @WBG_Finance

Last day in South Africa🇿🇦: UNSGSA Queen Máxima met with Finance Minister Godongwana, @fscasouthafrica Commissioner Kamlana, and partners including the @WorldBank, @IFC_org , and @EUinSA to advance financial health in policy, regulation, and development cooperation.

@returningassets @WBG_Finance

#Bangladesh has a growing labor force and private investment potential yet lags as a destination for job-creating FDI. How can 🇧🇩 strengthen its business environment and tap into key sectors for investment and job creation? My Op-ed with @riccardopuliti: wrld.bg/6vRe50VBYti