World Bank vice-president for the South Asia region Philippe Le Houérou on Tuesday emphasised the WorldBank’s strong support for the people of Bangladesh and said he was optimistic about thecountry’sprospectsfor ending poverty and achieving shared prosperity.

Le Houérou made the comments after concluding his first visit to Bangladesh since his appointment in July2013, said a press release.‘Against the odds, Bangladesh has achieved sustainable growth that pulled 16 million people out of poverty inthelastdecade,’saidLeHouérou.

‘The World Bank remains committed to working with this dynamic and resilient country to reduce poverty andbringprosperity to all Bangladeshis, especially the poor,’ he said.He said the World Bank board has already approved $1.75 billion new financing in the current financial year.

‘We are stepping up our engagement and are on track to sign $2.7 billion of new financing agreements bJune 30, 2014,’ he said.

During his meeting with prime minister Sheikh Hasina to discuss the country’s main development priorities,Le Houérou commended the impressive progress Bangladesh had made in poverty reduction, humandevelopment, and economic growth. The World Bank official said, ‘Bangladesh has an excellent record of investing in health, education and socialsafety nets for the poor and I am optimistic that more progress can be made to end poverty and ensure shared prosperity.He went on saying, ‘Today, more Bangladeshis are living longer, healthier lives, and more children are stepping into classrooms.

But, to achieve middle income status, the country needs to do more to narrow thepower and transportation gaps, manage urbanisation, reduce climate change impacts and improve the easeof doing business environment and public service delivery. The World Bank will work harder here to address infrastructure bottlenecks, especially in the power and transport sectors,’ The vice-president visited several World Bank-financed projects in Bangladesh’s southern region. He visitedrural communities, living in the front line of climate change in the coastal area, who have transformed theirives with the help of better livelihood options and community infrastructure under the Notun Jibon Project.

This project has improved the lives of 3.5 million of the poorest people. He saw World Bank-financed cycloneshelters that serve as schools during normal weather. He also visited rural communities accessing electricity intheir homes and shops through solar systems.

The Rural Electricity and Renewable Energy Development IIproject has installed more than 2.8 million solar systems in homes and enterprises in remote villages that otherwise would have no electricity.Le Houérou also visited the port and the Export Processing Zone in Chittagong.

He noted how the privatesector is driving growth and creating thousands of jobs. He also stressed the urgent need to improve theefficiency of the port and the transport sectors to increase economic growth to help the country achieve middle-income status.

Le Houérou met senior government officials, civil society and private sector leaders to find out how WorldBank support can be best aligned with the country’s priorities. He also discussed ways to improve theimplementation of World Bank-financed projects to ensure faster and better results for the people of Bangladesh.