On Friday 21 October International Development Minister Erik Solheim is meeting World Bank President Paul Wolfowiz in Stockholm, where the new president’s first annual meeting with ministers from the Nordic-Baltic countries is taking place. The annual meeting serves as a political forum where the countries can discuss important development policy issues with the President.

- The meeting is a good opportunity to announce the new government’s policy, said the minister. He continued: The items on the agenda include key topics to which this government is giving high priority: human rights, debt cancellation, public welfare benefits and equitable distribution issues.

Together with the other Nordic and Baltic countries Norway is seeking to ensure that the World Bank has a more clear-cut policy on human rights.

Another topic that will be discussed in Stockholm is how the World Bank will follow up the G8 countries’ initiative concerning multilateral debt cancellation, since the decision to take forward this initiative was adopted at the World Bank’s annual meeting in September. There are some important points relating to the implementation and financing of the debt cancellation arrangements that have not yet been clarified. “It is important that the World Bank makes a start on the implementation process for debt cancellation, so that poor countries are assured of additional resources for development,” said Mr Solheim.

The World Development Report 2006 will form a basis for discussions on equitable distribution at the global level and within individual countries, and the issue of the report’s conclusions, and their implications for the World Bank’s policy, are also on the agenda.

Press contact: Assistant Director General May-Elin Stener, ph: +47 95864701