Suva, Fiji, August 26, 2022- IFC's most senior official in the region will be based in Fiji, underscoring the organization's commitment to enabling a closer focus on challenges facing Pacific Island Countries, including Papua New Guinea, from the need to boost investment to responding to the climate crisis.
Newly appointed IFC Country Manager for Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands Judith Green this week started her regional assignment working in IFC's Suva office. In the coming weeks, Green will meet government officials, private sector representatives and members of the international development community across the Pacific.
"Based in Fiji, Judith will drive private sector opportunities in Pacific Islands Countries (PICs) including Papua New Guinea, supporting their governments as they confront significant challenges from the burden of COVID-19 to the climate crisis. Her move to the region underscores a deep commitment to building strong relationships in the nations where our projects are making a difference for people every day," said Ruth Horowitz, IFC Vice President for Asia and the Pacific. "It is this approach that helped her drive real development gains in the Caribbean, experience that she is now bringing to bear in the Pacific, a region on the frontline of global climate change."
A Jamaican national, Green's priorities include helping countries recover from the impacts of COVID-19, developing the Pacific blue economy, boosting uptake of renewable energy, supporting the tourism sector and closing the gender gap.
"We all have a common interest to improve the lives of people in Pacific Island Countries. I believe that to ensure our work is effective, we must have a sound knowledge and understanding of the issues in those countries," Green said. "We also know that no government or institution can solve the region's development challenges on its own. A key element of IFC's approach is our collaboration with the governments of Australia and New Zealand on innovative solutions to create markets and mobilize the private sector to ensure lasting development benefits."
IFC works with the governments of Australia and New Zealand under the Pacific Partnership, the PNG Partnership, and the Fiji Partnership to stimulate private sector investment and reduce poverty.
For Green, some of the development challenges faced by the Pacific and Papua New Guinea are similar to those in the Caribbean, and also similarly offer a raft of opportunities for private sector solutions. Green recently served in the Caribbean as IFC's country manager overseeing operations in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and the English-speaking Caribbean.
"The regions have some key elements in common such as vulnerability to climate change and natural disasters, challenges with economies of scale and a high cost of production as well as the impact of external shocks and high energy costs. Both regions are endowed with natural beauty and remittances play a large role in their economies," Green said. "Before the pandemic, tourism was a crucial sector for both regions, and how the sector recovers will be important for both regions."
In the Caribbean, Green led innovative initiatives at a time many countries were facing significant fiscal constraints amid a sharp downturn in tourism revenue due to the pandemic. Her leadership contributed to important developments in energy, transport and financial services as well as building strong relationships with regional governments and the private sector to support public-private partnerships and strengthening credit infrastructure.
Green has extensive experience in capital markets and corporate banking, having held senior management positions with RBC Bank Jamaica Limited, Citigroup Global Markets Inc. (New York), and Citibank N.A. Jamaica. She holds a BSc in Accounting from the University of the West Indies and is a Fellow of both the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (United Kingdom) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica.
About IFC
IFC—a member of the World Bank Group—is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. We work in more than 100 countries, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries. In fiscal year 2021, IFC committed a record $31.5 billion to private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity as economies grapple with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, visit www.ifc.org
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