The five candidates running for president of the Inter-American Development Bank (BID) were on time to begin a restricted-access, face-to-face, virtual meeting at 8 a.m. Sunday Washington time.
First of all, each country presented its applicant in alphabetical order and for Argentina it was Marco Lavagna (instead of Minister Sergio Massa, who was traveling in Indonesia) who showed the credentials of Cecilia Todesca Bocco, the one chosen by our country for that precious regional office to which the Government aspires.
After each candidate spoke separately about their plans and vision, what they would do if elected president, and dozens of applications were submitted from all countries. Through the scrutiny of the entire region, in addition to Todesca, Ilan Goldfajn for Brazil; Gerard Esquivel for Mexico; Nicolas Eyzaguirre from Chile and gerardo johnson from Trinidad and Tobago. The only one who exhibited virtually was the Mexican.
In a black suit and flowered shirt, Todesca, current Secretary of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and trusted official of Santiago Cafiero and Alberto Fernández, presented his program for 15 minutes.
If elected next Sunday, when the complex vote is completed, she will be the first woman to lead the organization since its creation in 1959.. But there are other candidates who have a better chance of replacing the ousted Mauricio Claver Carone.
how he learned clarion From IDB sources who had access to that meeting — Assembly of Governors –, Todesca underlined that development must be considered fundamentally from the integration of regional value chains. For example, in the case of lithium, battery production should be supported. The IDB should focus on funding physical infrastructure for integration and value chain development projects, he said.
He also talked about the need to business searchesto discuss how to assist the most vulnerable countries and sectors. people said “He is sad” in our countries because of the pandemic, because of the war, because of the economy, because of the questioning of the political leadership.
Todesca referred to the Bank’s internal problems and said yes willing to listen everyone and seek consensus on the best way to drive. He pointed out that she was a “team builder” a team builder.
Regarding climate change, a very important issue for Joe Biden’s government, he said he understood the need to work to combat it, but with projects that also contribute to the economic development of the countries.
She also talked about how the Bank should address gender issues and made a proposal develop infrastructure for family care. She said that women in the region devote a lot of time and effort to caring for their children and parents, and investment is needed to build places that provide family care to facilitate these caring duties. The approach has been very well received.
Official sources reported it clarion that “the Argentine position is precisely recover the IDB according to the interests of the whole region as the Bank has historically done, focused on promoting sustainable economic development in the region and fair and secure supply chains. Obviously the challenge of climate change is vital, promoting renewable energies and ecological sustainability, as well as strengthening regional cooperation and integration. Also achieve higher levels of human development in all sectors of the population.
This was Todesca’s first presentation before the Governors, who are the finance ministers or senior officials of the member countries.
how could he rebuild clarion from various IDB sources, Todesca’s presentation was better than expected, as she was nominated at the last minute and doesn’t have as much experience in international organizations as her opponents. However, there were coincidences that the best was the Chilean Eyzaguirre, who was Minister of Economy in the governments of Ricardo Lagos and Michelle Bachelet and director of the Western Hemisphere Department of the IMF for several years. He showed experience and his answers were more accurate, they noted.
Another one who performed well was the Brazilian Goldfajn, former director of the Central Bank of Brazil and also director of the western hemisphere department of the IMF, now retired. Even if they say that he did not benefit from having made a Powerpoint presentation, during the questions ”He’s proven to be solid.” the sources said. “They threw everything at him and he hit back.”
What was below expectations was the Mexican Esquivel, deputy head of the Central Bank and with extensive experience in development organizations, they emphasize. Johnson, the candidate from Trinidad and Tobago, has worked at the IDB for many years and brought his credentials to bear, but no one believes he stands a chance.
Now that everyone knows the candidates and their projects, the desperate race to find agreements for next Sunday’s elections has begun. Negotiations are done at the presidential level and President Alberto Fernández is expected to raise the issue with Biden or US officials at the G20 summit in Indonesia. Meanwhile, Todesca will walk the halls of Washington and visit the Treasury to try to rally support.
It is a complex process: to win the presidency, the candidate must obtain the majority of votes of the member countries, which varies according to the number of shares held by each nation. Nothing can be done without the permission of the United States, which owns 30%. But Brazil and Argentina are very strong in the IDB: they each have 11.35% of the voting power, while Mexico has 7.29%. The successful candidate will also have to garner the support of at least 15 of the countries in the region.
“The race is open” they say. The best positioned candidate in theory is the Brazilian because he is the favorite of the United States, but having been nominated by Jair Bolsonaro, Lula doubts whether she will support him or not. Although no one questions his technical ability, there seem to be questions within the PT about his candidacy. Without the approval of the president-elect, he would lose weight and the support of the United States, which could bless the Mexican.
It is possible that the Chilean appears as a consensual candidate, an idea that our country promoted in principle but failed because Brazil, Mexico and Chile anticipated and nominated candidates.
And Todesca? “It is very difficult for the United States to support Argentina”, the sources point out, emphasizing that Washington’s support is crucial to winning and dragging votes. “But the fact that she’s a woman helps.”
Washington. Corresponding.
Source: Clarin
