The former head of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Mauricio Claver Carone, said goodbye to the institution’s employees after the agency’s directors decided remove him from post.
In a letter to which he had access InfobaeClaver Carone regretted that he did not have “the opportunity to present my case to the 48 members of the Executive Board or to you, the Board of Governors.”
In any case, the official stressed that “together we present historical reforms and one new value proposition for the 21st century; optimized our balance sheets to achieve record financing of $23.5 billion while implementing unprecedented cost savings; we build trust in the private sector to achieve co-financing and mobilization records; we made the biggest gains in a single year in transparency indicators and stakeholder satisfaction surveys; we fought sexism by appointing the largest number of women to decision-making positions in the Bank’s history; we rejected extortion and patronage, ensuring that for the first time small countries were represented in the highest positions; we garnered previously lost support from US Congressional leaders and nongovernmental organizations, and corrected the Bank’s misguided favoritism toward China over the last decade, moving toward a more balanced effort and working with alternatives that would benefit China. Latin America”.
The full letter:
On my first day as President of the Inter-American Development Bank, I stressed that the status quo was not an option. As Bank staff returned to the office, I became more and more convinced that this institution had the talent and ability to lead the region into a decade of never-before-seen opportunities. I thank my executive team and allied Bank staff for incorporating this mandate for action and results into our daily work. We have clearly delivered, and by all measures, 2021 proved to be the most successful year since the Bank’s founding 63 years ago. Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to present my case to the 48 members of the Executive Board or to you, the Board of Governors.
However, together we present historic reforms and a new value proposition for the 21st century; optimized our balance sheets to achieve record financing of $23.5 billion while implementing unprecedented cost savings; we build trust in the private sector to achieve co-financing and mobilization records; we made the biggest gains in a single year in transparency indicators and stakeholder satisfaction surveys; we fought sexism by appointing the largest number of women to decision-making positions in the Bank’s history; we rejected extortion and patronage, ensuring that for the first time small countries were represented in the highest positions; we garnered previously lost support from US Congressional leaders and nongovernmental organizations, and corrected the Bank’s misguided favoritism toward China over the last decade, moving toward a more balanced effort and working with alternatives that would benefit China. Latin America.
But for these positive changes to endure, and for the Bank to deserve more resources from taxpayers and private companies alike, it needs to be a diverse, transparent and, most importantly, truly rules-based institution. For starters, you need committed partners and results-oriented, mission-driven strategies. Unfortunately, many in the region have been stuck with the status quo. The old-guard bureaucracies are deeply entrenched in their own interests, and their sense of privilege is all too pronounced. Instead of working for progress, they are stuck in a cycle of populist ideologies and political patronage. Meanwhile, in the United States, the Biden Administration suffers from partisan myopia and the lack of a cohesive strategy.
In the wake of the latest political attack on me, and despite the fact that the report exculpates me and the staff from all anonymous accusations and violations, they have now declared a lack of cooperation, and have allowed falsehoods to be manipulated and misunderstood. in what was supposed to be an investigation with “the highest standards”.
In an effort by entrenched elites to undermine my leadership and reputation and that of my staff, the Bank has failed to deliver as a rules-based institution. The future of the Bank is at stake. Going forward, it will be essential to ensure that this ad hoc and arbitrary flouting of rules and procedures is never repeated. Failure to take corrective action would be further deliberate negligence on the part of those charged with their protection.
He believed that together we could make lasting positive change possible and empower opportunities to improve lives. However, the commitment to change the Bank, for the benefit of the region and its people, must go beyond the Office of the President to be successful. Unfortunately, it has become clear that very few within the institution are willing to oppose deliberate attempts to undermine progress. My Administration simply cannot want change more than the directors or the stakeholders of the institutions.
It is very clear that the reforms and modernization that the peoples of the Americas deserve do not have the support of the majority of the governments in the region, including the Biden Administration, which does not even defend due process for its own citizens. The Bank needs corporate governance and clear rules, not the arbitrariness promoted by those who have taken refuge in it for decades. It is with disappointment, therefore, that I take this last opportunity to write to you as President of the Inter-American Development Bank, hoping that your mandate will ensure that the Bank does not regress into another lost decade, which we have so proudly overcome in the last two years despite all imaginable obstacles.
I thank those who worked with me in good faith from the beginning, and who will surely continue their efforts for the good of their countries. I am proud of the painstaking strides we have made to overcome the profound challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. To the future leaders of the IDB, I wish you the best in your management. Know that you can always call me if it is to serve the region.
Once again, I thank you for this experience that I will not forget.
My best wishes,
Mauricio
Developing
Source-www.infobae.com