Dear Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, Governors, Directors, Madame President Dilma Rousseff, Members of the Bank’s Management, distinguished guests and colleagues!
I am glad that for the first time in the last 4 years we have an opportunity to meet each other in person here at the NDB’s Headquarters in Shanghai in order to overview the results of the Bank’s activities in 2022.
Over the past year, we could observe that the traditional system of international development institutions and financial ties may easily fall apart due to political reasons, creating additional risks and costs throughout the world. Unfortunately, in the new reality, the interests of development are being swept away in favor of politics.
The aim of the BRICS is to unite, not to divide. For that reason, when the BRICS countries made a decision to create the NDB, we were led by one simple goal – to create an institute both for developing and developed countries, so we all could have an additional instrument to facilitate our joint development agenda.
The New Development Bank’s aim today is to create new opportunities – new ties, new infrastructure, new standard of living in the NDB’s member countries.
At the same time, the current processes in the global financial architecture create new opportunities for the development of the Bank itself.
Addressing financial, transport and logistics, infrastructure constraints in the Bank’s shareholder countries should become the field of activity for the NDB.
As one of the instruments for the developing economic cooperation among the Bank’s shareholders, NDB should pay special attention to such areas as facilitating technology transfer and promoting innovation, addressing problems of food and energy security, developing sustainable infrastructure, and creating capacity for development.
It is extremely important for the Bank to rely on the internal resources of its shareholders and not be afraid to be ambitious in implementing its agenda.
Furthermore, it is essential for NDB to remain open to new members joining the Bank that share our development agenda, as well as to cooperate with all international organizations.
I am confident that NDB will successfully cope with all the challenges it faces at the moment.