Kathamandu, Nepal – World Bank has assigned a new member for the position of a Country Director of Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka of South Asia.
Effective from today, the new assigned Country Director for Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka is Mr. Faris Hadad-Zervos. Based in the sub-regional office in Kathamandu, Nepal, Mr. Hadad-Zervos will lead the World Bank support to these countries by overseeing the current total portfolio of approximately $5.5 billion provided by the World Bank.
Mr. Hadad-Zervos is announced as the new Country Director as the previous member in that position, Ms. Idah Z. Pswarayi-Riddihough will be taking on a new assignment of the World Bank.
Mr. Hadad-Zervos is a citizen of the United States who previously worked in the position of the World Bank Country Manager for Nepal. He first joined the World Bank in 1996 and has had held the positions of the country manager in Malaysia and Bolivia, as Managers of the Technical Cooperation Program with the Gulf Cooperation Countries, as Head of Mission for Iraq, and as an Operations Manager for the West Bank and Gaza.
He stated that during the Covid-29 crisis it is critical to protect lives and livelihoods and support economic recovery as countries fight to protect themselves against the virus.
“My first priority is to ensure that World Bank-financed programs help alleviate the health and economic impacts of Covid-19, create jobs, and foster inclusive and sustainable growth in the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, and I look forward to working with governments, development partners, the private sector, and civil society,” Mr. Hadad-Zervos stated.
The World Bank is providing over $350 million to help the governments of Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka prevent, detect, respond and strengthen public health preparedness for any emergencies that may arise due to the ongoing pandemic Covid-19.
