World Bank confirms re-appointment of Jim Yong Kim as President
The World Bank announced that Jim Yong Kim has been re-appointed as the President. His second five-year term will begin on July 1, 2017. Earlier this week, the incumbent President, Jim Yong Kim, had been confirmed as the sole candidate for the next five-year tenure. Kim was the sole candidate as the nomination period had ended without any other candidates coming forward.
Born in Seoul, South Korea, on December 8, 1959, Jim Yong Kim moved with his family to the U.S. at the age of 5. His family put down roots in Muscatine, Iowa. Kim was considered an outstanding student at the local High School: he was class president, valedictorian and played football and basketball. Kim's father taught Dentistry at the Iowa University.
In the late 80s, Kim co-founded 'Partners in health', an organization that developed revolutionary care programs in Haiti. Jim Yong Kim earned a medical degree from the Harvard Medical School in 1991. Two years later, he went on to receive a Ph.D in anthropology from Harvard University in 1993. By the mid-1990s, 'Partners-in-Health' had helped treat thousands of underprivileged patients.
'Partners-in-Health' pioneered a grassroots methodology to tackle illnesses by training locals to provide medical care. This increased compliance of treatment amongst the sick. The Haitian 'Partners-in-Health' was replicated near Peru's capital and achieved massive success in treating TB outbreak.
Kim joined WHO to spearhead a project, whose goal was to treat 3 million new HIV/AIDS cases by 2005. The 3-year project was criticized for not focusing on testing or providing drugs to pregnant mothers. Donor nations were put-off by the $6 billion project-cost. The target was achieved in 2007 and HIV/AIDS was no longer a death sentence but a chronic and manageable disease.
Jim Yong Kim became Dartmouth College's President in 2009. Using his connections with 'Partners-in-Health' Kim created Dartmouth Haiti Response; it generated millions in donations and effectively responded to devastation after the Haiti earthquake. His tenure soon turned stormy; he slashed a $100 million from the student budget, clashed with faculty over lack of transparency and his presidency was labelled a "failure" by the student-body.
Jim Yong Kim was elected World Bank's president in 2012. He is the bank's first president whose professional and educational background is not from the political or financial sector; he's the first to have decades of hands-on experience in tackling health-issues in developing countries. His first tenure at World Bank was market by frequent internal rebellion in response to structural changes initiated by him.
Jim Yong Kim was a surprise pick by President Obama over other well-known candidates. He said, "Jim's personal experience and years of service make him an ideal candidate for this job. It is time for a development professional to lead the world's largest development agency."
