BEIJING, August 1, 2022 – The World Bank is pleased to announce the appointment of Mara Warwick as World Bank Country Director for China and Mongolia and Country Director for Korea, effective today. today. Based in Beijing, Ms. Warwick leads a team that manages an evolving partnership with China, a growing Mongolia support program and a deep knowledge partnership with Korea focused on innovation and technology.

Ms. Warwick has a distinguished career at the World Bank, serving as Country Director for Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe in her last post. She also has extensive experience in China, Mongolia and Korea, having worked as a portfolio and operations manager for these countries from 2012 to 2016. She has lived in China several times since 1994, including Beijing when she was a specialist principal of urban environment at the World Bank from 2006 to 2010.

From 2016 to 2020, Ms. Warwick also served as World Bank Country Director for Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. Previously, she was sector coordinator for sustainable development in Türkiye. An environmental engineer by training, she has expertise in flood management, urban environmental services and disaster risk management. Before joining the World Bank in 2003, she worked as an engineer in the private sector. Ms. Warwick received her BE in Civil Engineering from the University of Adelaide, Australia, as well as her MSc and Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Stanford University in the United States.

“I’m very happy to be back in China, Mongolia and Korea,” Ms. Warwick said. “Over the years, I have witnessed firsthand the significant developments in the region since the 1990s. I look forward to working closely with the three countries, as essential partners of the World Bank, to help address development challenges and strengthen knowledge sharing.

An Australian national, Ms. Warwick succeeds Martin Raiser, who has moved to Washington, DC to take on the role of Vice President for South Asia.

Over the past forty years, the World Bank’s relationship with China has evolved from one where China was a recipient of World Bank financial and technical assistance to one where China is now also a contributor to the World Bank. The Bank’s lending and analytical programs in China today focus on global public goods and institutional reforms to increase impact, with knowledge and advisory services to play an increasing role. The lending program focused on marine plastics, biodiversity and water pollution control in China’s largest rivers, green agriculture, green finance and food security. The analytical program also targets China’s green transition across all sectors.

Over the past three decades, the World Bank has provided over $1.4 billion in development financing to Mongolia. Today, the World Bank Group’s Country Partnership Framework for Mongolia guides the Bank’s work to help Mongolia overcome COVID-19 and new emerging crises while working towards a more sustainable recovery, inclusive and resilient, with a strong focus on job creation and climate resilience. .

The World Bank’s work in the Republic of Korea has evolved to meet the country’s changing needs as it grows from a low-income economy to a high-income economy and a global leader in innovation and technology . Through the Korea Office of the World Bank Group, the World Bank organizes partnerships and joint projects with Korean partners to help developing countries improve financial sector management, promote innovation for growth green and share know-how in information and communication technologies.

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