World Bank Opens Information Center in Ukraine in Partnership with the British Council

February 3, 2005.

    *** The World Bank Public Information Center was opened today in Kyiv. The Center is hosted by the British Council’s Resource and Information Center (Kyiv, 4/12, H.Skovorody)
    
    At the opening ceremony a Memorandum of Partnership and Agreement on Co-operation were signed by Liliana Biglou, Director of the British Council Ukraine, and Dusan Vujovic, World Bank Country Manager for Ukraine. The Memorandum envisages and outlines the basis for cooperation and joint actions of two organizations in the knowledge dissemination, learning and capacity building for development arena.
    
    “We are really proud to team up with the British Council in providing users in Kyiv and all of Ukraine with free access to wealth of information on global development and Bank's activities.” - said Dusan Vujovic.
    
    
    
    The new Public Information Center at the British Council’s premises is aimed at bringing the World Bank and its publications closer to the clients in Ukraine to students and people of all age looking for knowledge on social and economic development, environment, education, health, fighting corruption, European integration.
    
    
    
    The public information center offers a collection of the World Bank publications, reports and projects documents, among others. The main services delivered are research requests, quick reference inquiries, and free Internet access to the World Bank databases.
    
    
    
    A number of outreach events – seminars, conferences, press briefings, launches of the key publications - are planned for the year 2005 in Ukraine jointly by the World Bank and the British Council.
    
    
    
    More than 50 guests from the international organizations, parliament, government, media congratulated the Bank and the British Council for establishing this information unit and providing a resource where information can be obtained and updated.
    
    
    
    Note for editors:
    
    The British Council was founded in 1934. It appointed its first overseas representatives in Egypt, Poland and Portugal in 1938. Now the British Council operates in 226 cities in 110 countries around the world. The Patron of the British Council is Queen Elizabeth II, with the Prince of Wales as Vice Patron.
    
    
    
    In 1992 the British Council opened its office in Ukraine and since then has gained reputation of the leading organisation that builds mutually beneficial relationships between people in the UK and Ukraine and increase appreciation of the UK's creative ideas and achievements in Ukraine.
    
    
    
    Its main areas of activities are creative arts, innovative science, learning opportunities, reform in education, society and democracy, EU integration, cultural diversity and tolerance.
    
    
    
    The World Bank was founded in 1944. The World Bank Group is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for transition and developing countries. The World Bank’s mission is to fight poverty and improve the living standards of people in the developing world. It is a development Bank which provides loans, policy advice, technical assistance and knowledge sharing services to low and middle income countries to reduce poverty.
    
    
    
    In 1992 the World Bank opened its office in Ukraine. Since that time partnership activities between Ukraine and the World Bank have resulted in many joint projects that are improving the public and private sectors, raising performance in agriculture and energy, protecting the environment and bolstering the social sector. Today Ukraine and the World Bank co-operate on about forty activities, including loans, grants, and economic research.
    
    
    
    World Bank commitments to the country total over US$4.0 billion for 30 operations.