Juergen Voegele was appointed Global Director of the World Bank’s Climate Change Group on 1 July, replacing John Roome. According to its website, Voegele was previously the Bank’s Senior Director of Food and Agriculture Global Practice. He will oversee the implementation of the Bank’s 2025 climate targets, announced in December 2018, as well as its ongoing participation in the Multilateral Development Banks’ joint approach to the Paris Agreement (see Observer Spring 2019).

“At a time of climate emergency, challenges are manifold for the incoming new Climate Director,” said Nezir Sinani of Belgium-based civil society organisation Bank Information Center Europe. “The key and most obvious one is laying out a comprehensive and transparent process to align the World Bank Group’s overall portfolio with the Paris Agreement and implement such an alignment without any further delays. This should see the Bank put a complete end to funding any kind of fossil fuels projects.”