美国总统奥巴马在白宫发表讲话，提名美国达特茅斯学院校长韩裔美国人金勇（JIM Young Kim）担任世界银行行长，接替罗伯特·佐利克。
达特茅斯学院是美国常春藤盟校之一。金勇是担任常春藤名校校长的第一位亚裔美国人。金勇生于首尔，1959年他5岁时随家人移居美国。他在哈佛大学取得医学博士和人类学博士学位，当过医生，他是世界健康问题专家和带头人。
奥巴马总统的提名出乎不少人的意料。金勇不是银行家，也不是美国政府中的决策者。在这之前，分析人士估计美国会提名前白宫经济顾问萨默斯或者劳拉·泰森。
世行的现任行长佐利克将在6月结束任期。几位候选人中的胜出者将成为接班人。世行行长提名工作将在3月23日结束，当局希望在4月之前任命新行长。
目前被提名的候选人除了金勇，还有三个非洲国家提名的尼日利亚财政部长伊维拉，他曾任职世界银行，当副行长。此外还有哥伦比亚前财政部长奥坎波。
在各国之中，美国对世界银行出资最多，投票权也最多。世界银行自从68年前建立以来，根据传统和一份非正式协议，行长一直是美国人，而国际货币基金组织的总裁一直是欧洲人。
一些专家、分析人士和发展中国家说，不断变化的全球经济现实意味着应该采用一种更开放的过程来让不同国家有才华的官员有机会进入世行最高领导层。 全球第二大经济体中国表示，下一任世界银行行长应该按业绩选拔，打破一直由美国人担任的传统。中国和其它新兴经济体近年来一直在施加压力，要求美国与欧洲改变世行和国际货币基金组织按国籍挑选领导人的传统。
世界银行执行总监赫吉奴斯·马诺承认，很多人对世行一直以来选择美国人担任行长的习惯表示困扰。但是他在接受美国之音采访时表示，世行致力于采取透明方式选择最佳人选。世行由187个成员国组成。其董事会宣布佐立克卸任的消息时也表示，世行将按照2011年采纳的原则以公开、择优和透明的程序挑选新行长。但这并不能保证美国之外的候选人能领导世行。
这个职位需要一位有领导才干和外交才能的人，他要具备管理大型机构的经验，理解并赞赏多边合作。
现任世行行长佐利克及其前任保罗•沃尔福威茨都曾是美国高官。沃尔福威茨的前任沃尔芬森是华尔街的一位享有国际声誉的投资银行家。
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奥巴马总统讲话原文：
Remarks by President Barack Obama
Subject: Naming of Nominee to Head the World Bank
Location: The White House, Washington, D.C.
Time: 10:07 a.m. EDT
Date: Friday, March 23, 2012
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Good morning, everybody.
In February Bob Zoellick, the current president of the World Bank, announced that he would be stepping down at the end of his term in June. Bob has been a strong and effective leader at the bank for the last five years, and when he told me about his plans, I immediately began to search for someone to fill his shoes.
Now, despite its name, the World Bank is more than just a bank.
It's one of the most powerful tools we have to reduce poverty and raise standards of living in some of the poorest countries on the planet. And in a world that is growing smaller and more connected every day, that's a critical mission, not just for those who are struggling but for all of us.
When we reduce hunger in the world or help a farmer recover from a flood or a drought, it strengthens the entire world economy. When we put an end to a preventable disease, all of us are safer because of it. When an entrepreneur can start a new business, it creates jobs in their country but also opens up new markets for our country. And ultimately, when a nation goes from poverty to prosperity, it makes the world stronger and more secure for everybody.
That's why the World Bank is so important. And that's why the leader of the World Bank should have a deep understanding of both the role that development plays in the world and the importance of creating conditions where assistance is no longer needed.
I believe that nobody is more qualified to carry out that mission than Dr. Jim Kim. It's time for a development professional to lead the world's largest development agency. And that's why today, after a careful and thorough search, I'm nominating Dr. Jim Kim to be the next president of the World Bank.
Jim has spent more than two decades working to improve conditions in developing countries around the world. As a physician and an anthropologist, he co-founded Partners in Health and led a world health organization campaign to treat 3 million patients with HIV/AIDS. I've made HIV/AIDS and the fight against that dreaded disease and the promotion of public health a cornerstone of my development agenda, building on some of the outstanding work that was done by President Bush. We pursue these efforts around the globe because it's the right thing to do, and also because healthy populations enable growth and prosperity.
And I'm pleased that Jim brings this particular experience with him to his new job.
Jim was also the chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He's earned a MacArthur genius fellowship, and for the last three years he has served as the president of Dartmouth College. I should also mention that after immigrating to this country form Korea at age 5, Jim went on to become the president of his high school class, the quarterback of the football team, the point guard of the basketball team. I just found out he is a 5 handicap in golf. (Laughter.) I'm a little resentful about that last item. But he does it all.
Jim has truly global experience. He has worked from Asia to Africa to the Americas, from capitals to small villages. His personal story exemplifies the great diversity of our country and the fact that anyone can make it as far as he has as long as they're willing to work hard and look out for others. And his experience makes him ideally suited to forge partnerships all around the world.
So I could not be more pleased to nominate Jim for this job. And I think I can speak for Secretary Clinton and Secretary Geithner when I say that we are looking forward to working with him.
And I also want to take a minute to thank Bob Zoellick once again for all his hard work. Over the last five years Bob has made the bank more transparent. He's helped shore up progress made in places like Afghanistan. He's raised billions of dollars to help some of the world's poorest communities.
Jim is the right person to carry on that legacy, and I know his unique set of skills and years of experience will serve him well. So I'm grateful to him for his willingness to serve. I do not think that the World Bank could have a better leader. So thank you.
DR. JIM KIM (president, Dartmouth College): Thank you.
MR. : Thank you.
DR. KIM: Thank you.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: You're going to do great. Thank you.
