PARAMARIBO, Suriname (CMC) – The newly appointed World Bank Group Resident Representative for Suriname, Diletta Doretti, says her appointment is aimed at unifying country-level leadership across the institution to better support the Dutch-speaking Caribbean Community (Caricom) member’s public and private sector priorities.

The World Bank said the newly created position provides a single point of contact for access to the full breadth of World Bank Group products and services and will enhance the institutions’ ability to address global challenges, and drive development with speed, efficiency, and impact.

“Our goal is to holistically support Suriname’s development and having unified leadership to partner with the government and the private sector will ensure that we can deliver impactful results,” Doretti said.

“We recently launched a joint country strategy to support Suriname’s long-term development vision, considering recent offshore oil discoveries,” she added.

In Suriname, under the new country strategy, the World Bank Group works to increase employment, improve access to quality education and training, as well as reduce vulnerabilities while ensuring that Suriname’s workforce is prepared for future economic opportunities, especially in emerging sectors.

The strategy also aims to strengthen private sector development through enhancements to the business environment, continued support for the inclusive and sustainable development of the extractive industries, and development of small and medium enterprises in priority sectors.

In addition to this new role, Doretti will continue to serve as World Bank Group Resident Representative for Guyana.

Since joining in 2002, she has held various positions at the World Bank, including as Senior Private Sector Development Specialist for the World Bank West Africa region, based in Mali. Doretti has extensive World Bank experience, including country engagements and developing strategies for private sector development, entrepreneurship, and innovation. Her most recent role had been World Bank Resident Representative for Suriname and Guyana.

The World Bank said the introduction of joint country representation is an important step toward building a stronger World Bank Group.

It said Suriname is one of several World Bank Group offices transitioning to a single World Bank Group Country Manager or Resident Representative for the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA). Previously, Doretti represented just the IBRD.