It is my great honor and privilege to be selected as the President-designate of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). I am extremely grateful to AIIB's member countries for the unwavering support they have shown to China for proposing the establishment of this new multilateral financial institution, and for their support to me personally. I am overwhelmed by their confidence and trust in my assuming this immense responsibility. I pledge to do my utmost to live up to their high expectations and to lead the Bank in a manner that is consistent with the highest possible standards that are embodied in our Articles of Agreement.
The AIIB aims to improve the livelihoods of the Asian people and those of future Asian generations. Asian development will generate positive spillover effect on other regions as well. And I would like to thank both the regional members and non-regional members for their concerted, collaborative efforts in laying the groundwork for this great institution. This is truly a multilateral financial institution.
The 57 member-countries have jointly created this unique institution through their extraordinary vision, deep commitment and unsparing efforts. The Bank that we are establishing is unique in many ways. This will be a financial institution for infrastructure development with the 21st century governance. It will be an organization that fully reflects the views, voices and values of all its shareholders. It will strive to combine the many strengths of the existing multilateral development banks with best practice from the private and commercial sector.
The AIIB's Articles of Agreement embody these aspirations. The principles of transparency, openness, independence, and accountability underpin the Bank's governance. I am committed to manage it as a 'lean, clean and green' organization. During my tenure, and under the leadership and guidance of the Board of Governors, I will strive to work closely with the Board of Directors and the management team to deliver our shared aspirations for the AIIB.
My immediate priority is to finalize the operational and financial policies and to undertake the logistical and practical steps that will pave the way for the launch of the Bank before the end of the year.
Beyond this I have set myself two overarching priorities:
The first is to develop a strong institutional culture that is grounded in the highest principles and ethical standards. I will strive to ensure that the AIIB develops and embodies a corporate ethos that is characterized by transparency, integrity and accountability, and is focused on meaningful and measurable outcomes and results.
The second is to deliver financing and services to clients that is catered to their needs. Sustainable development is the key. The AIIB's assistance to its clients should be technically, financially, economically, environmentally and socially sustainable; its operations should be cost-effective and should be delivered in a timely manner. The AIIB's policies should be designed to reflect highest possible international standards, and these polices must be implemented rigorously. The AIIB must be a multilateral financial institution that is client-responsive, pro-active, and results' oriented. The staff of the AIIB must be problem-solvers, driven by a strong sense of purpose that is focused around the improvement of Asian people's livelihood. Looking forward, I will rally the management and staff around me to serve AIIB's shareholders to the best of our ability. The AIIB team should be united, and always committed to cooperating with all our stakeholders and external partners. They should never compromise their integrity and that of the AIIB. It should be our shared goal that this Bank is greatly valued by clients, highly respected as a good global citizen, and well-recognized as a leading innovator capable of promoting environmentally-sustainable economic and social development through infrastructure investment.
Once again, I would like to express my deep gratitude to the Chief Negotiators and their teams for so effectively representing their countries through their commitment and hard-work. Once again I would like to thank the Ministers from the member countries for their trust, guidance and support.
I am also appreciative of the support and technical advice that have been kindly provided to us by the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the European Investment Bank, and other members of the greater family of MDBs. We look forward to continuing such close cooperation and partnership.
I would also like to thank my staff working in the Multilateral Interim Secretariat for their single-minded dedication to the establishment of this new bank.
Please allow me to express appreciation to the Government of China for spearheading the AIIB vision and for its leadership of the Chief Negotiator's process.
Finally, I would like to thank the government of Georgia for hosting this great event. Tbilisi is the witness to the great progress we have achieved in moving towards our objective of having AIIB up and running before the end of this year. What I have enjoyed in Tbilisi will stay forever in my heart and mind.
