UK Foreign Secretary Ed Milibden Takes Governor Role at World Bank, Prioritising Development and Climate

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced that he will personally assume the post of UK Governor to the World Bank. The appointment is presented as a signal that international development and climate finance are central to the United Kingdom’s foreign policy agenda.

Kirsty McNeill has been named Minister for Development, responsible for day‑to‑day delivery of the UK's modern development approach and for serving as the UK Governor of four regional development banks. Miliband will attend the World Bank’s annual and spring meetings, including the October gathering in Bangkok, to push the Bank toward greater focus on poverty reduction, climate action, food security and affordable energy.

Miliband said, “International development is not an add‑on to British foreign policy – it is central to it,” emphasizing the government’s intent to “punch above its weight” on these global challenges.