James D. Wolfensohn spoke at the Initiative for Global Development’s Seattle Speaker Series near the end of his 10 year tenure as World Bank President. Wolfensohn has taken initiative at the World Bank to form new strategic partnerships with governments, the private sector, civil society, regional development banks and the U.N.

At the event, Wolfensohn urged the United States to confront the economic, moral and generational challenges caused by global poverty. He emphasized the importance of developing cross sector partnerships to make reforms that would create long-term sustainable change. Wolfensohn concluded by encouraging the business community to take leadership in the fight against poverty.