Attention, World Bank staff: Clean up your workstations and look sharp! Your new president, Jim Yong Kim , is visiting the bank’s Middle East and North Africa offices Wednesday.
You thought President Obama’s schedule was tightly choreographed? He’s got nothing on Kim.
(Brittany Trotter/FEMA) - The Federal Emergency Management Agency welcomed Flat Stella, left and Flat Stanley. The World Bank, however, might call them clutter.
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Kim’s journey, from his office in the main building on Pennsylvania Avenue to the bank’s other office building across 18th Street NW, is timed to the minute.
But first things first.
“Please unpack any of your remaining boxes,” advised an an e-mail to the staff last week, and “move any empty boxes/large items for trash to the freight elevator . . . and generally please ensure that the area inside and outside of your office space is neat and clean.”
“Note that while JYK will probably get the ball rolling, we are supposed to ensure that TTLs [task team leaders] are not shy in case he does not.”
“The President will be in our meeting area from 11:18 to 11:28,” another e-mail said.
“Please note that he will be shaking everyone’s hand, so it would be great if everyone could be here by 11:10 so we are ready when he arrives.”
More details came in another note reminding that the schedule was “tight, so it turns out each director or sector manager will only have 1 minute to introduce their team and what it does . . . so think big picture!!”
The schedule looks like this:
10:35 — Inger Andersen, the bank’s vice president for the Middle East and North Africa, and another official pick up Kim in his office.
10:42 — “arrive at J building, via Tunnel” under 18th Street (presumably someone timed this accurately, moving at the pace the president walks).
Then he goes up to the fifth floor.
10:45 to 10:55 — “meet with first 5th floor groups in North atrium.”
10:56 to 11:04 — “Ops and Strategy team.”
11:05 to 11:15 — “PREM [Poverty Reduction and Economic. Management] and FPD [Finance and Private Sector Development] also on 5th floor, South Atrium.”
JYK then goes up the stairs
11:18 to 11:28 — “SD [sustainable development] on 6th floor.”
11:30 to 11:36 — “HD [ human development] on 6th floor.”
“elevator to 2nd floor.”
11:38 to 11:45 — “CMUs [country managers]”.
11:45 — “end of visit.”
As it turns out, this plan builds on a long tradition at the bank intricately orchestrating presentations for royal visits. When James Wolfensohn was president, we’re told, staffers once rented artwork for a day to spruce up their area for his visit.
Let’s just hope Kim doesn’t go over to the J building too often.
She’s been everywhere
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton may not be able to best predecessor Condoleezza Rice’s travel record in terms of miles logged, but she is clearly on pace to set an insurmountable record for most countries visited.
Last month, Clinton’s total hit 100 countries, edging past former Madeleine Albright’s record of 98. She tacked on two more, Mongolia and Laos, on her latest 13-day, 27,000-mile swing, the Associated Press reported.
One Clinton staffer told the AP that the most recent itinerary — France, Afghanistan, Japan, Mongolia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Egypt and Israel — was “especially absurd, even for us.” That grousing may have been the fatigue speaking.
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