金墉在发展中国家财政政策、公平性与长期增长会议上的开幕词（中英对照）

Opening Remarks at Fiscal Policy, Equity and Long-Term Growth in Developing Countries Conference

在发展中国家财政政策、公平性与长期增长会议上的开幕词

World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim

世界银行集团行长金墉

World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings 2013

2013年世界银行与国际货币基金组织春季会议

Washington, DC, United States

华盛顿，美国

April 21, 2013

2013年4月21日

It’s a pleasure to be here today to discuss the important role of fiscal policy in promoting growth and addressing inequities in developing countries -- as well as helping the World Bank Group achieve its core mission of ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity. 

很高兴今天来此讨论财政政策在促进增长与解决发展中国家的公平问题，以及帮助世界银行实现终结极度贫困与促进共享繁荣的核心使命中的重要作用。

In recent years, we have learned important lessons about how fiscal policy can help reduce poverty and inequality, particularly during times of economic and financial turbulence.  Today, I will focus my remarks on how the Bank is using these lessons to achieve our mandate.  I hope that my remarks will contribute to a robust debate over the course of this important conference.

近年来，关于财政政策怎样能够帮助减少贫困与不平等尤其是在经济和金融动荡时期，我们获得了重要的经验教训。今天，我着重讲世行如何利用这些经验教训来实现我们的使命。我希望我的讲话有助于在此次重要会议期间开展激烈讨论。

The aspect of fiscal policy that has traditionally received most attention is the need to maintain fiscal sustainability so as to ensure macroeconomic stability. This remains fundamental.

财政政策历来最受关注的一个方面是需要维持财政可持续性从而确保宏观经济稳定。这仍然是根本。

An important reason why developing countries showed such resilience during the recent crisis is that they entered it with substantial fiscal buffers.  For example, Mozambique’s public debt as a share of GDP fell from 131 percent in 1999 to 42 percent in 2008, opening up space for countercyclical fiscal stimulus as the country entered the crisis.  Peru cut its public debt from 42 percent in 2000 to 25 percent in 2008, allowing the government to counter the downturn with an increase in public expenditure that helped the country avoid recession.

为什么发展中国家在最近的危机期间表现出如此的应变能力，一条重要的经验就是他们危机爆发时拥有很大的财政缓冲。例如，莫桑比克的公共债务占GDP的比重在1999年至2008年期间从131%降低到42%，从而为国家遭遇危机时打开了采取反周期财政刺激的空间。秘鲁在2000年至2008年期间将公共债务比重从42%降低到25%，使政府得以用增加公共支出来应对经济下滑，帮助国家避免了经济衰退。

On balance, four years ago developing countries had the fiscal space they needed to avoid the severe cuts in infrastructure and social spending often forced upon them in previous crises.  Many countries’ counter-cyclical spending on social safety nets, health and education helped ensure that the poor were not as hard-hit by this crisis as they had been in the past.

总之，四年前，发展中国家拥有他们所需要的财政空间，从而避免了在以往危机中往往被迫采取的大幅削减基础设施和社会支出的做法。很多国家在社会安全网、卫生及教育等领域的反周期支出帮助确保贫困人口避免了过去的危机带来的沉重打击。

Indeed, our preliminary estimates suggest that extreme poverty continued to fall in developing countries during the crisis, although less quickly than previously.

的确，我们的初步估计显示，发展中国家在危机期间极度贫困率仍在下降，虽然速度比过去慢。

This is impressive news. Developing countries need to be recognized for it. 

这一消息令人印象深刻，需要对发展中国家给予表彰。

Still, this is not a time to rest on the achievements of the past.  Now is the time to start rebuilding buffers that in many cases have been exhausted.  Strong growth across the developing world offers policymakers the opportunity to rebuild buffers without resorting to painful consolidation.

不过，现在绝不是躺在过去的成就上睡大觉的时候。现在正是开始重建在很多情况下已经用尽的缓冲机制的时候。发展中国家普遍的强劲增长给政策制定者提供了一个契机无需诉诸痛苦的整合就可以重建缓冲机制。