Stefano Mocci, formerly the World Bank country manager for the South Pacific, has been appointed as the World Bank Group’s country manager for Fiji, the World Bank announced this week.
The new role is designed to give Fiji a singular point of access to the entire range of World Bank Group products and services. This change is expected to enhance the organization’s ability to tackle global challenges and drive development with increased speed, efficiency, and impact, according to the statement.
“We are committed to this new and unified leadership approach that will enable us to better support the country’s public and private sectors to better serve the people of Fiji,” Mocci said. “Unified bank group leadership will improve our speed and make us a better partner to the government, the private sector, and ultimately the people we serve.”
Before this appointment, Mocci held several positions within the World Bank Group. Most recently, he served as the World Bank Country Manager for the South Pacific and Papua New Guinea.
His extensive experience also includes field-based roles in middle-income countries and fragile, conflict-affected states. He served as Senior Country Officer and Senior Operations Officer in the Middle East and North Africa region, overseeing the World Bank’s program and maintaining close relations with national authorities and key stakeholders in West Bank and Gaza, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria.
Prior to joining the World Bank Group in 2000, Mocci worked as a Governance Program Officer at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Mocci will continue his current responsibilities as the World Bank Country Manager for other South Pacific countries including Kiribati, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Nauru.