The World Bank faces “an uphill task” persuading donor¹ countries to meet its fundraising target of $39bn for the International Development Association, the bank’s concessionary lending arm that provides funds to the world’s poorest countries, Robert Zoellick, president, said yesterday.

佐立克在东京举行的新闻会上表示，包括预算限制、纳税人抵触及美元和日元走软在内的各种因素，使当前这轮为期3年的筹款期变得非常棘手。本轮筹款期将于今年12月结束。

In a briefing in Tokyo, Mr Zoellick said factors including budget constraints², taxpayer³ resistance and a weak US dollar and Japanese yen⁴ made the current three-year round, which closes in December, very difficult.

他表示：“我的部分工作职责，就是说明IDA为什么重要。如果能表明援助与某个国家或某个具体问题或某种疾病有直接联系，往往会有利于获得捐赠。但IDA是一只综合性基金。”

“Part of my job is to explain why IDA is important. What tends to sell aid is if you can show it has a direct connection for the country or a particular problem or a disease. But IDA is the general fund,” he said.

日本已大幅削减了向IDA捐赠的金额，从6年前占总额的18.7%降到现在的12.28%，落到英国之后，名列第三。佐立克表示，他正在努力说服日本政府不要再继续减少捐赠。

Japan had cut its IDA pledges sharply, from 18.7 per cent of the total six years ago to 12.28 per cent now, pushing it into third place behind the UK. Mr Zoellick said he was trying to persuade Tokyo not to cut further.

日本的海外发展援助总额在6年中减少了38%。一位世行官员表示，按照一些计算方法，到明年，德国和法国的援助捐赠国排行可能会超过日本，将这个全球第二大经济体挤到第五位。

Overall, Japan’s overseas development aid had shrunk 38 per cent in six years. By some calculations Germany and France could overtake Japan as aid donors⁵ by next year, pushing the world’s second-biggest economy into fifth place, a world bank official said.

除了预算限制及美国和日本的货币贬值以外，以前作出的债务豁免承诺也让本轮筹款变得更加复杂。贫困国家获准免于偿还的IDA款项大约有60亿美元，在正常情况下，这些款项会用于再投资。美元和日元的贬值提高了每份“特别提款权(SDR)”的购买价格。

Apart from budgetary constraints and currency depreciation⁶ in the US and Japan, which make buying each “special drawing right” more expensive, the round is complicated by previous debt forgiveness pledges. Poor countries have been allowed to skip about $6bn in IDA repayments⁷, which would normally have been reinvested.

佐立克指出，一个积极的（即使在很大程度上只是象征性的）进展是，中国首次表示愿意捐赠资金。中国财政部长金人庆曾表示，他希望参加11月在都柏林召开的IDA捐赠国会议。

One positive, if largely symbolic⁸, development was that China for the first time had indicated it might be willing to pledge funds, Mr Zoellick said. Jin Renqing, China’s finance minister, had said he wanted to attend an IDA donors’ meeting in November in Dublin.

佐立克表示：“这说明中国将在IDA援助体系中成为一个负责任的利益相关者。”

“This is China being a responsible stakeholder in the world of IDA support,” Mr Zoellick said.

中国财政部昨日拒绝置评，但一位知情官员表示，国务院还没有批准参与这轮IDA筹款。

The Ministry⁹ of Finance in Beijing declined to comment yesterday but an official familiar with the issue said the State Council had not yet approved participation¹⁰ in the IDA round.

经合组织(OECD)的数据显示，中国2004年收到了16.7亿美元的援助，成为第七大受惠国。不过，随着日本政府的援助终止，中国接受的援助将会减少。

China received $1.67bn of aid in 2004, according to the OECD, making it the seventh largest recipient, although that will decline as aid from Tokyo ends