Islamic Development Bank celebrates its 50th anniversary

By Gokhan Ergocun

RIYADH (AA) - The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group celebrated its 50th anniversary with a golden jubilee ceremony on Sunday.

The event in the capital Riyadh was joined by high-level officials from member countries and representatives of international institutions.

Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan, the bank’s governor Muhammad Sulaiman Al Jasser, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Hissein Brahim Taha, the general secretary of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva gave speeches at the ceremony.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Ajay Banga, the president of the World Bank Group, Odile Renaud-Basso, president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Akinwumi Adesina, the head of the Africa Development Bank, Jin Liqun, president of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and Dilma Rousseff, chair of the New Development Bank, sent video messages to the event.

Turkish Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek was also among the attendees at the event.

The golden jubilee ceremony was held as part of the bank's annual meeting, which started on Saturday and ends on Tuesday.

This year, the meeting was held under the main theme of "Cherishing our Past, Charting our Future: Originality, Solidarity and Prosperity."