World Bank President Jim Yong Kim resigns

Jan. 8 (UPI) -- World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim has resigned after six years working to end poverty and boost prosperity in developing countries.

"It has been a great honor to serve as president of this remarkable institution, full of passionate individuals dedicated to the mission of ending extreme poverty in our lifetime," Kim said in a statement. "The work of the World Bank Group is more important now than ever as the aspirations of the poor rise all over the world, and problems like climate change, pandemics, famine and refugees continue to grow in both their scale and complexity."

The World Bank has 189 member countries. During Kim's tenure, the bank approved a $13 billion capital increase that supported development goals in several countries. It tackled problems such as climate change, pandemics, fragility and underinvestment.

He worked to build climate-smart infrastructure in developing countries while also leading technology companies to use the Famine Action Mechanism to detect starvation before it gets serious.

Kim will rejoin the board of Partners in Health, which he co-founded more than 30 years ago.

"I look forward to working once again with my longtime friends and colleagues at PIH on a range of issues in global health and education," Kim said. "I will also continue my engagement with Brown University as a trustee of the corporation and look forward to serving as a senior fellow at Brown's Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs."

World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva will assume the role of interim president on Feb. 1.