Ranjit Nayak

Ranjit Nayak (born April 28, 1968, in India) is the World Bank Representative in Kosovo.^[1][2]

Nayak saw through Kosovo’s independence in February 17, 2008 and the enforcement of its constitution in June 2008.^[3] Nayak played an important role in facilitating the process of Kosovo’s membership at the World Bank.^[4] Kosovo became the newest member of the five World Bank Group institutions on June 29, 2009, when Kosovar President Fatmir Sejdiu and Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi signed the Articles of Agreement of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and four other agencies of the World Bank Group.^[5]

Nayak is actively engaged in assisting Kosovo's development efforts.^[6][7][8] He is outspoken on the challenges of a new, fragile and post-conflict state. Nayak is articulate on institutional weaknesses, including technical capacity, organizational structures, public institutions, civil society, NGOs and the media, business culture and corruption.^[9][10] He has been able to harness global knowledge towards the development of the young State of Kosovo.^[11] Nayak is leading the work in many sectors such as finance,^[12] energy,^[13] mining,^[14] climate change^[15][16][17] education,^[12][18] transport,^[19] health and social development.

Nayak is involved in the development dialogue in many high-level forums^{[20][21][22][23]} and has ensured partnerships with many organizations such as United States Agency for International Development, the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund, bilateral and multilateral agencies, and NATO (KFOR)^[7] Nayak is a promoter of democratic and multiethnic institutions in a region that features ethnic tensions.^[24] Nayak is conscious of the role of the youth^[25] and the physically challenged in economic development.^[26] Nayak is active in the European lecture circuit.^[27] He remains committed to drawing investments to Kosovo's private sector and channeling it to the country's economic growth.^[28] In a recent interview with the BBC, Nayak acknowledges the impact of the global financial crises in certain sectors but remains optimistic about the future.^[29]

Nayak has acquired his development experience in Afghanistan, Albania, Bangladesh, Czech Republic, India, Indonesia, Kosovo, Mexico, Nepal, Pakistan, Peru, Russia, and Sri Lanka. He has published in the areas of resettlement and migration, post-conflict reconstruction, informal labor market,^[30] youth, corporate social responsibility, forestry, food policy, indigenous peoples, governance, and human rights.^{[31][32][33][34][35]} Prior to joining the World Bank, Nayak has served in the United Nations in Geneva (Switzerland), Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi (India), Food-First Information and Action Network in Heidelberg (Germany), the Institute of Development Policy and Management in Manchester (United Kingdom), among others.

Nayak holds a PhD and an M.Phil. in Social Anthropology from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom; an M.A. in Sociology from Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi, India; and a B.A. in Sociology and Economics from the University of Delhi, India.

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