The World Bank Group has appointed Ulrich Schmitt as its new Country Manager for Moldova, effective July 1, 2025. He replaces Inguna Dobraja, who was the World Bank Group Country Manager since July 2021.
“I’m honored to represent the World Bank Group in Moldova, where I will actively work with the public and private sectors to find solutions for creating jobs, improving human capital, and boosting Moldova’s competitiveness,” said Mr. Schmitt. “Despite the series of crises stemming from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, along with other lingering development challenges, Moldova’s EU candidacy, combined with strong reform momentum and investments in resilience, offers a great opportunity for the country to foster long-term sustainable growth.”
In Moldova, the World Bank Group works to support regulatory reform and boost green, resilient, and inclusive development and competitiveness with three key objectives: to create jobs, improve human capital, and increase green investment, particularly in infrastructure and agriculture. The current Country Partnership Framework for Moldova reflects this unified approach, with activities to support sustainable development and the country’s goal to advance toward European Union accession, as well as capacity-building and digitization efforts to strengthen public and private sector systems and institutions.
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A German national, Schmitt most recently served as Operations Manager for Myanmar and Thailand, based in Bangkok, overseeing the operational program, office operation, and strategic engagement of the World Bank in both countries. He brings more than 20 years of World Bank experience to the role having worked as Lead Agriculture Economist in the World Bank’s Europe and Central Asia Department in Washington, DC, as Program Leader for Sustainable Development in the World Bank Office for Sri Lanka and the Maldives based in Colombo, and as Senior Natural Resources Economist on investment operations and analytical tasks based in Beijing, China. Schmitt holds a Ph.D. in natural resources management from Technical University of Munich.
About the World Bank Group: The World Bank Group has a bold vision: to create a world free of poverty on a livable planet. In more than 100 countries, the World Bank Group provides financing, advice, and innovative solutions that improve lives by creating jobs, strengthening economic growth, and confronting the most urgent global development challenges. The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries. It consists of the World Bank, including the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA); the International Finance Corporation (IFC); the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA); and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). For more information, please visit www.worldbank.org, www.miga.org, and www.ifc.org.