US nominates White House official to head IDB

WASHINGTON - The United States intends to nominate Mauricio J. Claver-Carone, a senior White House official, to head the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the US Treasury Department announced on Tuesday.

"The IDB is at a critical juncture as the region faces growing challenges to economic growth and sustainable development, particularly in light of the global pandemic," US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.

"The nomination of Mr. Claver-Carone demonstrates President Trump's strong commitment to US leadership in important regional institutions, and to advancing prosperity and security in the Western Hemisphere," said Mnuchin. "We are confident that his leadership of the IDB will strengthen its ability to deliver development impact to the region."

Claver-Carone currently serves as the deputy assistant to the president and senior director for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the White House National Security Council.

He has previously served as US Representative to the International Monetary Fund, senior advisor to the Under Secretary for International Affairs at the US Treasury Department, and an attorney-advisor with the Treasury Department's Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

Claver-Carone's nomination came as the current IDB president, Luis Alberto Moreno from Colombia, is preparing to step down in September after serving three five-year terms.

If successfully elected, Claver-Carone would be the first American to lead the IDB, a Washington-based development bank for financing in Latin America and the Caribbean, since its establishment in 1959, according to local media.