Reuters quoted CGD president Nancy Birdsall on the World Bank.
From the article:
"Nancy Birdsall, head of Washington's Center for Global Development, said $3.5 billion was a "modest" amount given the vital funding role the Bank played in the crisis and will play in future development challenges, such as climate change.
The World Bank's request for more resources also comes as developed countries grapple with mounting debt levels.
"It is a pretty modest increase," Birdsall told Reuters, adding: "This reflects political realities not only in Europe but also in the U.S."
While the rich world has long given lip-service to helping the poor and routinely jumps in when catastrophes occur, their budgets are squeezed and public debt is mounting.
"It is rich countries' capital that has traditionally mattered and their legislatures are not feeling very friendly to requests for more money for international situations when their fiscal problems are so great and their debt so high," Birdsall added."