BEIJING/SHANGHAI,April15(Xinhua)--Amidincreasingglobaleconomicuncertainty,theNewDevelopmentBank(NDB)--undernewleadership--issettofurtherunleashitspotentialtosupportemergingeconomiesanddevelopingcountries,andrenewitscommitmenttosustainabledevelopment.

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TheShanghai-headquarteredbank,establishedbyBrazil,Russia,India,ChinaandSouthAfrica(BRICS)in2015,isaimedatmobilizingresourcesforinfrastructureandsustainabledevelopmentprojectsinBRICSandotheremergingeconomies.

DilmaRousseff,awell-knownBrazilianpoliticianandeconomist,onThursdayassumedofficeasthepresidentofthemultilateralinstitution.TheformerpresidentofBrazilisexpectedtobuildupontheachievementsofherpredecessorsandwriteanewchapterofSouth-Southcooperationandglobalsustainabledevelopment.

InaninterviewwithXinhua,Rousseffsaidinvestingininfrastructuredevelopment,addressingsocialinequality,curbingclimatechangeandmeetingsustainabledevelopmentgoalswillbetheprioritiesduringhertermofoffice,whileemphasizingtheimportanceoflocalcurrencyforfinancing.

ThenewNDBpresidentsaidthebankcanmakecontributiontofightingclimatechangeandmeetingthesustainabledevelopmentgoals,forinstance,byinvestinginalternativeenergysources.

Thebank"s2022-2026GeneralStrategy,approvedbytheboardofgovernorslastyear,aimstoprovide30billionU.S.dollarsoverthenextfiveyears.Overthisperiod,thebankwillexpandoperationswiththeprivatesector,multiplydevelopmentimpactanddirect40percentofitsapprovalstoclimatechangemitigationandadaption.

"AsaformerPresidentofBrazil,Iknowtheimportanceoftheworkofmultilateralbankstosupportdevelopingcountries,particularlytheNDB,inaddressingtheireconomic,socialandenvironmentalneeds,"RousseffsaidatherinaugurationceremonyinShanghaiThursday.

BrazilianPresidentLuizInacioLuladaSilva,whoattendedRousseff"sinaugurationceremonyduringastatevisittoChina,expressedhisconfidenceinthebank"spromisingfutureunderthenewleadership.

ThebankhasthequalitiestobecomeoneofthelargestbanksforSoutherncountries,andhasgreatpotentialinimprovingthesituationofdevelopingcountries,Lulasaid.

Withaseven-year-plushistory,thebankhasevolvedfromastart-uptoamajorproviderofdevelopmentsolutions,withitsprojectportfoliofeaturinginvestmentsinareassuchascleanenergy,urbanmobility,water,sanitation,transport,socialanddigitalinfrastructure.

InJuly2016,aboutoneyearafterstartingoperations,thebankmadeitsinauguralbondissuance--agreenfinancialbonddenominatedintheChinesecurrencyrenminbi(RMB)oryuan,worthof3billionyuan(449milliondollars).ItwassoldinChina"sInterbankBondMarket.

Hailingtheissuanceasamilestoneforthemultilateraldevelopmentbank,formerNDBpresidentK.V.Kamathsaidthatitmayhelpboostsustainabledevelopmentandthatitwillsupportmorecleanandrenewableenergyusetoreducecarbonemissions.

Sofar,thebankhasapproved99loanprojectstotalingmorethan34billiondollars,providingstrongsupportforinfrastructureconstructionandsustainabledevelopmentofemergingmarketsanddevelopingcountries,ChineseForeignMinistrySpokespersonMaoNingsaidatadailynewsbriefinginlateMarch.

BRICS,whichishometoover40percentoftheworld"spopulationandaccountsforaboutaquarteroftheglobaleconomy,pursuesopenness,inclusivenessandwin-wincooperation,asisdemonstratedinitseffortstoexpandtheNDBfamily.

In2021,thebankinitiatedmembershipexpansionandadmittedBangladesh,Egypt,theUnitedArabEmirates(UAE)andUruguayasitsnewmembers,addingover280millionpeoplethatcanbenefitfromthebank"smissionandstrengtheningthebank"sglobaloutreach.

EgyptianeconomicsprofessorFakhrial-Fiqi,alsoheadofarelevantparliamentarycommittee,stressedthatthebankisexpectedtobecome"aglobalfinancingplatform,"especiallyfordevelopingandemergingeconomies,whichmeansthatthedoorisopenforemergingeconomiestojoinitandcontributetoraisingitscapital.

"TheNewDevelopmentBankistheproductofapartnershipamongBRICScountrieswithaviewtocreatingaworldwithlesspoverty,lessinequalityandmoresustainability,"whichisverydifferentfromthetraditionalbanksdominatedbydevelopedcountries,saidLula.

"Foralongtime,developingcountrieshavehadadreamtocreatetheirowninvestmentandfinancingtools.TheNewDevelopmentBankhasrealizedsuchadream,foritreallyknowswhatdevelopingcountriesneedandwheretheyneedtoinvest,"hesaid.