World Bank appoints Dirk Messner to "Knowledge Advisory Commission"

Established by World Bank president, Robert Zoellick, the new Commission has been designated to help the World Bank to be not only the most important international institution for development financing, but to become the leading 'knowledge bank'.

Messner will be a major speaker at this year's Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum in Bonn, Germany. His institution, a leading German think tank for global development and international development policy, will host a workshop on "Intercultural Dialogue on the Challenges of Global Governance".

"The appointment underscores DIE's important role as a creator and broker of knowledge," said Messner. "We have long cooperated closely with our international partners and networks on meeting global challenges. I look forward to sharing these experiences and networks with the Knowledge Advisory Commission."

World Bank president Zoellick will chair the constituent meeting of the Commission in June.

This year's Forum will focus on "Culture. Education. Media. Shaping a sustainable world" and is scheduled for 25-27 June at the World Conference Center in Bonn. The Forum takes place under the patronage of the German Commission for UNESCO and is co-hosted by the Foundation for International Dialogue of the Sparkasse (municipal savings bank) in Bonn. Other supporters are Germany's Federal Foreign Office, the European Regional Development Fund, the Minister of Federal Affairs, Europe and the Media for the State of North-Rhine Westphalia, the City of Bonn, DHL, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Fritz Thyssen Foundation.