ANKARA - Andrew N. Vorkink, the World Bank Director for Turkey Country Unit, said on Thursday that extreme poverty rate had dropped in Turkey.
Turkish State Minister Guldal Aksit received Vorkink.
In the meeting, Vorkink said that there was no change in poverty rate between 1994 and 2002 and stated that the poverty rate stood at 27 percent in these years.
Vorkink noted that he would discuss with Aksit the possibilities of raising living standards in Turkey and problems of the disabled .
Stating that the World Bank team and Turkish State Institute of Statistics (SIS) were carrying out a research on poverty, Vorkink said that they had reached positive results.
Expressing pleasure with many projects implemented by Turkish government, Vorkink said that conditioned money transfer and social development programs performed in eastern Anatolia were examples of those projects.
Vorkink stated that Turkey recorded a growth rate of 7.9 percent in 2002, and 5.9 percent in 2003, and said that the rise in growth rate helped the poverty rate to drop by 27 percent.
The poverty rate decreased thanks to policies of the Turkish government and serious growth rate recorded in Turkey , Vorkink said.
Vorkink noted that the World Bank expected more decrease in the poverty rate thanks to the new three-year economic plan to be put into application.
On the other hand, Aksit said that Turkey would continue to cooperate with the World Bank in areas such as social services, gender equality, and the conditions of the disabled.
(BRC-ULG) 29.07.2004