Several weeks ago, I was in Cartagena speaking with women who have suffered unspeakable acts of violence mere miles from where the region's heads of state will gather in lavish style.

Jim Kim represents a break from the past -- as both his supporters and detractors agree -- and would surely steer the World Bank in new directions.

The opening up of the contest for World Bank president is a historic change whose significance has not been fully appreciated. This is not surprising, given the widespread misunderstanding of the IMF and World Bank.

Could Jim Yong Kim's presidency offer a chance to reinvent the World Bank? Redirecting the supertanker of multilateral development finance will take more than a change of presidents. The entrenched interests in the Bank's management and board will try to prevent a change of course.

President Obama's nomination of Dr. Jim Yong Kim is receiving immediate reaction in the global media as an inspired and surprising choice. It is indeed both.

I want to see a World Bank that emphasizes the fundamental values of dignity, poverty alleviation and human development -- the core values that define Jim's academic and research profession.

President Obama has nominated Jim Yong Kim, a physician who has been a leader of efforts to extend access to health care in poor countries, to lead the World Bank. This is a huge, historic victory for justice.

I think a basic job requirement of leading a major international development institution is that you have an expansive view of human potential. I think the record shows that Larry Summers does not meet this standard, and therefore he is not qualified to lead the World Bank.

In over 70 countries, from financial centers in Malaysia to the Middle East, Islamic finance has been growing rapidly around the world.

President Obama should appoint Jeff Sachs President of the World Bank. Jeff is, without doubt, the world's top development economist.