Bank president says rich countries must take urgent steps to give poor countries market access and increase aid: In a speech today to the UN's Economic and Social Council, World Bank President James D Wolfensohn called on G7 leaders to take steps to open their markets to developing country products and meet their commitments to devote 0.7 percent of their annual GDP to overseas aid. Currently the average figure for rich countries is 0.22 percent with some countries like the United States falling well below by devoting only 0.1 percent of annual GDP to development aid.