Mr McKechnie, on the staff of the World Bank for the past 27 years and now director of its fragile and conflict-affected countries group, says he is rewarded by constant examples of how the bank's efforts help everyday people.
"In Afghanistan, 80,000 children were living at the end of the year who would otherwise have died, was it not for the financial support [we] gave the health sector through non-governmental organisations.
In one province, in one year, the number of pregnant women visiting a health centre for antenatal care went from 4% to 60%.
"Working for the World Bank is almost a calling. People get involved because they feel they can make a difference - and they do."
Born in Gore, Mr McKechnie (60) was raised in Invercargill and completed an economics degree at the University of Canterbury.
After backpacking across Asia, he arrived in London just after the 1973 oil crisis and found work as an energy economist.
He joined the World Bank in 1982, specialising in energy economies, but has headed several units since, including the Afghanistan office from 2002 until last year.
Now, his focus is on the 35 countries whose economies are classified as fragile - 20 of them in Africa - and dozens of countries such as Sudan, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Pakistan, India, Palestine Iraq and Israel, which are either at war with their neighbours or battling civil war.
Mr McKechnie, who spoke yesterday at a seminar organised by the University of Otago's National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, said a billion people lived in countries afflicted by fragility and conflict.
One of the World Bank's aims was to encourage rapid conflict resolution.
"The costs of conflict are very large in both human and economic terms. The global cost of conflict is around $US100 billion per annum, or twice the annual aid budget. Investment to avoid conflict would have a large pay-off."
Adding to the struggles of developing countries was the global recession, Mr McKechnie said.
For fragile countries, the main problem was work drying up for residents who usually worked in other countries and sent money home to support their relatives.
Developing countries were also affected by lower prices for their export goods and a decline in the flow of aid money coming in.
However, despite the world recession, the World Bank had been able to maintain the level of support for low income countries, and had trebled the amount of market rate loans to middle income countries in the past year, he said.
It was able to do that because it was regarded as a conservative and low-risk institution and was still able to attract investors.
World Bank economists predict this year will be the worst for all countries, but expect global GDP growth to begin recovering during next year.
Mr McKechnie plans to visit his parents, Allan and Hilda, who live in Frankton, before returning to his home in Washington, DC.
The World Bank
Formed in 1944 with the aim of reducing poverty in developing countries.
Based in Washington, DC.
Provides low-interest loans and technical advice to developing and middle-income countries through two funds, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Development Association.
Has 186 member countries.
Has more than 10,000 employees worldwide, including economists, educators, environmental scientists, financial analysts, managers, foresters, agronomists, engineers, information technology specialists and social scientists.
Is involved in more than 1800 projects, such as supporting the education of girls in Bangladesh, improving health care delivery in Mexico, and helping India rebuild Gujarat after a devastating earthquake.
Source: World Bank website
