As the world celebrates International Womens Day, we take a look at where we are on the march towards gender equality. How big is the gender gap and what would happen if we closed it? What are some stumbling blocks along this journey? And how can international organizations like the World Bank Group and IMF help achieve more progress?   Find out the answers to these questions and more as we speak with Victoire Tomegah Dogbé, Prime Minister of Togo; Gita Gopinath, First Deputy Managing...

The transition away from fossil fuels could create as many as 30 million ‘green’ jobs in clean energy and low-emissions technologies by 2030. So what is a ‘green job’? How can countries and companies support jobs that benefit people and the planet? And how can young people prepare for green jobs of the future?  Find out the answers to these questions and more as we speak with Ashish Khanna, Practice Manager, Energy and Extractives, West and Central Africa, World Bank; Manoj Sinha, CEO, Husk...

Forced displacement is a development challenge, not only a humanitarian concern. As of September 2023, 114 million people were displaced, and this number continues to grow as conflict and insecurity rise across the globe. Most refugees are hosted by developing countries, and the issues around support and integration of refugee communities are often deeply political. In this episode— the second in our special series on how to end poverty on a livable planet—we're asking the question: How can...

The 28th UN Climate Change Conference (COP 28) comes at the heels of the hottest year in human history. Our newest episode of The Development Podcast delves into the impact of the climate crisis and urgent solutions to address it. This episode marks the launch of our new limited series on how to create a world free of poverty on a livable planet. Over the next 5 episodes, we’ll explore critical issues affecting planet, people and prosperity. Today, we turn our attention to the planet as we...

The 2023 World Bank Group-IMF Annual Meetings took place from October 9-15 in Marrakech, Morocco, and unveiled the Bank’s bold new vision: creating a world free of poverty on a livable planet. Events and discussions highlighted this new mission, highlighting an expansion in financial capacity, stronger partnerships, deeper engagement with the private sector, and finding more efficient processes.  In this special edition episode of The Development Podcast, we draw on some of the highlights...

Multiple shocks – from COVID-19 to climate change, conflict, crop disease – are crippling food systems, leading to higher food prices and growing hunger.  Up to 783 million people faced hunger in 2022, and projections show that in 2030, over 600 million people will still struggle to feed their families. The way we produce food is also harmful for the planet, generating unsustainable levels of pollution and waste. What can we do to fight the global food crisis, especially in the most...

Meet the International Development Association (IDA), the arm of the World Bank that helps the world’s poorest countries—75 to be exact. It’s the largest single source of donor funds for basic services in these countries and aims to eliminate extreme poverty. IDA’s most recent replenishment, IDA20, resulted in a historic $93 billion financing package for IDA countries for fiscal years 2022-2025. On this episode of The Development Podcast, we explore how IDA works across the world on a range...

How do we address climate change, reduce poverty, and boost shared prosperity on a livable planet? Climate change is one of the defining issues of our time, and no country is immune. On this episode of The Development Podcast, we hone in on voices across Africa about the experience of climate change and how it intersects with poverty, and we hear from Richard Damania, World Bank’s Chief Economist for Sustainable Development in Washington, DC. Tune in as we speak with Cathy Kamamu, a farmer...

Migration is a development challenge. About 184 million people—2.3 percent of the world’s population—live outside of their country of nationality, and almost half of them are in low- and middle-income countries. In this episode of The Development Podcast, we explore the conversation around migration, from global economic imbalances, demographic changes, and conflict, to the opportunities it can bring to people and host communities. To unpack this and more, we speak to Xavier Devictor, the...

The 2023 World Bank Group-IMF Spring Meetings took place from April 10-16, amidst a backdrop of challenges: from stress in the banking sector, persistent inflation, rising debt, climate change and of course Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Addressing this instability, and looking to a future free from poverty, was at the heart of the discussions which involved dozens of contributors from across the globe. In this latest episode of The Development Podcast, we draw on some of the...

There is still a disproportionate amount of work women tend to in caring for others, which has far-reaching consequences beyond personal and societal fractures. What impact does unpaid carework, or labor, have on these women’s economic prospects, and how can we support them? To answer these questions, we speak with Laura Rawlings, Lead Economist for the World Bank’s Gender Group, Nguyen Thi Kieu Trang (KT), Marketing and Communications Manager with CARE International in Vietnam, and Jyoti...

There is a growing breadth and depth to fragility, conflict, and violence (FCV) around the world as we mark one year of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The spillover effects of war can be seen with displacement of populations, high energy and food prices, shocks to natural disasters and more. What is the World Bank Group’s role and long term strategy to addressing FCV? Axel Van Trotsenburg, the World Bank’s Managing Director of Operations, the Honorable John Dabi, Deputy Commissioner of South...

The recently released January edition of this year’s Global Economic Prospects (GEP) report warns that the global economy is dangerously close to a recession, with small states in particular the most vulnerable to shocks and economic recovery. Hear from one of the GEP’s lead report authors, Dana Vorisek, the Hon. Tiofilusi Tiueti, Minister for Finance and Tonga World Bank Governor, and Anna Kay, a female-owned restauranteur in Jamaica, as they speak to the impacts of a global worsening economy.

The past twelve months have been turbulent for the global economy. Conflict, inflation, food supply crises and the long tail of the Covid-19 pandemic have caused shockwaves across the world. In this episode of The Development Podcast we speak to World Bank Group chief economist Indermit Gill who explains what went wrong in 2022. We also get an update from Egyptian baker and restaurant owner Dareen Akkad. Listen now!

COVID-19, the war in Ukraine, and other crises have dealt the biggest setback to global poverty reduction in decades. 2020 alone saw the largest one-year increase in extreme poverty since global monitoring began. Ruth Hill, a lead economist at the World Bank discusses the recent Poverty and Shared Prosperity Report and we hear from Sonia Cifuentes in Bogota, Colombia, about how a government cash transfer program helped her when she needed support to cover the basics for herself and her children.

This year’s World Bank Group-IMF Annual Meetings took place against the backdrop of a series of overlapping crises. The impact of COVID, climate change and conflict were the focus for delegates who gathered in Washington DC. This special edition of The Development Podcast features some of the key discussions.

How can we put people and communities at the center of the transition away from coal? In this episode of The Development Podcast, we hear about the challenges and opportunities with Elizabeth Ruppert Bulmer, Lead Economist with the Social Protection & Jobs Global Practice and Rachel Perks, Senior Mining Specialist with the Energy & Extractives Global Practice, both at the World Bank. We also hear from new solar panel owners in rural India, and from Reema Nanavaty, director of India’s...

What happens when global growth slows, and inflation rises? On the latest episode of The Development Podcast, we explain why stagflation matters, where we’ve seen it before, and what governments can do to temper it. World Bank forecasting expert Franziska Ohnsorge, and debt expert Marcello Estevão give the big picture, while Mexican economist Enrique Cárdenas explains what it felt like to experience stagflation during the so-called “lost decade” of the 1980s.

Why is the world facing a food crisis and what is being done to address this urgent issue? The war in Ukraine has disrupted food supply for an incomparable number of people. Prices are soaring, exports have collapsed, and ports have been cut off. What does that translate to in terms of actual numbers of people suffering from hunger? Listen to this episode of The Development Podcast. We’re talking about food security, the impact of the war in Ukraine, and how people are coping with a supply...

During the 2022 World Bank Group-IMF Spring Meetings, leaders, innovators and change-makers shared how investments in human capital can not only change lives for individuals, but also create more inclusive and equitable societies. Listen to the Spring Meetings highlights in a special series of The Development Podcast.

During the 2022 World Bank Group-IMF Spring Meetings, the heads of the four key global economic policy institutions—the World Bank Group, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the World Trade Organization (WTO)—discussed the importance of trade and global cooperation for overcoming current challenges and implications of subsidies for markets and poor countries. Listen to the Spring Meetings highlights in a special series...

During the 2022 World Bank Group-IMF Spring Meetings, we discussed how to stay engaged during times of crisis and meet the challenges in new and innovative ways, along with our partners. World leaders came together to discuss how to best build resilience & manage uncertainty. Listen to the Spring Meetings highlights in a special series of The Development Podcast.

During the 2022 World Bank Group-IMF Spring Meetings, we explored the actions that are needed to create enabling environments, leverage different pools of capital at the right time, for specific needs, while involving communities and bringing them along in the global low-carbon, resilient transition. World leaders came together to discuss how to best build resilience & manage uncertainty. Listen to the Spring Meetings highlights in a special series of The Development Podcast.

During the 2022 World Bank Group-IMF Spring Meetings, we explored how countries can boost growth, productivity, inclusion and resilience as they recover by embracing private sector innovation coupled with enabling government policy. World leaders came together to discuss how to best build resilience & manage uncertainty. Listen to the Spring Meetings highlights in a special series of The Development Podcast.