The World Bank Spring Meetings will tackle a slew of thorny topics, among them: progress on the bank’s ambitious reform effort, President Ajay Banga’s emerging vision for the 80-year-old institution, a big push around global public goods, and fundraising for the world’s poorest countries.
It seems that the effort by Banga, who’s been in office 10 months now, to streamline the bank’s processes and increase efficiency as part of the “Evolution” reform agenda has extended to the Spring Meetings, which are set to be more low-key and narrowly focused than previous meetings. Attendees at the Washington, D.C. event can expect half the number of official events — two flagship sessions will cover universal health care and energy access in Africa — and a core program spanning only three days instead of the usual five.
The meetings will look to build on the changes approved by governors at the October annual meetings in Morocco, which included a new climate-oriented vision statement for the bank — to “create a world free of poverty on a livable planet” — a host of innovative financial instruments to boost lending, and myriad administrative reforms designed to make the institution faster, simpler, more efficient, and impactful.
About the author
Sophie Edwards
Sophie Edwards is a Devex Contributing Reporter covering global education, water and sanitation, and innovative financing, along with other topics. She has previously worked for NGOs, and the World Bank, and spent a number of years as a journalist for a regional newspaper in the U.K. She has a master's degree from the Institute of Development Studies and a bachelor's from Cambridge University.
