01. Annual Reports & Independent Evaluations

1,028 items available

Permanent URI for this collection

http://hdl.handle.net/10986/1

Sub-collections of this Collection

Items in this collection

Now showing 1 - 10 of 36

Making Waves: An Evaluation of the World Bank’s Support for the Blue Economy (2012–23) Approach Paper

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2023-05-03) Independent Evaluation Group

Marine and coastal resources are critical for human survival. The economies of many coastal developing countries and small island developing states rely heavily on maritime industries, associated trade, and tourism. In coastal and island developing countries, small-scale fisheries and other ocean sectors support a significant number of jobs and livelihood opportunities. Marine and coastal resources also provide critical ecosystem services on which the ocean economy relies. Yet historically, ocean-based sectors have expanded without sufficient consideration for sustainability, negatively impacting marine and coastal environments. Moreover, the negative impacts of climate change are exacerbating the serious threats posed to ocean economies. Coastal developing countries and small island developing state economies that heavily rely on tourism were negatively affected by COVID-19, and while there were some positive environmental effects, these have been short lived. Critical knowledge and skills gaps undermine the ability of many countries to sustainably manage their marine and coastal resources. Addressing the threats posed to marine and coastal resources is politically challenging since coastal areas attract many competing uses and diverging interests. The purpose of this evaluation is to assess how well the World Bank is supporting the sustainable and inclusive development of ocean and coastal economies to inform the future development of the blue economy approach.
A Roadmap for Climate Action in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2021-2025

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2022) World Bank Group

In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) the rapidly changing climate is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather‑related events. The year 2020 saw the most catastrophic fire season over the Pantanal region and a record number of storms during the Atlantic cyclone season. Eta and Iota, two category 4 hurricanes, affected more than 8 million people in Central America, causing tens of billions of dollars in damage. In Honduras, annual average losses due to climate‑related shocks are estimated at 2.3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). In rankings of the impacts of extreme weather events from 2000 to 2019, five Caribbean nations figure among the top 20 globally in terms of fatalities per capita, while in terms of economic losses as a share of GDP eight of the top 20 countries are in the Caribbean. Extreme precipitation events, which result in floods and landslides, are projected to intensify in magnitude and frequency due to climate change, with a 1.5°C increase in mean global temperature projected to result in an increase of up to 200 percent in the population affected by floods in Colombia, Brazil, and Argentina; 300 percent in Ecuador; and 400 percent in Peru. Climate shocks reduce the income of the poorest 40 percent by more than double the average of the LAC population and could push an estimated 2.4–5.8 million people in the region into extreme poverty by 2030.
Sustainability Review 2021

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-10-12) World Bank

The global pandemic has highlighted the deep interconnectedness between the planet, people, and economies, increasing the urgency of our work at the World Bank. It has also strengthened our commitment to environmental, social, and economic sustainability in all that we do. As we support our client countries to meet their development goals in a sustainable manner, we work hard to “walk the talk” in our own investments, practices, and corporate footprint. Living our core values of impact, integrity, respect, teamwork, and innovation demands nothing less. The Sustainability Review 2021 highlights World Bank activities undertaken in fiscal 2020 and 2021 to manage the environmental, social, and economic impacts of internal business operations. The review complements the World Bank Annual Report 2021 and the World Bank Global Reporting Index (GRI) 2021.
World Bank Group Climate Change Action Plan 2021-2025: South Asia Roadmap

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-10-05) World Bank Group

South Asia is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change. The people of South Asia are living through a "new climate normal," where intensifying heat waves, cyclones, droughts, and floods are testing the limits of governments, businesses, and citizens to adapt. Jacobabad in Pakistan's Sindh province was, this year, the hottest city on the planet with temperatures higher than the human body can handle. In 2020, more than three million people were evacuated to safety from the fury of Super Cyclone Amphan. At the same time, South Asia has an unfinished development agenda with legitimate aspirations to reach middle income status in the foreseeable future, which will include increasing access to energy, increasing rural incomes and managing large scale urbanization, among others. The success with which South Asian countries navigate these development transitions, while also reducing emissions and increasing climate resilience, will determine the region's ability to lift millions from the threat of poverty and vulnerability, and help the world to secure the overall climate transition.
Green, Resilient, and Inclusive Development

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-10-01) World Bank

Developing countries have experienced growing structural weaknesses over the last decade. COVID-19 and climate change have further aggravated these, worsening poverty and inequality, and starkly exposing the interdependence between people, the planet, and the economy. This report charts out the Green, Resilient, and Inclusive Development (GRID) approach, which departs from previous development strategies by promoting economic growth that goes hand in hand with environmental goals and social inclusion. Pursuing the twin goals of poverty eradication and shared prosperity with a sustainability lens, the GRID approach addresses the risks to people, the planet, and the economy in an integrated manner that is tailored to country needs and objectives. It sets a path that achieves lasting economic progress that is shared across the population, providing a robust recovery, and restoring momentum on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As countries face a historic opportunity to establish a better way forward, they will need to make significant reforms, mobilize domestic resources fairly, and deploy private sector solutions at scale. To ensure that the fruits of these transformations are evenly distributed, a range of social and labor market policies are also needed to compensate losers, safeguard the vulnerable, and deliver a just transition to a green economy. As needs are vast, complementary involvement from the public and private sectors, and the international community is vital
World Bank Group Climate Change Action Plan 2021–2025: Supporting Green, Resilient, and Inclusive Development

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-06-22) World Bank Group

The Climate Change Action Plan 2021–2025 aims to advance the climate change aspects of the WBG’s Green, Resilient, and Inclusive Development (GRID) approach, which pursues poverty eradication and shared prosperity with a sustainability lens. In the Action Plan, we will support countries and private sector clients to maximize the impact of climate finance, aiming for measurable improvements in adaptation and resilience and measurable reductions in GHG emissions. The Action Plan also considers the vital importance of natural capital, biodiversity, and ecosystems services and will increase support for nature-based solutions, given their importance for both mitigation and adaptation. As part of our effort to drive climate action, the WBG has a long-standing record of participating in key partnerships and high-level forums aimed at enhancing global efforts to address climate change. The new Action Plan represents a shift from efforts to “green” projects, to greening entire economies, and from focusing on inputs, to focusing on impacts. It focuses on (i) integrating climate and development; (ii) identifying and prioritizing action on the largest mitigation and adaptation opportunities; and (iii) using those to drive our climate finance and leverage private capital in ways that deliver the most results. That means helping the largest emitters flatten the emissions curve and accelerate the downward trend and ramping up financing on adaptation to help countries and private sector clients prepare for and adapt to climate change while pursuing broader development objectives through the GRID approach.
The Natural Resource Degradation and Vulnerability Nexus: An Evaluation of the World Bank’s Support for Sustainable and Inclusive Natural Resource Management (2009–19)

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-04-19) Independent Evaluation Group

Many of the world’s poor people depend on natural resources for their well-being. Four-fifths of the world’s poor people live in rural areas, and most rural poor people depend on natural resources for their livelihoods. The renewable natural resources on which poor people depend are increasingly being degraded, posing significant risks to resource-dependent communities. The World Bank has committed to reducing the vulnerability of resource-dependent people. This evaluation assesses how well the World Bank has addressed natural resource degradation to reduce the vulnerabilities of resource-dependent people.
Results in the Latin America and Caribbean Region 2021, Volume 16

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-04) World Bank

This book showcases the many ways in which the World Bank is pushing the medium-term sustainable development agenda forward while dealing with the pressing health emergency response and the economic and human capital recovery challenges. Though hard and dramatic for millions of people across the region, the pandemic crisis now offers a unique opportunity to rethink the future of Latin America and the Caribbean.
GRI Index 2020

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-09-28) World Bank

This 2020 World Bank GRI Index is an inventory of the sustainability considerations used in World Bank lending and analytical services, as well as within its corporate practices. This sustainability disclosure index has been prepared in accordance with the Core option of the GRI Standards1. The GRI Index covers activities carried out during fiscal year 2020, from July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the World Bank’s operations and staff activities through reduced travel, the extended shutdown of our offices, and a shift in staff health services. Where significant, these impacts have been noted in the report.
World Bank Outlook 2050 Strategic Directions Note: Supporting Countries to Meet Long-Term Goals of Decarbonization

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-06-24) Mukhi, Neha ; Rana, Suneira ; Mills-Knapp, Sara ; Gessesse, Eskedar

Outlook 2050 examines how the World Bank can help countries plan for and achieve long-term decarbonization: through country programs, technical assistance, lending, and knowledge products. It identifies key trends in technology, markets, financing instruments, and consumer priorities, and examines their implications for climate action, economic growth strategies and development. Supporting countries in a transition to long-term decarbonization requires the World Bank to not only look 3–5 years ahead, roughly equivalent to typical election cycles, but look decades ahead, and then work with our clients to determine the near- and mid-term implications. It will also mean supporting the implementation of economy-wide strategies as well as cross-sectoral initiatives, not only focusing on single-sector initiatives, such as individual energy or transportation projects. Coinciding with a need for a major, global economic recovery – triggered by the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic – this ‘whole of economy' approach to deliver better growth and a better climate could provide the sustainable and resilient foundation for countries as they build – or rebuild – their economies. The Outlook 2050 approach prioritizes four economy-wide strategic directions: 1. Embed long-term climate priorities in country macroeconomic frameworks, to ensure that those frameworks, which guide fiscal policy and major national investments, properly account for climate risks and the benefits of ambitious climate action. 2. Embed long-term climate planning in national budgets and expenditure frameworks, to provide adequate budgetary support for climate action, optimize the overall allocation of public resources, and unlock private financial flows. 3. Embed long-term climate objectives in financial sector regulations and incentives, to ensure that the sector is resilient both to climate change impacts and to low-carbon transition risks, and to mobilize finance for climate action. 4. Embed long-term climate objectives in systems planning, to integrate climate with economic, social inclusion, and other objectives; assess cross-sectoral links and regional impacts; and identify trade-offs and synergies.