Person: Sirker, Karen
Social, Urban, Rural, and Resilience Global Practice, Global Programs Unit
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Social development
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Social, Urban, Rural, and Resilience Global Practice, Global Programs Unit
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Last updated: January 31, 2023
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Karen Sirker, an American national, has 27 years of experience working at the World Bank as a Senior Knowledge and Learning Officer and as a Senior Social Development Specialist, including 12 years at the World Bank Institute.
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Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
Publication Urban Land Acquisition and Involuntary Resettlement: Linking Innovation and Local Benefits(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2017-02-15) Roquet, Vincent; Bornholdt, Luciano; Sirker, Karen; Lukic, JelenaExpansion and development of urban areas require acquisition of land, which, in turn, often requires physical relocation of people who own or occupy this land. Land acquisition and resettlement may also be required to improve the lives of the more than 1 billion people who currently live in slums around the world, most of them in developing countries. Therefore, any effort to embark on significant, sustainable urban development needs to ensure that there are adequate processes for land acquisition and, so that resettlement does not become a constraint to much needed urban development. Planners, policy makers and social scientists can try to implement urban development programs in a way that make people who lose their land, houses or livelihoods become equal partners in the development process. The combination of the high price of urban land, presence of creative individuals in close proximity in urban areas, and the ability of urban space to generate innovative solutions, can help convert urban resettlement into a development opportunity for all. The report illustrates how urban resettlement can become a development opportunity. The Mumbai example shows how the private sector can play a key role, to unleash the potential created by high-value land to provide sustainable housing solutions to those adversely affected, at no cost to the government or the resettlers. Examples from Morocco and Pakistan show how well designed and implemented, citizen-driven resettlement can result in enhanced skills and livelihoods, and can promote overall sustainable urban development. The Mauritania example demonstrates how collective approaches with strong community participation can help address difficult challenges related to housing. The Brazil case shows how resettlement practices with demonstrated, strongly positive outcomes and contributions to urban development can influence governments to incorporate them into their own laws and regulations, helping millions of affected people to benefit from them.Publication Our People, Our Resources: Striving for a Peaceful and Plentiful Planet(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2015-04) Duchicela, Luis Felipe; Jensby, Svend; Uquillas, Jorge; Lukic, Jelena; Sirker, KarenThis report presents a brief discussion of indigenous peoples’ development as evidenced in a select number of case studies about World Bank financed projects that had a positive impact on indigenous peoples’ communities. The main objective of this study is to identify and document good practices and lessons learned that can be shared with World Bank staff, borrower governments, and Indigenous Peoples’ organizations to help improve the design and implementation of projects that trigger the World Bank’s Operational Policy on Indigenous Peoples and/or are primarily oriented toward the sustainable development of indigenous peoples. World Bank activities with regard to indigenous peoples have been primarily focused on applying OP 4.10 to ensure that indigenous peoples receive social and economic benefits that are culturally appropriate and gender and age inclusive, and to mitigate possible adverse impacts associated with Bank-financed projects. The policy itself encourages Bank engagement and financial support for a variety of initiatives that go beyond projects, engaging in broader dimensions of country relationships that improve the circumstances of indigenous peoples. As a result, the Bank increasingly addresses issues concerning indigenous peoples through: (1) country economic and sector work/analysis, (2) dialogue and technical assistance, and (3) capacity-building. This report is an initial attempt to document good practices and lessons learned through results with regard to indigenous peoples’ development. It is intended to support the ongoing engagement process with indigenous peoples and to inform the process of finding better ways to promote sustainable development that will positively affect indigenous communities.Publication Urban Land Acquisition and Involuntary Resettlement: Linking Innovation and Local Benefits(World Bank Group, Washington, DC, 2015-03) Roquet, Vincent; Bornholdt, Luciano; Sirker, Karen; Lukic, JelenaWith rapid urbanization and an increasing number of publicly-funded urban projects, there is a growing demand to address complex land acquisition and involuntary resettlement issues in urban settings. A variety of major urban projects in areas such as urban development, renewal or upgrading, urban transport, urban watershed management, water supply and sanitation, and urban solid waste management require substantial land acquisition and resettlement efforts that raise significant risks to people and investments. Governments and international financing institutions must identify these risks early and manage them adequately.Publication The Gemidiriya Program, Sri Lanka: Piloting the Community Assessment Process(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2007-08) Agarwal, Sanjay; Shah, Parmesh; Sirker, KarenThe Gemidiriya program's long-term objective is to reduce rural poverty and promote sustainable and equitable rural development. The program aims at creating an environment that enables rural communities to improve their livelihoods and quality of life. It paves the way for rural communities to get together, organize formally, plan village development by themselves with 50 percent women participation, and to mobilize self-help and community contributions. The Gemidiriya focuses on building accountable and self-governing local institutions by: (i) devolving decision-making power and resources to community organizations; (ii) strengthening selected local governments that demonstrate responsiveness and accountability to rural communities; and (iii) working with federations of village organizations (VOs), the private sector, and non governmental organizations (NGOs) on economic empowerment to increase the size and diversity of livelihoods. This note summarizes the findings, processes, concerns, and lessons learned from the Sri Lanka pilot.