Post on 02-Jan-2016
Environment and Youth at the World Bank
Environment Department
World Bank Group
Youth Employment Summit
October 2004
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Outline
1. Core Development Challenge
2. The World Bank
3. Key Environmental Challenges
4. The Environment Family at the World Bank
5. How the World Bank is Engaging Youth in Development
6. The Challenge of Youth Employment
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1. Core Development Challenge
Substantial growth in output and productivity in developing countries to provide work and a good quality of life for the existing 2.8 billion people living under $2/day and the 2-3 billion to be added to world population in next 30-50 years
Has to be done while maintaining the ecosystems that underpin life and sustain development
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2. The World Bank
Three major pillars- Investment climate
One of the world’s largest sources of development assistance (e.g. lending, technical assistance, etc.)
We work in more than 100 developing economies Primary focus: helping the poorest people and the poorest
countries Finance, infrastructure, labor market reform, etc.
Investing in people- Education, health, social protection, HIV/AIDS
Investing in environment - Biodiversity, carbon finance, climate change, coastal and marine
management, desertification, environmental assessment, environmental economics and indicators, GEF, etc.
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Today’s World Bank Group
In te rn a tio na l B a nkfo r R eco n s tru c tiona n d D eve lop m e nt
In te rn a tio n a lD e ve lo p m e ntA sso cia tion
In te rn a tio n a lF in an ce
C o rp ora tion
M u tila te ra lIn ves tm e nt
G u ara n te e A g en cy
In te rn a tio n a l C en te rfo r th e S e tt le m e nt o fIn ves tm e n t D ispu tes
W o rld B an k G ro up
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The World Bank - Our People
Total Bank staff numbers about 10,000. 7,000 at HQ and 3,000 in the field
Developing country nationals represent 55% of total staff at HQ
In recent years, there has been an increase in the presence of young staff at the Bank. Currently, there are 200 Junior Professional Associates, 72 Young Professionals, and hundreds of young consultants working in various roles
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3. Key Environmental Challenges
Managing environmental health risks
Maintaining the balance between growth and ecosystem carrying capacity
Ensuring natural capital is managed in a sustainable manner for the welfare of current and future generations
Anticipating new threats: climate change, urban migration, fisheries, livestock revolution, conflicts and natural resource management
Respond to a growing public demand for environmental improvements in the developing world
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Main Goal of World Bank Environment Strategy:- Promote environmental improvements as a condition for growth and
poverty reduction, leading to tangible impacts on quality of life, quality of growth, and quality of the global commons
The MDGs – Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability
- Specific targets to integrate sustainable development into policies and programs, reverse the losses of environmental resources, halve proportion of people without access to improved water source, and achieve improvements in lives of 100 million urban slum dwellers.
WSSD in Johannesburg:- A comprehensive platform to look at long-term sustainable
development, growth and poverty-environment linkages- International targets on sanitation, fisheries,
water resource management, chemicals
Kyoto protocol and other International Environmental Agreements
Emerging Issues in Environment
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4. The Environment Family at the World Bank
Analytical work
Mainstreaming in CAS, PRSP, and other sectors
Lending
Global programs (GEF, Montreal Protocol, Carbon Finance)
Safeguard policies
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Areas of Progress — The World Bank
Improved understanding of environmental factors linked to growth and poverty reduction
Improving cross-sectoral links — “mainstreaming”
Better integration of environmental objectives in World Bank lending
Innovative financing to support environment and development
Aligning resources and need by focusing on results on the ground
Focusing on overlaps between global and local environmental benefits
Effective outreach and partnerships
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The World Bank – Environment Lending Trends
Environmental lending in FY04 = $1.3 billion (6% of total Bank lending for FY04)
Active environmental portfolio in FY04 = $11.2 billion (12% of total Bank active portfolio)
Trends in ENRM Content ($ and %) of the Bank's Total Lending (projections based on project pipeline)
$3,388 $3,589 $2,953$2,470 $2,426 $2,530 $1,507 $1,829 $1,355 $924 $1,103 $1,302 $3,382
4.7%
5.2%
14.3%
17.2%
13.1%11.6% 12.7% 8.8% 12.0%
7.9%6.0%
6.5%
10.4%
0500
1,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,000
FY93 FY94 FY95 FY96 FY97 FY98 FY99 FY00 FY01 FY02 FY03 FY04 FY05
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
Environment and Natural Resources Management
ENRM as % of Total Bank Lending
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The Environment Family at the World Bank - Our People
Over 200 Technical Staff
Roughly 89% in HQ and 11% in the field
There are 3 Junior Professional Associates, 2 Young Professionals, several young consultants working in the ENV anchor. There are many other young staff working in the various regions and in local offices. These young staff work with such themes as:
Biodiversity
Environment Assessment
Safeguard Policies
Carbon Finance
Global Environment Fund
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5. How the World Bank is Engaging Youth in Development
Institutional Mechanisms- Children and Youth Framework for Action development
- Senior Vice President coordinates implementation of Children & Youth Agenda
- All regions appointed regional Children and Youth focal point persons
Knowledge Building: Research, Technical Assistance, Trainings Operations: Lending, Youth Participation at Country Level Advocacy: Conferences, Dialogues Partnerships
- UN System, bilateral donors, Youth Employment Network- Youth Voices: establishing consultative groups in country offices
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Youth Participation at the Country Level
14 New Voices groups 7 Groups are underway 6 Groups are in the planning stage New Voices groups have been engaged in many different
activities• E.g. national Children and Youth strategies, revision of Country
Assistance Strategies, portfolio activities, post-conflict mediation
• www.worldbank.org/childrenandyouth
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Y2Y Network – Building an informal network for dialogue and interaction
Community of young professionals in development institutions- Provides new perspectives to the Bank
- Promotes youth capacity building
- Serves as a bridge to young people outside
- Help mainstream youth issues in the institution
- www.y2ycommunity.org
Youthink: Action = Results- Website provides information about global issues that matter to
young people today
- Allows youth to explore the research, knowledge and experience gathered by World Bank experts on issues like poverty, development, and conflict
- http://www.youthink.worldbank.org/
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Youth Environment Team (YET) – Engaging Youth and Mainstreaming Environment
YET is a group of young professionals in the Environment Department working to encourage environmental awareness and action within the youth community internally and externally
Some of YET’s objectives include:- To include youth as a stakeholder in World Bank’s environmental
projects - To provide a forum for knowledge sharing - To establish partnerships with other youth and environment
focused entities Proposed activities:
- Development Market Place
- Knowledge sharing
- On the ground work: Education for Sustainable Societies, Local youth field guides
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6. The Challenges of Youth Employment
Largest cohort ever now entering adulthood – concentrated in low-income countries
High rates of unemployment, poverty-level earnings, and hazardous working conditions
Demography
Harmful economic and social consequences, both immediate and in the long run
- Contributes to high youth poverty rates, social accumulation, personal growth, and economic development
Simply, youth unemployment/underemployment is a waste of human potential
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Youth Employment – What needs to be done?
A comprehensive approach that emphasizes:
- Most important – quality education
- Training in line with market demand
- Clear transition paths from school to work
- Labor market policies that promote job creation
- Comprehensive services for hard-to-place young people
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What the Bank can contribute to youth issues
Capacity to generate knowledge and to apply it across “development borders”: e.g., education, health, labor markets, private sector development, etc
Portfolio of Bank projects and operations that help young people (education, health, labor market insertion, etc.)
Ability to combine financing with tried and true insights from developing countries
Convening influence at both international and national levels
Interest in working with diverse partners to achieve development goals
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What is the Bank doing?
Through its traditional analytic work including education, health, infrastructure and rural development, the Bank has affected the lives of young men and women in all regions;
The number of projects with youth employment component has been significant over the past decade, both in terms of numbers and of total lending, but scattered
New focus is on youth employment as a cross sectoral theme,
Emphasis on the need for a more evidence-based approach to support the policy dialogue
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What youth can contribute
A fresh, experience-based perspective on development issues
A long-term commitment
Resources, experience, and capabilities
Creativity and enthusiasm for development
Willingness to participate and contribute
Global organizations and networks with global reach and knowledge
Knowledge of an access to grass root realities and local communities; experience with community-driven approaches
Energy to build more inclusive, responsive, and effective public policies and program implementation processes