Annual Meetings: World Bank Events

October 9-15, 2023

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During the World Bank Group-International Monetary Fund Annual Meetings that took place from October 9-15, we brought you live events focusing on what it takes to end poverty on a livable planet. Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group, spoke about this bold new ambition in detail during the Annual Meetings Plenary.

Together, we also explored the new playbook needed to respond to intertwined global challenges. With the help of our guest speakers, we discussed solutions that worked on the ground in developing countries, strategies to boost jobs, digital infrastructure, and climate action and answered questions from the audience who joined the conversations in-person and online.

You can listen to a summary of the week’s events in our podcast, and also be sure to check out our multilingual Daily Wrap-Ups and Interviews Series.

Events streamed throughout the week in EnglishArabicFrench and Spanish so catch all replays for any events you missed, and continue the conversation on social media with the hashtag #WBmeetings.

 

Remarks by World Bank Group President Ajay Banga
at the 2023 Annual Meetings Plenary

“We must be the hand on the back—moving people forward. We must be an institution that exports optimism and impact. But we must change to make good on that promise and deliver on what is being demanded. [...]
The World Bank is turning to face the wind.”

—World Bank Group President Ajay Banga, October 13, 2023.

 

A 25-minute Recap of the Week

Listen to this new episode of The Development Podcast with Srimathi Sridhar as she draws on some of the highlights from the 2023 edition of the Annual Meetings and shares more about the World Bank Group’s new mission and vision. Hear from: World Bank Group President Ajay Banga, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, Senior World Bank Managing Director Axel van Trotsenburg, World Bank Managing Director of Operations Anna Bjerde, Zanzibar’s Minister of State for Finance and Planning Saada Salum, UNICEF’s Executive Director Catherine Russell, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Bill Winters, and Ethiopian entrepreneur Kidus Asfaw.

Use the timestamps to explore the episode:
[02:01] A new playbook to tackle the intertwined global challenges
[08:33] What it will take to achieve ending poverty on a livable planet
[10:24] Tanzania: Education for all, empowering its female population, investment in the blue economy
[13:18] The importance of partnerships and the impact of COVID-19 and climate change on children
[18:29] Private sector: How can finance be sustainable?
[21:12] How businesses are piloting exciting climate solutions.
Full transcript available here

Watch the Event Replays

Featured Speakers

Join the conversation with #WBmeetings

Direct from Marrakech

From October 9 to 15, join us in Marrakech and online as we bring you live conversations with global leaders, activists, entrepreneurs, youth ambassadors, civil society, and development experts on climate change, gender, human capital, debt, and more.