Decoding Debt: Getting Transparency Right

Rising debt levels pose a challenge to the global effort to end extreme poverty and achieve other Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. To meet these goals, countries will need to invest at least 4.5% of national GDP each year on infrastructure alone. They will need to find ways to finance these investments without letting debt grow to unmanageable levels.

Debt transparency, as a result, has become an urgent priority—and the World Bank Group is stepping up its efforts in this area. This panel will bring together a diverse group of experts—representing the perspectives of governments, investors, and civil society organizations—to address three key questions: 1) Why is debt transparency important? 2) Why is it lacking in so many low-income countries? 3) What must be done to create the right incentives for greater debt transparency?