Health

On April 29, 2024, African governments, civil society, and youth came together to voice their ambitions and call for even greater support from IDA, to translate visions into action on the continent.

How can we help ensure that more people across the world have greater access to high quality and affordable health care?

World Bank President Ajay Banga addressed the press during the World Bank and International Monetary Fund 2023 Annual Meetings. He offered opening remarks and then took questions from international media covering the Meetings. World Bank Chief Economist Indermit Gill also participated.

September 19, 2023--Join us as we bring together leaders in global health and ministers of health and finance, MDBs, UN agencies and global health institutions, and representatives from the private sector and from philanthropies and foundations.

With two million premature deaths annually, South Asia faces the world’s heaviest health toll from air pollution.

Join a prestigious panel of speakers to explore central questions around what it will take to address some of the most critical issues of our time including climate change, food insecurity, pandemics, and increasing fragility and poverty reduction. 

This event explores the specific impacts of COVID on individuals in each life stage, the related risks to their futures, and policy options countries can consider to help address the challenges.

The Pandemic Fund provided the latest progress the Governing Board has made since its establishment on September 8, 2022, to get operational – an important step toward strengthening global health architecture. 

This event will present the main insights from the new World Bank report, “Change Cannot Wait: Building Resilient Health Systems in the Shadow of COVID-19,” which resents a new framework for making health systems resilient, shows how countries can build them, and where countries and partners can target investments to improve health outcomes.

The new Global Education Evidence Advisory Panel (GEEAP) offers guidance on how education systems in low- and middle-income countries can respond to the damage caused by the pandemic and make sure that learning needs for all students, especially the most marginalized, are addressed.

Join World Bank Managing Director Mari Pangestu and a distinguished panel of experts as they discuss the latest findings on inequality from the January 2022 Global Economic Prospects report, and implications for countries and the global community.

This event highlighted the actions being taken to achieve more equitable access to vaccines for developing countries, and emphasize the importance of strong health systems to successful vaccine deployment and the importance of better pandemic preparedness to building resilience against future pandemics.

The most recent data from the report, “From Double Shock to Double Recovery – Implications and Options for Health Financing in the Time of COVID-19” will be presented by its lead author. The report’s latest technical update confirms that the pandemic spared few developing countries the double shock of its health and economic onslaught.

South Asia is at the epicenter of ambient air pollution—pollution people are exposed to outside their households. According to the latest World Air Quality Report, 2020, of the top 40 most polluted cities in the world, 37 are in South Asia. Air pollution in the region is a health hazard and represents the third-highest risk for premature death, as compared to the ninth highest cause in Western Europe. Overall, it contributes to around 11 percent of all deaths, and approximately 40 million disability-adjusted life years in South Asia. Air pollution, however, is not a localized phenomenon. It is transported across borders, and its effects spread to places far away from the source. This requires a country-wide, inter-state, and a regional response. Join our sixth #OneSouthAsia Conversation, which will focus on the ways regional cooperation can help achieve a shared vision of healthier and cleaner air in South Asia. This builds on our previous Spring Meetings event on Air Quality Management in South Asia in ...

Strong primary health care saves lives and money and makes health systems more resilient and work better for all people. The current COVID-19 crisis exacerbated pre-existing weaknesses and inflicted devastating health and economic costs. However, it also created a once-in-a-generation chance for transformational health-system change. Our new report charts an agenda toward reimagined, fit-for-purpose primary health care. It reflects a renewed understanding of global and local vulnerabilities and opportunities in the post-COVID world. It shows how governments can remake their primary health care systems and how partners like the World Bank can support this vital work. During this event, key messages of the flagship report Walking the Talk: Reimagining Primary Health Care After COVID-19 will be presented: the “WHY”, the “WHAT” and the “HOW” of the primary health care reform. There will also be discussions on how to take these key messages forward, supporting countries to build back better and stronger. Perspectives from primary health care providers on the ground, ...

A high-level panel featuring Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization, Henrietta Fore, Executive Director, UNICEF, and Axel van Trotsenburg, Managing Director, World Bank explores the need for global solidarity in the battle against the pandemic and the work currently underway with developing countries to prepare for vaccine rollouts.

(Read the event transcript in English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish) 'We have to help countries improve their readiness for future pandemics.' World Bank Group President David Malpass called on the world to move urgently toward opportunities and solutions that achieve a green, resilient, and inclusive recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in a speech today that advances the World Bank-IMF Spring Meetings. “Our collective responses to poverty, climate change, and inequality will be the defining choices of our age.” Mr. Malpass delivered the speech virtually at the London School of Economics; it was followed by a discussion with students, moderated by Baroness Minouche Shafik, Director of the London School of Economics.   See the list of Speakers   As we work toward a #ResilientRecovery, our collective responses to poverty, climate change, & inequality will be the defining choices of our age. My thanks to Baroness Shafik & @LSEnews for their hospitality.#LSECOVID19 Read my full remarks here: https://t.co/K4...

How ready are countries to distribute COVID-19 vaccines? The global COVID-19 vaccination campaign will be the largest in history. The delivery of COVID-19 vaccines presents challenges unprecedented in scale, speed, and specific cities, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Starting in November 2020, anticipating the availability of safe and effective vaccines for COVID-19, the World Bank together with WHO, UNICEF, the Global Fund, and Gavi rolled out readiness assessments in more than 100 low- and middle-income countries. As countries ramp up efforts to vaccinate their populations against the deadly COVID-19 disease, the world’s poorest countries show varying degrees of readiness for this massive undertaking. How can we prepare countries for a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine rollout? We will discuss this and more with Mamta Murthi, Vice President for Human Development at the World Bank. Join us for the live conversation on March 18th. Be sure to sign up for an email reminder! The Resilient Recovery Series includes in-depth interviews with ...

The World Bank Group is helping developing countries strengthen their response to the pandemic with up to $160 billion in financial support over the next 15 months. What are the challenges on the ground and how are we working with partners to improve health services and speed the path to recovery? Join us live on Friday 10th April at 10am (EST) (14:00 GMT) to hear from a panel of global experts on how the Bank is helping countries in every region respond to #Coronavirus. Ask questions to the panelists now! The event will also stream on the Bank's YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin. Related Links: Covid-19 (Coronavirus): Live Interview and Panel Series COVID-19 landing page Expert Answers interview with Muhammad Pate

Today, obesity-related diseases are among the top three killers across the globe. Long believed to be a problem exclusive to high-income countries, over 70 percent of the world's 2 billion overweight/obese individuals live in low- or middle-income countries. Faced with increasing disability, mortality, health care costs and lower productivity, obesity is a growing concern for all countries regardless of income level. Join us for the launch of our new report as we discuss the health and economic consequences of obesity.  Click here for audio remarks from panelist Sania Nishtar

This is a Facebook Live interview. Watch the replay! Tune in for a conversation about getting to Universal Health Coverage with WHO Director-General ​Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Dr. Christopher Elias, President, Global Development Program, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. 

This is a Facebook Live interview. Watch the replay! As part of our Spring Meetings 2018 Interview Series, we will be talking with Kersti Kaljulaid, President of Estonia, about the country’s advances in health and innovation.

This is a Facebook Live interview. Watch the replay! Tune in for a conversation about investing in school-based health interventions with Julia Gillard, Board Chair of the Global Partnership for Education and former Prime Minister of Australia and Mark Dybul, Co-Director of the Center Global Health and Quality at Georgetown University Medical Center and former Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. 

Pollution is one of the biggest development challenges facing us today. In 2015, more than 9 million premature deaths were caused by pollution, according to the Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health. Learn more from the Commissioners of the Lancet’s new report and join an engaging conversation on what is being done to address the health effects of pollution, including by the World Bank. Visit Our Partners:  

Hunger and obesity, waste and water scarcity -- food production in 2017 is plagued with contradictions and often seems to lag behind the times. We urgently need to jumpstart a revolution in the way we produce and consume food so that we can feed the world’s population -- without leaving people behind, neglecting nutrition, or degrading the planet. This event will showcase young entrepreneurs and mission-driven leaders who are working to fix the food and agriculture system while creating the jobs and business opportunities of tomorrow. Speakers include Kristalina Georgieva, World Bank CEO; Jehiel Oliver, founder and CEO of Hello Tractor (shared tractor service by SMS in Nigeria and Kenya); Annie Ryu, founder and CEO of the Jackfruit Company (Indian farmers supplying a meat alternative in US market);  Nataliey Bitature, founder and COO of Musana Carts (solar powered food carts providing safe food and improved livelihoods in Kampala, Uganda);  Kees Aarts, founder and CEO of Protix (producing sustainable protein from ...

Investing in the early years is one of the smartest investments a country can make to break the cycle of poverty, address inequality, and boost productivity later in life. Today, millions of young children are not reaching their full potential because of inadequate nutrition, lack of early stimulation and learning, and exposure to stress. Investments in the physical, mental, and emotional development of children -- from before birth until they enter primary school – are critical for the future productivity of individuals and for the economic competitiveness of nations. Join us as country leaders make commitments to reduce chronic malnutrition in children and expand access to early childhood development services by 2020 to ensure that children everywhere can thrive.

Join us to discuss global efforts to combat early childhood malnutrition, the link to ending extreme poverty, and why it’s imperative that we invest in the early years.

Pandemics pose a serious recurrent threat to global health and economic security.  By World Bank estimates, the annual global cost of a severe pandemic can reach as high as $570 billion (0.7% of global income.) Ebola and now Zika demonstrate the persistent risks to countries which do not possess adequate capacities to prepare and respond to emerging pandemic threats. Dr. Kim will discuss what additional investments in global health are essential to better protect the world from the spread of pandemics and promote stable economies, including the launch of a Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility in late May at the G7 Summit in Japan.

Mental health issues impose an enormous disease burden on societies across the world. Depression alone affects 350 million people globally and is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Despite its enormous social burden, mental disorders continue to be driven into the shadows by stigma, prejudice and fear. The issue is becoming ever more urgent in light of the forced migration and sustained conflict we are seeing in many countries of the world. A two-day series of events, co-hosted by the World Bank and the World Health Organization during the World Bank-International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings, aims to move mental health from the margins to the mainstream of the global development agenda. The event will engage finance ministers, multilateral and bilateral organizations, the business community, technology innovators, and civil society and will emphasize the urgent investments needed in mental health services, and the expected returns in terms of health, social and economic benefits.

With 800 million people going to bed hungry every night, the world needs a sustainable food system that can feed every person, every day. Increasingly, the quality of food is as important as quantity, and better food must become a priority in many countries. Hear from a panel of international food experts about what it will take to feed more people a nutritious and safe diet, and how this can help end poverty and boost shared prosperity in our lifetime.

Companies and governments without child- and elder-care strategies and policies cannot attract and retain talent, nor can they achieve their full productivity and growth potential. The private sector and governments must partner to address the care crisis. How can we rethink the organization of affordable and accessible care for our families and businesses, knowing that solving this issue can contribute to retaining gender-diverse talent as well as increasing competitiveness and productivity? Join us with your spouses/partners to begin a fresh conversation about why we should all care about care—employees, employers and governments alike. Related Links: World Bank Group Gender Strategy (FY 2016–2023) Putting Gender-Smart Commitments Into Practice Child care is an investment — not an expense Child Care & Parent Productivity: Making the Business Case [PDF] Maternity and paternity at work: Law and practice across the world [PDF] What’s Next for Gender Equality? A New Strategy to Address Gender Inequality Investing In Women's Employment [PDF] Gender at Work: A Companion ...

WBG President Jim Yong Kim chairs this high-level roundtable at which the heads of state of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone will present their Ebola recovery plans to finance and development ministers and international partners. The event aims to build global support for the three Ebola-affected countries to get to and sustain zero cases, jumpstart recovery and build more resilient health systems and economies.

The Power of Nutrition is a new UK-based charity dedicated to unlocking up to $1 billion of new private and public financing to improve child nutrition. Join us for a panel discussion with ministers of finance together with senior leadership from the Power of Nutrition partner organizations - the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, UBS Optimus Foundation, the UK Department of International Development, UNICEF and the World Bank Group - as they introduce the new fund and discuss the importance of investing in nutrition, the challenges countries are facing, and concrete steps towards scaling up high-impact programming for child nutrition. One of the mechanisms through which the Power of Nutrition will operate is through a new World Bank Group multi-donor trust fund for which eligible countries can apply.

The Ebola epidemic in West Africa has had catastrophic consequences on the already weak health systems of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. This 90-minute event, led by global health experts, will look at fragile states and how limited resources, poor governance, and difficulties organizing and delivering health services often leads to weak health systems that can be pushed over the edge in the face of disaster. Join David Nabarro, the UN’s Special Envoy on Ebola; the World Health Organization’s Dr. Edward Kelley; Assistant Minister of Health for Liberia Tolbert Nyenswah; and World Bank experts as they discuss how to strengthen health systems in fragile states and how best to leverage the lessons of Ebola in order to explore a forward looking approach to averting future epidemics.     

On Friday, November 21, 2014, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim, and World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan held a brief press availability after the UN Chief Executive Board’s private session on the Ebola response.

Join leaders from the three West African countries most-affected by the Ebola crisis – Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone – and global development leaders to discuss the critical issues, needs, and possible solutions to address both the health and socioeconomic impacts of the crisis, and how the international community and partner countries can best support these countries and accelerate an end to the epidemic.