In the midst of the worst shock to education and learning in a century, global learning poverty is at crisis levels. A new report stresses that COVID-19-related school closures and other disruptions have sharply increased learning poverty, a measure of children unable to read and understand a simple passage by age 10.

On May 26th 2022, David Malpass and Masood Ahmed will hold a conversation about the array of global shocks, their impact on the most vulnerable communities—and the response they urgently demand.

The World Bank Group has expanded partnerships to improve the collection, access, sharing, and use of sex-disaggregated data over the last several years including investing in the recently relaunched Gender Data Portal and the “Strengthening Gender Statistics” project. This event is an opportunity for a high-level yet engaging discussion on the value of gender data for policy reforms, programming, and monitoring progress/outcomes towards achieving gender equality.

This year’s theme is “Unlocking the Power of Inclusion for Equitable Growth”. Get ready for a two-day experience including pitch competition, case challenge, keynotes and plenaries, music, art and more!

This virtual event, convened by the World Bank, launched the Quality Early Learning: Nurturing Children’s Potential volume to highlight the importance of investing in quality early childhood education (ECE).

On May 18th, the World Bank commemorated IDAHOTB, convening a panel of government, civil society, and other partners on the importance of laws in advancing the rights of sexual and gender minorities globally.

In this event, the heads of the four key global economic policy institutions—the World Bank Group, the IMF, the OECD and the WTO—discuss the importance of trade and global cooperation for overcoming current challenges and implications of subsidies for markets and poor countries. They call for more transparency and proactive measures to reduce their harm, especially for the largest and most distortive subsidies.

Download the report: Subsidies, Trade, and International Cooperation Prepared by staff of IMF, OECD, World Bank, and WTO (pdf)

These Spring Meetings are taking place in the shadow of war in Ukraine and rising global challenges due to conflict, COVID-19, and climate change. The catastrophe in Ukraine is disrupting lives and creating shocks from reduced food supplies and increasing fuel costs. And countries are facing rising debt, inflation, and reduced market access, exacerbating the setbacks experienced due to the pandemic. 

Putting people first through investing in human capital – the knowledge, skills, and health that people need to achieve their potential – is critical for sustainable, inclusive growth and poverty reduction.

The disturbing trend of rising and compounding crises points to an urgent need for the international community to come together and develop new and innovative approaches to support countries facing conflict and fragility.