The Open Learning Campus is an online destination for development learning that will build the leadership and technical capabilities of all development stakeholders—partners, practitioners, policy makers, staff and the public. With the OLC you can access development lessons captured in easy to understand and versatile formats - from bite-sized lessons to full-length courses, and MOOCs to peer learning conversations. With these tools you can access the information you need to better help you understand disaster risk management, health policy reform or any of your other learning needs as a development professional. The OLC will be launched at an event discussing the future of development learning. This conversation will be moderated by NY Times columnist Thomas Friedman, and panelists include World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim and edX CEO Anant Agarwal. The panel discussion will be followed by a series of lightning talks by three young innovators who have changed the landscape in this field.
As one of the most dispersed regions in the world, the Pacific faces unique challenges in providing affordable and accessible electricity – with a heavy reliance on diesel-fueled generators in many areas to power homes and businesses. Electricity prices in the region are among the highest in the world, with some countries spending as much as 25% of gross domestic product on fuel imports – leaving household incomes, inflation levels and national finances all highly vulnerable to volatile Asia-Pacific oil markets. To mitigate this exposure, Pacific governments are increasingly turning to alternative and renewable energy sources, including biofuels, wind, solar and hydro systems. In addition to issues of cost, the shift to renewables may help to address the need for energy which is cleaner and easier to generate in remote areas. As eyes turn to Paris ahead of COP21, what actions are being taken in the Pacific region to increase the uptake of renewables? Are new technologies worth investing in? And what role ...
World Bank researchers have been trying to assess the extent of extreme poverty in the world since 1979. Two ingredients have been key: an international absolute poverty line and purchasing power parity (PPP) exchange rates. The latest PPP update led to a substantial re-assessment of relative purchasing powers around the world, and hence to a large nominal change in the poverty line: from $1.25 to $1.90/day. Join us for this month’s Policy Research Talk as Francisco Ferreira reviews the principles, practices, and pitfalls involved in the latest update, and then discusses some of the ideas being floated for the future of global poverty measurement.
Each year, 15 million girls are married before the age of 18. When girls marry early, they often drop out of school, have more children over their lifetime, are at greater risk of HIV infection and intimate partner violence, and face serious health complications and even death from early pregnancy and childbearing. Child brides are often isolated, with limited opportunity to participate in the development of their communities. Child marriage therefore hampers efforts to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable global development. Join us to discuss the findings of a groundbreaking World Bank/International Center for Research on Women research project to understand the economic costs of child marriage.
Climate change is an acute threat to poverty reduction. This new World Bank Group Report "Shock Waves: Managing the Impacts of Climate Change on Poverty" finds that without rapid, inclusive and climate-smart development, there could be more than 100 million additional people in poverty by 2030. At the same time, immediate emission reduction efforts and pro-poor climate mitigation policies are needed to prevent even worse long-term impacts. This event will present the results of this report and discuss its implications heading towards the international climate conference in Paris.