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World Bank Group Youth Summit 2021: Resilient Recovery for People and Planet

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Established in 2013, the Youth Summit is an annual event hosted by the World Bank Group (WBG) to engage with youth globally on the most pressing topics facing our generation. The WBG Youth Summit is an affiliate of the Youth-to-Youth (Y2Y) network, the largest volunteer organization at the WBG, which aims to inspire and empower youth within and outside the institution.  The primary goals of the Youth Summit are to: 

  • Empower youth to explore innovative ideas to tackle development challenges​
  • Provide youth with the tools to build and engage in impactful projects​
  • Promote dialogue between youth, the WBG, and other key stakeholders globally

The theme for the 2021 Summit is Resilent Recovery for People and Planet. The economic hardship, loss of life, and global human suffering seen at an unprecedented level as a result of COVID-19 has highlighted the deficiencies in our society and ignited a call to action that is practical, inclusive, and sustainable. At the heart of the 2021 Youth Summit theme is the opportunity for a global conversation that emphasizes the role of the youth in addressing the effects of climate change and examining the measures and opportunities for a resilient recovery for people and planet.​

  • A people centered recovery that promotes wellbeing, encourages inclusion through job creation, skill training and equitable education while addressing gender and racial inequality, housing and healthcare accessibility, and creating opportunities for fragile nations to benefit from funding and contribute to the conversation on how to mitigate the effects of climate change.​
  • A planet centered recovery that focuses on reducing our carbon footprint by encouraging waste reduction through a gradual green transition to reduce the negative impact of consumerism. And emphasizes investments in sustainable infrastructural projects, enacts legislature to halt further loss of biodiversity, localizes production to shorten supply change, and incentivizes industries to advance the Sustainable Development Goals.

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AGENDA JUNE 9 - WBG Youth Summit 2021

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  • Kilian Koffi, Manager, 2021 WBG Youth Summit

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The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the urgency with which we must respond to and deal with another global pandemic – Climate Change. Both crises have revealed the intimate relationship between our planet's health and the health of people, calling for a Resilient Recovery for people and the planet. Our keynote speaker will discuss why a collaborative effort towards a resilient recovery is a moral imperative and an economic necessity. 

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Join us for a fireside chat with the Winner of the 2019 Youth Summit Competition as he discusses how his transportation app is shaping transportation ease and accessibility in Africa.

  • Hope Ndlovu, 2019 Youth Summit Competition Winner, Co-Founder and CEO, Tuverl

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Building back better means looking at all the essential elements of a resilient recovery, each unique on their own, but all of which put together provide a powerful tool to address climate change and mitigate the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic. Panelists will discuss critical components of a resilient recovery such as the vaccine (accessibility and mindsets, etc.), inclusion (equality and equity), education and skill training, climate change and infrastructure impacts, and empowerment for resilience and adaptation towards a resilient recovery.

  • Motoko Aizawa, President, Observatory for Sustainable Infrastructure
  • Matthew Klein, Head, International Government at Coursera
  • HE Saeed Al Nazari, Director General of the Federal Youth Authority of the UAE
  • Moderator: Abigail Yirrah, Program Assistant (MIGA)

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There has been a rise in youth engagement towards climate change action all over the globe, proving that youth voices matter and youth initiatives matter. While a lot has been done already, there is still more room for the youth to play crucial roles in acting on climate change mitigation and adaptation. In this Keynote conversation, our keynote speaker will discuss why empowering the youth is necessary for a resilient recovery, what it takes to empower the youth, and how she empowers the youth in her role.

  • Dr. Sandie Okoro, Senior Vice President and General Counsel and Vice President for Compliance, World Bank Group

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The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the already existing digital divide, leaving women and the youth to bear the brunt of the consequences of this divide. An inclusive recovery process will require global collaboration and attention to every link in the chain: launching projects to leverage technology as a driver of entrepreneurial support for women; creation of a worldwide network of centers to promote digital literacy; and making accessible new and emerging technologies to all people. Our panelists will discuss how to digitally transform our societies through the equal and equitable promotion of digital literacy and why bridging the digital gap for women and the youth is an essential part of meeting the Sustainable Development Goals.

  • Naria Santa Lucia, General Manager, Digital Inclusion and US Community Engagement, Microsoft Philanthropies,  Microsoft
  • Namitta Datta, Program Manager, Solutions for Youth Employment (S4YE), Jobs, World Bank Group
  • Amna Habiba, Founder, Global Creative Hub
  • Quratulain Hussain, CEO, Global Creative Hub
  • Gloria Fataki, Director Trace Congo, World Bank Youth Summit 2019 Delegate
  • Moderator: Dominique Tchimbakala, Award winning TV Anchor, TV5 Monde

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AGENDA JUNE 10 - WBG Youth Summit 2021

In addition to the human loss seen at an unprecedented level, there have been economic losses. Increase rate in unemployment, the collapse of businesses, setbacks in poverty alleviation, crippling of our infrastructural systems, and other far-reaching consequences. A resilient economic recovery will create jobs, invest in people, and focus on building back better, sustainably, and inclusively. Our keynote speaker will kick off Day 2 of the summit with a discussion on placing prosperity at the heart of a resilient recovery process.

  • Makhtar Diop, Managing Director and Executive Vice President, IFC

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Companies and Corporations have embraced the idea of “Going Green” to pursue ethical and business practices that prioritize People, Planet, and Profit through ecologically responsible decisions, sustainable practices, and exploring environmentally responsible alternatives to building economies. Our panelists will discuss why and how the creation of green jobs, availability of green bonds, and collaboration between the private and public sectors are essential in financing investments, economic and human advancement, and empowerment, and advancing Sustainable Development Goals.

  • Marilyn Ceci, Managing Director, Global Head of Environment Social Governance (ESG) Debt Capital Market, JP Morgan
  • Marcus Williams, Sector Manager for Energy and Extractive Industries at the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)
  • Li Seng Heng, Co-founder Green Collar Careers, Founder and CEO, Green Nudge
  • Debo Adeniyi, CEO and Chief Sustainability Officer, CENGSSUD Sustainability Services Ltd
  • Moderator: Nino Lazariia, Consultant (WB), WB Youth Summit Delegate 2019 

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Since 2015, the WBG, in partnership with the Business School of the University of Pennsylvania, has hosted the Ideas for Action (I4A) initiative, an annual competition for young professionals aged between 18 and 35. The competition acts as a catalyst to spark global conversation among youth and seeks to encourage them to contribute their own voice to the development conversation. This awards ceremony will recognize the seven global winners of the 2020 competition

Keynote Speaker: Mari Pangestu, World Bank Managing Director of Development Policy and Partnerships.

Speaker: Mr. Djordjija Petkoski, Lecturer and Senior Fellow, The Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania

Moderator: Noreyana Fernando, External Affairs Officer, World Bank

The winners for the Ideas for Action are:

  1. Adnan Ahmed Qureshi, ELAN team lead, Pakistan - South Asia region
  2. Delphin Kaze, KABIOF team lead, Burundi - Eastern and Southern Africa
  3. Elena Bozhinovska, Walkiie team lead, Macedonia - Europe and Central Asia
  4. Lisha Zhu, Angel+ team lead, China - East Asia and the Pacific
  5. Francis Maduakor, Dronagro, team lead, Nigeria - Northern and Western Africa
  6. María Francisca Silva, Cormo Alimentos team lead, Chile - Latin America and the Caribbean and North America
  7. Mohannad Hesham, “Buy me filter” team lead, Egypt - Middle East and North Africa region

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Nostos Homes: 15 - minute presentation by 2019 Youth Summit Competition Audience Choice winners - Madhav Datt and Kaushal Shetty

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Central to human development and economic growth is the state of its infrastructural systems: determining how well societies function, adaptability to changing needs, and resistance to disasters. Resilient infrastructure connects people on a local, national, and global front, enhances the quality of life and promotes health and safety. As governments around the world are looking to recover from the pandemic and build back better, it is undeniable that infrastructure needs to be at the core of the resilient recovery to address people’s needs and tackle climate change challenges. Indeed, in an era were innovations and technologies are multiplying, solutions can be implemented to build more sustainable and greener infrastructure. To achieve this goal, investments in infrastructure are more than needed and governments in partnership with private sectors have the tools to unlock financing for sustainable infrastructure.

  • Pablo Fajnzylber, Acting Vice President and Director of Strategy and Operations, Infrastructure, World Bank
  • Belen Marcos, President, VINCI Highways
  • Miguel Antunes, Global Smart City, Smart Nation & Local Government Leader | Government & Public Services, Transportation, Hospitality & Services and Automotive Leader, Deloitte
  • Moderator: O’Neall Massamba, Analyst Doing Business (WB), WB Youth Summit Delegate 2019

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The social innovation challenge calls on young entrepreneurs all over the world to pitch their solutions to ensure a resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic for the people or for the planet. While over 700 teams contested, only five of the best teams have been selected to present their pitches live at the Youth Summit.

  • Moderator: Isha Sharma , Consultant (IFC)
  • Finalists:
    • Aeloi Technologies – Tiffany Tong and Sonika Manandhar (Nepal)
    • Aircool Africa – Charles Muhangazi (Uganda)
    • Project Baala – Soumya Dabriwal (India)
    • EcoAct Tanzania – Christian Mwijage (Tanzania)
    • Clafiya – Itoro Inoyo and Jennie Nwokoye (Nigeria)
  • Judges:
    • Ms. Lauren Behr, Director Innovation at Scale, Chemonics
    • Ms. Payal Dalal, Senior Vice President Social Impact – International Markets, Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth
    • Mr. Vivek Pathak, Director, Global Head, Climate Business, IFC

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Speakers

Moderator