6 Highlights from the World Bank Annual Meetings 2017

Learn|Finance|Policy
6 Highlights from the World Bank Annual Meetings 2017
October 26, 2017
By
Connect4Climate
The Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund bring together central ministers of finance and development, private sector, representatives from civil society, academics and central bankers to discuss key issues of global concern. Over six days the Connect4Climate team followed the climate change and sustainable development related events allowing you to be part of this important international discussion. See our six highlights below:
 

1. Future Harvest: Who Will Grow Tomorrow’s Food?

 
The World Bank’s Food and Agriculture Global Practice hosted an event highlighting young farmers who are passionate agriculture. “Agriculture like any good job is hard, but technology will make it an easier job in the future," said Pedro Diniz, from Fazenda da Toca in Brasil. 
 
Journalist Femi Oke moderated a panel composed by four successful examples: Shelly-Ann Dinnall, a poultry farmer from Jamaica; Pedro Diniz, Founder and CEO of a large scale organic farm in Brazil; Katrina Sasse, a cereal farmer from Australia; and Brian Ndyaguma, an entrepreneur who grows greens to supply a café in Uganda. As Katrina Sasse said: "Sharing this stories is essential to 'unlock the code' and inspire youth to become farmers."
 

 

2. Is the private sector the key to providing the extra $2.5T/year needed to meet the #SDGs?

The involvement of the private sector to invest in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is key to achieve the 17 goals until 2030, concluded the panel composed by Bambang Brodjonegoro, Minister of National Development Planning, Indonesia; Anne-Marie Chidzero, CEO, Alitheia Identity; Board Member, Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund, Making Finance Work for Africa, and Women’s World Banking; Hans Peter Lankes, Vice President, Economics and Private Sector Development, International Finance Corporation (IFC); Susan Lund, Partner, Mckinsey Global Institute; and Matthew T. McGuire, Managing Director, The Abraaj Group Luis Fernando Mejía, Director-General, National Planning Department, Colombia.
 
"We need to enhance the role of the public sector and it needs to work in partnership with the private sector," affirmed Bambang Brodjonegoro, Minister of National Development Planning of Indonesia, while Susan Lund urged the world to do more: “Keep doing what you're doing but you'll have to do it faster, better and in a larger scale."
 

 

3. Localizing the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals

 
Two panels focusing the discussion on the implementation of the SDGs, firstly concentrated in work Colombia is doing to reach the 17 goals. “Colombia is a country very committed to the SDGs being very involved in the discussion that led to the SDGs," stated the Colombian Minister Mauricio Cárdenas. 
 
Ede Ijjasz-Vásquez, director of World Bank Social, Urban, Rural & Resilience Global Practice, started the second panel by underlining that "Everyone needs to run in the same direction to make the SDGs happen." Gender equality, education, resilience were presented as major factors to progress. As Achim Steiner, Administrator of UNDP and UNEP UN Under Sec-Gen & ED said: "More than awareness we need to learn how to empower one another."
 

 

4. a) How do we ensure new infrastructure makes resilience, not risk, for future generations? #ResilienceDialogue - Part 1

“How much more destruction is needed for us to start protecting our planet? The time to act is now.” On International Day for Disaster Reduction, Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin group, initiated his speech appealing the audience to the urgency of protecting the Caribbean from natural disasters. "There must be a Marshall plan for a greener and more resilient Caribbean," Branson declared. “If we do not invest in resilience we will be in systemic reconstruction. Resilient infrastructure is urgent," reminded Christiana Figueres, Mission2020 Convenor.    
 

 

4. b) How do we ensure new infrastructure makes resilience, not risk, for future generations? #ResilienceDialogue - Part 2

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5. Forests, climate and land rights: How can policy lending address the major challenges of development? #AMCSO17

As part of the civil society discussions happening at the World Bank during the Annual Meetings, experts from the United States, Colombia, Peru and Congo approach the efforts made by their countries to protect the forest and which measures needs to be considered. “74% of our population - Congo - depends on the forest," stated Joseph Bobia. Nezir Sinani, Director, Rights and Environmental Sustainability, BIC, also reminded that “fossil fuels and its subsidies need to end." "Maybe the question we need to ask ourselves is how we can stop illegal activities in our forests," stressed Ricardo Perez, Advocacy Specialist, DAR, from Peru.
 

6. Conversation on End Poverty Day: How Can We Break The Cycle?

Special event on International Day to Eradicate Poverty - #EndPoverty Day - with World Bank President Jim Yong Kim and a panel of experts from the Washington, D.C. community, media and civil society to debate what are the causes behind extreme poverty and which are the best weapons to fight it. “Nearly 1.1 B people lifted themselves out of extreme poverty in last 25 years, but 800 M still live on $1.90/day," informed Jim Yong Kim, who believes that by “working together we can be the first generation to end poverty." According to the five specialists education is crucial to tackle this issue. As Carolina Sanchez, World Bank, remembered: "We know that more educated parents are more able to develop their children's skills."

 

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