Environment and Youth at the World Bank

Environment Department

World Bank Group

Youth Employment Summit

October 2004

2

Outline

1. Core Development Challenge

2. The World Bank

3. Key Environmental Challenges

4. The Environment Family at the World Bank

5. How the World Bank is Engaging Youth in Development

6. The Challenge of Youth Employment

3

1. Core Development Challenge

Substantial growth in output and productivity in developing countries to provide work and a good quality of life for the existing 2.8 billion people living under $2/day and the 2-3 billion to be added to world population in next 30-50 years

Has to be done while maintaining the ecosystems that underpin life and sustain development

4

2. The World Bank

Three major pillars- Investment climate

One of the world’s largest sources of development assistance (e.g. lending, technical assistance, etc.)

We work in more than 100 developing economies Primary focus: helping the poorest people and the poorest

countries Finance, infrastructure, labor market reform, etc.

Investing in people- Education, health, social protection, HIV/AIDS

Investing in environment - Biodiversity, carbon finance, climate change, coastal and marine

management, desertification, environmental assessment, environmental economics and indicators, GEF, etc.

5

Today’s World Bank Group

In te rn a tio na l B a nkfo r R eco n s tru c tiona n d D eve lop m e nt

In te rn a tio n a lD e ve lo p m e ntA sso cia tion

In te rn a tio n a lF in an ce

C o rp ora tion

M u tila te ra lIn ves tm e nt

G u ara n te e A g en cy

In te rn a tio n a l C en te rfo r th e S e tt le m e nt o fIn ves tm e n t D ispu tes

W o rld B an k G ro up

6

The World Bank - Our People

Total Bank staff numbers about 10,000. 7,000 at HQ and 3,000 in the field

Developing country nationals represent 55% of total staff at HQ

In recent years, there has been an increase in the presence of young staff at the Bank. Currently, there are 200 Junior Professional Associates, 72 Young Professionals, and hundreds of young consultants working in various roles

7

3. Key Environmental Challenges

Managing environmental health risks

Maintaining the balance between growth and ecosystem carrying capacity

Ensuring natural capital is managed in a sustainable manner for the welfare of current and future generations

Anticipating new threats: climate change, urban migration, fisheries, livestock revolution, conflicts and natural resource management

Respond to a growing public demand for environmental improvements in the developing world

8

Main Goal of World Bank Environment Strategy:- Promote environmental improvements as a condition for growth and

poverty reduction, leading to tangible impacts on quality of life, quality of growth, and quality of the global commons

The MDGs – Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability

- Specific targets to integrate sustainable development into policies and programs, reverse the losses of environmental resources, halve proportion of people without access to improved water source, and achieve improvements in lives of 100 million urban slum dwellers.

WSSD in Johannesburg:- A comprehensive platform to look at long-term sustainable

development, growth and poverty-environment linkages- International targets on sanitation, fisheries,

water resource management, chemicals

Kyoto protocol and other International Environmental Agreements

Emerging Issues in Environment

9

4. The Environment Family at the World Bank

Analytical work

Mainstreaming in CAS, PRSP, and other sectors

Lending

Global programs (GEF, Montreal Protocol, Carbon Finance)

Safeguard policies

10

Areas of Progress — The World Bank

Improved understanding of environmental factors linked to growth and poverty reduction

Improving cross-sectoral links — “mainstreaming”

Better integration of environmental objectives in World Bank lending

Innovative financing to support environment and development

Aligning resources and need by focusing on results on the ground

Focusing on overlaps between global and local environmental benefits

Effective outreach and partnerships

11

The World Bank – Environment Lending Trends

Environmental lending in FY04 = $1.3 billion (6% of total Bank lending for FY04)

Active environmental portfolio in FY04 = $11.2 billion (12% of total Bank active portfolio)

Trends in ENRM Content ($ and %) of the Bank's Total Lending (projections based on project pipeline)

$3,388 $3,589 $2,953$2,470 $2,426 $2,530 $1,507 $1,829 $1,355 $924 $1,103 $1,302 $3,382

4.7%

5.2%

14.3%

17.2%

13.1%11.6% 12.7% 8.8% 12.0%

7.9%6.0%

6.5%

10.4%

0500

1,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,000

FY93 FY94 FY95 FY96 FY97 FY98 FY99 FY00 FY01 FY02 FY03 FY04 FY05

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

Environment and Natural Resources Management

ENRM as % of Total Bank Lending

12

The Environment Family at the World Bank - Our People

Over 200 Technical Staff

Roughly 89% in HQ and 11% in the field

There are 3 Junior Professional Associates, 2 Young Professionals, several young consultants working in the ENV anchor. There are many other young staff working in the various regions and in local offices. These young staff work with such themes as:

Biodiversity

Environment Assessment

Safeguard Policies

Carbon Finance

Global Environment Fund

13

5. How the World Bank is Engaging Youth in Development

Institutional Mechanisms- Children and Youth Framework for Action development

- Senior Vice President coordinates implementation of Children & Youth Agenda

- All regions appointed regional Children and Youth focal point persons

Knowledge Building: Research, Technical Assistance, Trainings Operations: Lending, Youth Participation at Country Level Advocacy: Conferences, Dialogues Partnerships

- UN System, bilateral donors, Youth Employment Network- Youth Voices: establishing consultative groups in country offices

14

Youth Participation at the Country Level

14 New Voices groups 7 Groups are underway 6 Groups are in the planning stage New Voices groups have been engaged in many different

activities• E.g. national Children and Youth strategies, revision of Country

Assistance Strategies, portfolio activities, post-conflict mediation

• www.worldbank.org/childrenandyouth

15

Y2Y Network – Building an informal network for dialogue and interaction

Community of young professionals in development institutions- Provides new perspectives to the Bank

- Promotes youth capacity building

- Serves as a bridge to young people outside

- Help mainstream youth issues in the institution

- www.y2ycommunity.org

Youthink: Action = Results- Website provides information about global issues that matter to

young people today

- Allows youth to explore the research, knowledge and experience gathered by World Bank experts on issues like poverty, development, and conflict

- http://www.youthink.worldbank.org/

16

Youth Environment Team (YET) – Engaging Youth and Mainstreaming Environment

YET is a group of young professionals in the Environment Department working to encourage environmental awareness and action within the youth community internally and externally

Some of YET’s objectives include:- To include youth as a stakeholder in World Bank’s environmental

projects - To provide a forum for knowledge sharing - To establish partnerships with other youth and environment

focused entities Proposed activities:

- Development Market Place

- Knowledge sharing

- On the ground work: Education for Sustainable Societies, Local youth field guides

17

6. The Challenges of Youth Employment

Largest cohort ever now entering adulthood – concentrated in low-income countries

High rates of unemployment, poverty-level earnings, and hazardous working conditions

Demography

Harmful economic and social consequences, both immediate and in the long run

- Contributes to high youth poverty rates, social accumulation, personal growth, and economic development

Simply, youth unemployment/underemployment is a waste of human potential

18

Youth Employment – What needs to be done?

A comprehensive approach that emphasizes:

- Most important – quality education

- Training in line with market demand

- Clear transition paths from school to work

- Labor market policies that promote job creation

- Comprehensive services for hard-to-place young people

19

What the Bank can contribute to youth issues

Capacity to generate knowledge and to apply it across “development borders”: e.g., education, health, labor markets, private sector development, etc

Portfolio of Bank projects and operations that help young people (education, health, labor market insertion, etc.)

Ability to combine financing with tried and true insights from developing countries

Convening influence at both international and national levels

Interest in working with diverse partners to achieve development goals

20

What is the Bank doing?

Through its traditional analytic work including education, health, infrastructure and rural development, the Bank has affected the lives of young men and women in all regions;

The number of projects with youth employment component has been significant over the past decade, both in terms of numbers and of total lending, but scattered

New focus is on youth employment as a cross sectoral theme,

Emphasis on the need for a more evidence-based approach to support the policy dialogue

21

What youth can contribute

A fresh, experience-based perspective on development issues

A long-term commitment

Resources, experience, and capabilities

Creativity and enthusiasm for development

Willingness to participate and contribute

Global organizations and networks with global reach and knowledge

Knowledge of an access to grass root realities and local communities; experience with community-driven approaches

Energy to build more inclusive, responsive, and effective public policies and program implementation processes