Social Development

Building Livelihoods and Trust in Uganda’s Refugee-Hosting Communities The World Bank helps install climate-resilient infrastructure, expand access to basic services, and create new job opportunities for 3 million people. https://www.worldbank.org/ext/en/topic/social-development Today’s development landscape is marked by converging crises. Conflict and violence are rising, and by 2030 up to two-thirds of the world’s extreme poor may live in FCV-affected settings. Climate change is accelerating poverty and instability, with as many as 132 million people projected to be pushed into extreme poverty by 2030. Persistent gender gaps further undermine progress: globally, women still have only 64 percent of the legal protections afforded to men. These challenges reinforce one another: conflict magnifies vulnerability to climate shocks, while exclusion drives instability, and gender inequality erodes resilience. Evidence shows that social cohesion—trust, shared purpose, and collective action—and inclusive institutions are central to navigating these pressures and achieving sustainable development. Social development is about ensuring people from all groups feel included and see lasting economic and social opportunities while contributing to their country’s growth. Social development reflects the World Bank’s commitment to addressing longstanding barriers to development, strengthening the focus on people who have been excluded from economic and social opportunities, and increasing investment in inclusive growth. We support our client countries to build socially sustainable communities and societies that are able to work together to overcome challenges, deliver public goods, and allocate scarce resources in a manner perceived as legitimate and fair by all, so that all people may thrive over time.

Sustainable Infrastructure Finance

https://www.worldbank.org/ext/en/topic/sustainable-infrastructure-finance Infrastructure Finance Forum: Europe 2026 Infrastructure Finance Forum: Europe 2026 brings together investors, lenders, and developers to explore regulation, risk, financing structures, and opportunities across Europe’s infrastructure and energy markets. Infrastructure enables quality of life in every economy by creating jobs, enabling access to healthcare and education, and connecting markets and consumers. Public budgets and support from multilateral development banks are not sufficient to eliminate poverty on a livable planet. Partnership between governments, philanthropies, donors and the private sector is necessary to ensure basic services for the millions of households left behind. The World Bank Group is responding to the global call to scale up future-fit resilient quality infrastructure investment needed to accomplish our mission. We leverage the full suite of WB/IFC/MIGA financing instruments to facilitate private sector investment in sustainable quality infrastructure.

Resilience and Disaster Management

https://www.worldbank.org/ext/en/topic/resilience-and-disaster-management Natural Hazards Cost the World 90 Million Jobs Every Year A new global study covering 132 countries, Worldwide Job Losses Due to Natural Hazards, finds that each year, disasters and extreme heat are associated with the loss of around 90 million full‑time job equivalents worldwide. Disasters are no longer rare, isolated shocks. They are an escalating development challenge. In 2024, global economic losses from disasters reached record levels, with the poorest countries hit hardest. Beyond the destruction they cause, disasters disrupt growth and jobs, strain public finances, erode infrastructure, and push vulnerable households deeper into poverty. For the World Bank, disaster risk management is core to development: vital to growth, fiscal stability, and poverty reduction. Disasters can undo years of progress in moments. Investments in preparedness and resilience safeguard those development gains, protect lives and jobs, and create conditions for sustainable growth on a livable planet.

Governance

From climate ambition to action: Strengthening institutions for effective implementation of climate commitments Georgia provides a compelling case study of how governments can tackle the growing gap where technology outpaces institutions. With the support of the World Bank, Georgia is developing a structured modernization roadmap. https://www.worldbank.org/ext/en/topic/governance Governments are facing ongoing, overlapping crises and tightening fiscal space, which are challenging their ability to respond effectively in unprecedented ways. Citizens’ trust in public institutions continues to erode, highlighting the urgent need to renew the current social contract in countries around the world.

Gender

Unlocking Women’s Economic Potential Women’s economic lives look different from place to place. But when women earn, build businesses, and step into leadership, the effects extend beyond individual households, into their communities and beyond. https://www.worldbank.org/ext/en/topic/gender Unlocking the full potential of women and girls is a priority for the World Bank Group. Evidence shows that their full participation in society drives economic productivity, reduces poverty, strengthens social cohesion, and improves wellbeing across generations. While women and girls have made major strides in education and health, these gains have not fully translated into economic opportunities. Women’s human capital remains underutilized, as barriers such as unpaid care responsibilities, restrictive social norms, and limited access to finance and digital tools continue to constrain their participation in the workforce and broader economy. Globally, women’s labor force participation has remained stagnant at 53% since 1990—compared to 80% for men. More than 710 million women are kept out of the labor market due to family care duties, and millions more face exclusion from financial and digital services. The World Bank Group is working to close this gap by helping translate women’s human capital into meaningful employment, entrepreneurship, and income-generating opportunities. Removing these barriers not only empowers women—it boosts productivity, innovation, and job creation. In India alone, eliminating obstacles to female entrepreneurship could create 25 million new jobs and significantly accelerate GDP growth. Guided by our 2024–2030 Gender Strategy, we are connecting evidence to action to ensure that women’s human capital translates into more and better jobs. We invest in foundational enablers like education, health, safety, legal and digital inclusion and social protection. We also support legal and regulatory reforms that expand women’s access to jobs, capital and entrepreneurship—addressing constraints such as labor laws, tax systems, and social protection policies that can limit women’s economic opportunities. And we are sharing cutting-edge research, scalable solutions and hands-on support with governments and the private sector.

Fragility, Conflict and Violence

https://www.worldbank.org/ext/en/topic/fragility-conflict-and-violence Success in fragile, conflict and violent (FCV) contexts has become mission-critical for the World Band Group (WBG) because poverty is increasingly concentrated in countries classified as fragile and conflict-affected situations (FCS): An estimated 400 million of the extreme poor will be living in fragile countries in the next 10 years. Fragility interacts with other threats like food insecurity, climate change and macroeconomic challenges, posing a critical risk to development outcomes.

Hooked on Subsidies: The Case for Reform

https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/hooked-on-subsidies The report Hooked on Subsidies: The Case for Reform examines how subsidies in emerging market and developing economies can either strengthen growth and resilience or entrench inefficiency and inequality. It provides evidence-based analysis and practical guidance to improve transparency, design, and implementation so that subsidies better support fiscal sustainability, productivity, poverty reduction, and job creation.