Jobs as the Path to Prosperity: How Knowledge Drives Development Impact
Join Paschal Donohoe, Managing Director and Chief Knowledge Officer of the World Bank Group (WBG), for a keynote presentation and conversation on the global jobs crisis and how knowledge, policy, and financing must converge to meet the defining development challenge of our generation.
The world is facing a defining development challenge: over the next decade, 1.2 billion young people in developing countries will reach working age, yet only around 400 million jobs are expected to be created. This widening gap threatens to reverse progress on poverty reduction and undermine shared prosperity. How can governments and institutions respond at the scale and speed required?
Drawing on his leadership at the World Bank Group, Paschal Donohoe will explore why job creation sits at the heart of development and how it must be paired with a transformation in how knowledge is generated and applied. From building infrastructure and enabling private sector growth to mobilizing investment, he will outline the key policy and institutional shifts needed to close the global jobs gap.
He will also reflect on the “One World Bank Group” approach, which brings together public and private sector tools—including the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)—to deliver integrated solutions across sectors such as energy, agriculture, water, and health. At the same time, the lecture will examine how knowledge produced both within the Bank and in collaboration with universities and think tanks can drive better policy decisions and development outcomes.
Please note that this is an in-person only event.