Working for a world free of poverty

18th March 2014. 
Julia Barrera, World Bank, Europe.

The 2013/14 A Volta lecture will take place in the College lecture theatre at 5.30 pm and the poster can be downloaded here.  While poverty has declined in the past decades, humanity continues to face urgent and complex challenges. As much as 1 billion people still live in deep poverty, while rising inequality and social exclusion seem to accompany the rising prosperity in many countries. It is in this context that the World Bank Group emerges as one of the most important sources of financial and technical assistance to developing countries. The World Bank Group has established two ambitious but achievable goals to guide its work: (i) to end extreme poverty at the global level within a generation and (ii) to promote what may be called “shared prosperity”: a sustainable increase in the well-being of the poorer segments of society. These goals are well-aligned with the overall objectives of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) process and reiterate the Bank's commitment to support it and to helping shape the Post-2015 Agenda. The seminar seeks to give a short overview about what the Bank is doing to this end, where and how it works, how it is structured or how decisions are made. It will also explain how the Bank adapts to a changing world and how it works with other development partners to tackle these challenges.

References:

[1]  The World Bank. Annual Report 2012.
[2]  The World Bank Group Goals. End Extreme Poverty and Promote Shared Prosperity.

 

Julia Barrera has more than 10 years experience in development and environmental policy.  A Spanish-national, Julia joined the World Bank in 2005 and has worked extensively on policy dialogue with European stakeholders on a wide range of issues. She is currently based in Rome (Italy), where she deals with Southern European countries (including Italy) and UN institutions. Julia has also worked for the Latin America region of the World Bank, dealing with partnerships and outreach on sustainable development. Previous to joining the World Bank, she worked on environmental and economic policy issues at the European Commission and the Spanish government, among others. Julia holds an MSc in Economics from Humboldt University in Berlin, with a focus on environmental economics.

 

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