YEAR 2 PROGRESS REPORT PROTECT AND INVEST in people Contents 04 VISION 05 FOREWORD Copyright © 2020 International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / 06 WHAT COUNTRIES ARE DOING THE WORLD BANK 06 Prioritization, Reform, and Innovation Washington DC 20433 10 Strengthening Data Telephone: +1-202-473-1000 Internet: www.worldbank.org 12 HUMAN CAPITAL INDEX 2020 12 Overview This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank with external contributions. The 13 Key Findings findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this work do not necessarily 14 Gains since 2010 reflect the views of The World Bank, its Board of Executive Directors, or the governments they represent. 18 PROTECTING HUMAN CAPITAL IN THE COVID-19 CRISIS 18 Integrated Policy Responses to COVID-19 The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. 20 Immediate Operational Responses to COVID-19 The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank concerning the 22 HCP NETWORK ACTIVITIES legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. 22 Beyond Now: Protecting People through Innovation and Good Policy in the COVID Era All dollar amounts are US dollars unless otherwise indicated. 24 Connecting Countries: The HCP Knowledge Exchange 28 Hearing from Focal Points Rights and Permissions: The material in this work is subject to copyright. Because 30 Launching New Approaches The World Bank encourages dissemination of its knowledge, this work may be 32 Learning from Case Studies reproduced, in whole or in part, for non-commercial purposes. 34 WHAT THE WORLD BANK GROUP IS DOING Any queries on rights and licenses, including subsidiary rights, should be addressed 34 Implementing the Africa Human Capital Plan to World Bank Publications, The World Bank Group, 1818 H Street NW, Washington, 36 Implementing the Human Capital Plan for the Middle East and DC 20433, USA; fax: 202-522-2625; e-mail: pubrights@worldbank.org. North Africa (MENA) 38 Selected World Bank Operational Highlights Design: Israel David Melendez, Junya Yuan 40 Human Capital in Country Engagement 41 Support to Human Capital Policy Reforms through Development Policy Operations (DPO) 43 IFC and the Human Capital Project 44 Multisectoral Contributions to Human Capital 46 GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT 50 LOOKING BACK, LOOKING AHEAD 52 HCP QUICK RESOURCES GUIDE PROTECT AND INVEST in people PROTECT AND INVEST in people 03 YEAR 2 PROGRESS REPORT Vision Foreword In recent years, human capital has The Human Capital Project (HCP) Network, Human capital is central to the Facilitated by the World Bank emerged as a high priority issue in many which now has 78 countries on board, World Bank Group’s efforts to Group, its vision is a world in countries. In 2020, we find ourselves has helped to connect policy makers in end extreme poverty by 2030 and which all children reach their in an unprecedented global situation real time as they battle the pandemic. raise the incomes of the bottom 40 full potential—growing up well- as countries and development partners This report captures reforms, advances, percent of people in each country. nourished and ready to learn, work hard to protect households and innovations across the world over attaining real learning in the and economies from the COVID-19 the past year, including the response to The Human Capital Project is a classroom, and entering the job pandemic, which threatens to reverse the pandemic. It also describes the World global effort to accelerate more market as healthy, skilled, and hard-won human capital gains. Bank Group’s efforts to support all client and better investments in people productive adults. countries on human capital, including for greater equity and economic This is a never-to-be-forgotten moment through plans focused on Sub-Saharan growth. in history. Seldom have we been Africa and the Middle East and North challenged so deeply on so many fronts. Africa, with South Asia soon to come, and It is crucial that we do not lose sight of through several tools and network activities. our vision for human capital, and that AT A GLANCE we together take measures to counter In the year ahead, the HCP will continue the potentially devastating impact of to help countries build and protect human BY THE END OF SEPTEMBER 2020, 78 COUNTRIES COVID-19 on lives and livelihoods. capital and strengthen systems for the HAD JOINED THE HUMAN CAPITAL PROJECT. The 2020 Human Capital Index gives future as the world recovers from this us the last snapshot of the world before historic shock. We look forward to COVID-19. It offers a benchmark for the remaining connected as a global network, state of human capital, and generates and to carrying on with our vital work further momentum for timely policy in this time of crisis, particularly on new interventions. models for service delivery and sustainable financing for investments in people. TONGA HCP COUNTRIES ANNETTE DIXON MAMTA MURTHI NEWLY JOINED COUNTRIES SINCE Vice President for Human Development Vice President for Human Development JULY 2019 World Bank Group World Bank Group 2018-2020 Appointed July 2020 04 PROTECT AND INVEST in people PROTECT AND INVEST in people 05 YEAR 2 PROGRESS REPORT What Countries Indonesia’s Afghanistan has are Doing National Strategy long prioritized to Accelerate Stunting investments in basic Prevention has adopted a multisectoral health and education convergence approach that commits with considerable 23 ministries to increase the impact external financial support. In PRIORITIZATION, To combat persistent high levels of childhood of existing government spending on nutrition interventions and services. addition, the country’s flagship community-driven development REFORM AND malnutrition, Lao PDR Impacting millions of pregnant women (CDD) programs have been running INNOVATION will implement a multisectoral strategy aligned with the 8th and children under the age of two across the country, the strategy consists since the early 2000s. Afghanistan has been hit particularly hard by National Socio-Economic of five pillars: national leadership; COVID-19 because of the still Development Plan 2016-2020 and precarious public health system and By implementing public awareness and behavior change; the National Nutrition Strategy the absence of a functional social a national early central, regional and village program childhood 2016-2025. The proposed strategy safety net. However, the government convergence; access to nutritious food; development will support a package of nutrition- has developed an ambitious program and monitoring and evaluation. policy, Crecer Juntos, El Salvador sensitive and nutrition-specific to provide emergency food/cash aims to help children maximize interventions in 12 target districts. transfers to around 90 percent of Moving forward, the government is their development potential. The Several ministries, including the households that live on less than scaling up the National Strategy to policy, based on best practice Health, Agriculture, Education, $2/day, capitalizing on the CDD another 100 stunting priority districts international examples and adapted and Public Works and Transport platform to deliver benefits. in 2020, bringing the total to 260 to country context, monitors will work together to implement, priority districts. It will also prioritize children from conception to age 7, monitor and evaluate the to individually track each the expansion of the program in urban interventions. child’s development trajectory. areas as well as the national roll-out of By tracking each child through a Paraguay, with 60 innovative technological solutions like Prioritizing and shared management information percent of its population the Electronic Human Development Planning Across system, Crecer Juntos aims to ensure Workers (eHDW) digital android that a child receives timely and age under the age of 30, is tool for community-based human Government implementing several appropriate benefits and services— initiatives to improve the development workers. The early results Many countries have placed such as health, education and social link between education are promising — the Ministry of services—from relevant providers. human capital priorities at and the demand for skills in the Health has reported a reduction in the labor market. A mere year into the national stunting rate by a record 3.1 the center of their national program, 240,000 people have percentage points to 27.7 percent in 2019 plans and are coordinating VIDEO: Every Child Counts been trained and 70,000 new jobs (Integrated SUSENAS-SSGBI Survey). across ministries to achieve The First Lady of El Salvador describes fulfilled. Paraguay has developed During the COVID-19 pandemic, it will their goals. the government’s early childhood an education roadmap to support be increasingly important to safeguard development strategy, “Crecer Juntos (Let’s Grow Together)”, as El Salvador systemic reform by 2030. It will investments to reduce stunting and joins the Human Capital Project. take advantage of digital technology 06 ensure continuity of essential frontline to prepare children for future jobs. services. 06 PROTECT AND INVEST in people PROTECT AND INVEST in people 07 06 WHAT COUNTRIES ARE DOING YEAR 2 PROGRESS REPORT The Democratic With a high prevalence of Republic of Congo is child marriage and early rolling out measures to childbearing among provide free primary adolescent girls, education to the poorest Niger has the highest regions of the country. fertility rate and population growth At present, the primary education rate in the world. Adolescent girls system’s heavy dependence on fees fare poorly in comparison with boys disproportionately burdens the poorest in terms of completion of primary and most vulnerable households, and and secondary school. Substantially limits children’s access to school. The expanding educational attainment and cost of primary education is cited as the reducing fertility could boost GDP by main barrier to schooling by 64 percent of households with out-of-school an estimated 12.6 percent by 2030. HUMAN CAPITAL REFORMS IN EGYPT Reducing gender gaps has been at the children. heart of Niger’s social development Egypt’s national cash new assessment system; and a reformed and demographic transition strategy. transfer program, secondary school graduation system Given that COVID-19 will cause With support from the World Bank, Takaful and Karama, focused on building 21st century skills further economic hardship to the poor, several reforms have been put in place is among the rather than rote learning. To reach these providing free primary education recently to protect adolescent girls’ country’s critical objectives, Egypt has expanded the will enable over nine million children rights to education and health and to investments promoting human capital use of technology and digital learning to stay in school post lockdown and empower women. For example, Child accumulation. To date, the program resources in teaching and learning. will provide access to school for more Protection Committees are being set up has reached 3.1 million households than a million poor children currently at every level from national to village to (approximately 8.5 million people) with In health, a transformational Universal excluded from the education system. mobilize society against child marriage, over 67 percent of the cash directed Health Insurance System is being and to raise awareness about the risks to to the poor and vulnerable in Upper implemented as Egypt’s pathway A Last Mile initiative in children’s wellbeing. The government Egypt and with 74 percent of card toward achieving universal health Vietnam will help improve is also allowing adolescent girls to holders being women. The government coverage and improving health human capital outcomes remain enrolled in school in the event also plans to launch a new program on outcomes. The Government of Egypt for ethnic minorities. Close of pregnancy or marriage to improve productive inclusion/graduation to be is piloting the system and offering to launching the Nationally educational attainment. To improve piloted in 8 governorates. temporary financial protection to the Targeted Program on Socio- access to health services, married most vulnerable to protect them from Economic Development adolescent girls are now permitted Egypt’s education reforms aim to high out-of-pocket health expenditures of Mountainous Areas and to access family planning assistance Ethnic Minorities 2021- improve teaching and learning resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak. without being accompanied by a 30 (NTP SEDEMA), the conditions in public schools. The The government is also focused on parent or husband. The government Government of Vietnam hopes to objectives are to have 500,000 new family planning efforts, the scale-up of also created a platform mobilizing all eliminate discrepancies between students enrolled in kindergarten, with a community health workers program public and non-public entities (NGOs, ethnic groups, especially with international agencies) involved in 50 percent from the poorest districts; to promote better health and nutrition, respect to nutrition, access to quality programs aimed at curbing child teachers demonstrating better practices; and annual blood screenings for secondary education and beyond, and marriages to promote coordination of 2 million students benefiting from a various pathogens. smooth school-to-work transition. actions and reform implementation. 08 PROTECT AND INVEST in people PROTECT AND INVEST in people 09 WHAT COUNTRIES ARE DOING YEAR 2 PROGRESS REPORT STRENGTHENING DATA Countries are making strong progress on social registries and digital identification systems. A few highlights: Insights from Service Delivery Indicators The Economic Community of targeting, 220 programs included in the Data on the quality of social sector included Bhutan, Cameroon, Comoros, West African States (ECOWAS) is ROI now use the RUP registry, with the service delivery is a key input for Guatemala, Guinea Bissau, Indonesia, leveraging technology to implement objective of improving the efficiency and informing policies and designing Iraq, Malawi, Mali, Madagascar, foundational unique identification effectiveness of public spending on social interventions that enhance and Moldova, the Democratic Republic systems. Each of the 15 member services. This is paying off even further accelerate human capital outcomes. of Congo, and Senegal. Many SDI countries will establish its own unique in 2020, as the government plans to use SDI are nationally representative countries are also part of the HCP. identification system using a minimal the RUP to distribute cash transfers to surveys that measure the service set of attributes. By offering a form informal workers who are out of work delivery experience of average citizens Guatemala, Madagascar, and Bhutan, of official identification to their during the COVID-19 crisis. in primary health care facilities and through their health ministries, have populations, these countries are primary schools. These surveys collect begun preparing to implement a ensuring access to social protection In Morocco, the adoption by Parliament data from schools, classrooms, and nutrition-oriented SDI that will include programs, social registries, health and of a new law in July 2020, establishing health facilities to examine teachers’ novel case-simulations to measure financial inclusion services, and labor a National Population Registry and a and health workers’ effort and ability, as providers’ knowledge on antenatal mobility, among other benefits. Digital Social Registry, provides the well as the availability of key inputs and care and diagnosis and treatment of legal and institutional framework for resources. By measuring how services growth faltering, both essential to In Honduras, the National Center major improvements in the delivery of are delivered, SDI links resources to prevent stunting. It will also include for Information on Social Sectors social protection. The ID will provide results and helps shift national policy questions related to inputs and (CENISS) manages the Unique online authentication services based dialogue from inputs toward quality infrastructure such as scales, measuring Registry of Participants (RUP), a on an assigned number and biometric and results. boards and tapes, medications and social registry currently housing characteristics such as fingerprints, iris supplements, nutrition counseling information on 1.08 million scans, or facial images. The Digital Social Countries that have been pioneer users norms, breastfeeding, complementary households nationwide. It also Registry will be used to effectively target of SDI surveys include Senegal, Sierra feeding, and dietary diversity manages a database called the Registry existing and future social assistance Leone, Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria, Togo, recommendations, among others. of Institutional Services (ROI), which programs. The digital ID system will Niger, Madagascar, Morocco, and Evidence from these surveys will is a catalogue of all social programs improve the effectiveness of social Uganda. In FY20, many countries took inform countries about potential provided by the government. protection enrollment, inclusion, action on starting and/or continuing bottlenecks to nutrition service delivery Following a 2014 mandate for all spending and access to cashless payment their work on SDI, including fieldwork and, at the same time, provide the social programs to use the RUP for by vulnerable people. preparation, data collection and necessary resources and information cleaning, finalization of reports, for other countries that would like to cross-country comparability, and comprehensively assess their capacity public data release. These countries to address malnutrition. 10 PROTECT AND INVEST in people PROTECT AND INVEST in people 11 YEAR2 YEAR PROGRESS REPORT 2 PROGRESS REPORT Human Capital Index 2020 OVERVIEW KEY FINDINGS • Investments in human capital— • Using data gathered before the As in 2018, the index is designed WHAT’S NEW the knowledge, skills, and health pandemic, the HCI 2020 serves to capture the amount of human that people accumulate over their as a baseline to track changes in capital a child born today could • Coverage of HCI 2020 increased to lives—are key to unlocking a child’s human capital and inform policies expect to attain by age 18, given a total of 174 countries (17 additional potential and improving economic to protect and invest in people the risks of poor health and poor countries as compared to HCI 2018) education that prevail in the growth in every country around throughout the pandemic and country where she lives. the world. COVID-19 threatens to beyond. • Greater disaggregation based on wipe out a decade of human capital gender gains, leaving an entire generation • The pandemic makes clear the WHY NOW • Extension of HCI to understand behind, as countries struggle to importance of maintaining and HCI 2020 provides a snapshot utilization of human capital contain the virus, save lives, and resourcing well-designed health of the outlook for human capital rebuild their economies. care systems, resilient and flexible before the COVID-19 pandemic • Trajectory of human capital over education systems, and social struck. It incorporates updated a decade from circa 2010 for 103 • New data from the HCI shows protection programs, particularly data for all components with a countries that right before the pandemic for those close to the poverty line. cut-off date of March 2020. The struck, most countries were making The WBG is working closely with index serves as a benchmark to • The top improvers in human capital investments in human capital governments to develop long-term assess the human capital costs of over the past decade come from all and people were healthier and solutions to invest in human capital COVID-19. regions and income levels more educated than ever before. during and after the pandemic. However, the data also shows that even before COVID-19, a child born in a typical country could only expect to achieve 56 percent of her future productivity. SURVIVAL SCHOOL HEALTH Will children born How much school will Will they leave school in today survive to they complete and how good health, ready for further school age? much will they learn? learning and/or work? 12 PROTECT AND INVEST in people PROTECT AND INVEST in people 13 HUMAN CAPITAL INDEX 2020 YEAR YEAR PROGRESS 22 REPORT PROGRESS REPORT The 2020 update of the HCI includes a comparable HCI for 103 economies for GAINS SINCE 2010 circa 2010 (with the changes across time shown in the map below). This does not include all countries in the HCI 2020; for example, there is no intertemporal comparison for South Asia. For data on all 174 countries included in the HCI 2020, please visit http://worldbank.org/humancapital. HCI GAINS SINCE 2010 (HCI Points) [0.05 - 0.15] [0.03 - 0.05] [0.02 - 0.03] [0.00 - 0.02] [-0.03 - 0.00] No data No data for 2010 IBRD 45370 | OCTOBER 2020 14 15 14 PROTECT PROTECTAND ANDINVEST people inin INVEST people PROTECT PROTECTAND ANDINVEST inin INVEST people people 15 YEAR 2 PROGRESS REPORT CONTRIBUTION OF INDEX COMPONENTS TO HCI DIFFERENCES ACROSS INCOME GROUPS GAINS (2010-2020) While countries in every income preprimary and primary education. group experienced an increase in These gains were offset in roughly half their HCI, the factors that contributed the countries in the sample by declines Nearly one-third of changes in the HCI accounts for close to half the increase to these improvements differ across in measured learning. In high-income over the past decade are due to gains in the HCI; the remainder is explained income groups, reflecting both countries, which were already closer in health, as proxied by reductions in by changes in enrollment and to a countries’ initial conditions and their to the frontier for most components, stunting and improvements in adult lesser degree by learning. This picture development trajectories. Low-income increases in the HCI are mostly survival. Considered together, progress in varies considerably on a country by countries, in the sample, experienced explained by gains in upper-secondary child survival, stunting, and adult survival country basis. considerable gains in child survival enrollment and improvements in rates and in enrollment rates in health, as proxied by adult survival. Component contribution to HCI gains, 2010-20 Contribution to changes in the HCI, by country-income group 2010-20 1.00 Child survival 0.90 Pre−primary 0.80 enrollment Primary HCI points contributed (x100) 0.70 enrollment 0.60 Lower secondary enrollment 0.50 Upper secondary enrollment 0.40 Harmonized Test 0.30 Scores 0.20 Health 0.10 −0.10 −0.05 0.00 0.05 0.10 0.1 5 0.20 0.2 5 0.30 0.35 0.00 Share of change explained Child survivial Pre−primary Primary Lower secondary Upper secondary Harmonized Test Health Low income Lower middle Upper middle High income enrollment enrollment enrollment enrollment Scores Source: World Bank calculations based on the 2020 update of the Human Capital Index. Source: World Bank calculations based on the 2020 update of the Human Capital Index. Notes: This figure reports a decomposition computed for 103 countries where data are available for both 2010 and 2020. Notes: This figure reports a decomposition computed for 103 countries where data are available for both 2010 and 2020. 16 PROTECT AND INVEST in people PROTECT AND INVEST in people 17 YEAR 2 PROGRESS REPORT Protecting Human Capital in the COVID-19 Crisis needed to ensure sustained access to services and food, ramped up support to vulnerable households, and clear communication to build trust, change behavior, and foster social cohesion. Human capital- focused policies must also cover INTEGRATED recovery and better preparedness POLICY for future shocks. The paper outlines policy options on both RESPONSES the “protecting” and “preparing” TO COVID-19 fronts. 3. Leading a coherent economic policy response addressing trade-offs based on evidence to maintain stability, The Protecting People and Economies: Containment may be expensive, leverage global support, and link relief Integrated Policy Responses to but the costs of failing to contain measures to economic recovery efforts. COVID-19 report knits together are much higher. The paper lays three policy priorities for out a set of clear guidelines for Safeguarding the economy governments to consider while the public health dimension of calls for two phases of policy acting to support households the COVID-19 pandemic, cutting action, with strong leadership, and firms in the face of a crisis of across all relevant sectors. preservation of macroeconomic historic magnitude. 2. Protecting human capital, livelihoods, stability, and adherence to and jobs, fostering trust and social principles of good governance. 1. Containing the disease, protecting cohesion, and strengthening service First, governments need to secondary health effects, and delivery systems for the future. protect households, firms, and developing resilient systems to the financial sector through prevent and mitigate future Beyond the health dimension, emergency relief measures to pandemics. households are already severely prevent mass unemployment, While governments are faced affected by the broader impact of bankruptcies, and economic with policy trade-offs that vary COVID-19 on livelihoods, food collapse. After laying this critical by context, containment of security, and access to services. foundation, economic recovery the pandemic and protection For example, about 85 percent measures can be implemented, of people’s health and lives is children are out of school globally, leveraging a window of REPORT: Protecting People a first-order response that will signaling a potentially large- opportunity for reforms toward and Economies: Integrated deliver the maximum gains. scale loss of learning. Policies are inclusive and sustainable growth. Policy Responses to COVID-19 18 PROTECT AND INVEST in people PROTECT AND INVEST in people 19 PROTECTING HUMAN CAPITAL IN THE COVID-19 CRISIS YEAR 2 PROGRESS REPORT and revamp infectious disease • Mozambique is adding over a continuity and remediation. Various hospitals. million new households to its social platforms are being promoted protection registry for COVID-19 which can also be used more • Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic relief. broadly in francophone Africa. of Congo, The Gambia, Haiti, and Yemen are among the fragile • Morocco, Bangladesh, and the countries enhancing testing and Dominican Republic are mobilizing ENSURING SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS GROWTH AND IMMEDIATE contact tracing, as well as acquiring cash transfer schemes and employee assistance funds to support informal JOB CREATION laboratory and protective equipment OPERATIONAL for health care staff. and formal workers. Protecting jobs to safeguard income and RESPONSES Ensuring health services continuity and Access to agricultural products, nutrition preserve human capital TO COVID-19: raising public awareness and food security • The Philippines is expanding credit FIRST 100 DAYS • Colombia is prioritizing essential • Myanmar is protecting agricultural livelihoods and helping the guarantees to medium and small enterprises to support business health care services for COVID-19 agriculture and food sector recover continuity and jobs. patients. from the COVID-19 crisis. • Uzbekistan is providing cash The World Bank approved • Cote d’Ivoire and Egypt are • Uganda is providing farmers with support to low-income families and over $16 billion in funding for launching messaging platforms and e-vouchers to access high quality unemployment benefits. human capital priorities in the tools to improve public awareness of agricultural inputs, seeds and first 100 days of the COVID-19 COVID-19 prevention. fertilizers to boost nutrition and food STRENGTHENING operational response—reflecting security. POLICIES, INSTITUTIONS Cross-sectoral collaboration on health unprecedented speed, scale, and AND INVESTMENTS FOR Ensuring learning continuity and scope in the effort to protect people. • The Gambia is expanding water getting children back to school REBUILDING BETTER services, handwashing stations, hygiene kits, and WASH campaigns. Removing binding constraints, The World Bank’s approach to • Turkey, Jordan and many other addressing gender issues and countries are mobilizing technology- the COVID-19 crisis has four • Tamil Nadu state in India is enabled distance learning as the strengthening core systems repurposing emergency care services pillars. As the following selection of centerpiece of the education sector • Uganda, Uruguay, and Zambia are developed mainly for road crash projects illustrates, human capital victims (such as ventilators) for response to COVID-19. The Turkey expanding outreach and referral effort is being co-led by the World services to address the expected rise plays a central role in each. COVID-19 patients. Bank’s Education and Digital in gender-based violence during Development Global Practices. quarantine. SAVING LIVES PROTECTING POOR AND • Ethiopia, Madagascar and other • Tunisia and Colombia are VULNERABLE PEOPLE countries are supporting remote reforming social registries to Enhancing disease surveillance learning, the safe reopening of enhance access to services and and providing medical supplies for Scaling up social safety nets schools and the return of students to prepare for future shocks. emergency containment and mitigation school, often prioritizing girls and • Cambodia, Ecuador, Ethiopia, students from the most deprived REPORT: Prioritizing Human • India’s $1 billion health emergency Madagascar, Pakistan, Rwanda, Sri communities. Capital in the World Bank package will upgrade the disease Lanka, Jordan, and other countries surveillance system, strengthen are expanding emergency cash • Senegal has launched a distance Operational Response to learning program for pedagogical COVID-19: The First 100 Days preparedness for disease outbreaks transfers for vulnerable populations. 20 PROTECT AND INVEST in people PROTECT AND INVEST in people 21 YEAR 2 PROGRESS REPORT HCP Network Activities “The education system has to transform. We know that the model of learning and education that we have now is not appropriate for the 21st century...this is an opportunity for us to go back to the drawing board and ask ourselves what we want to get out of learning. We are actively redefining what access to education means.” DAVID MOININA SENGEH Chief Innovation Officer & Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Sierra Leone BEYOND NOW: PROTECTING PEOPLE THROUGH “Much of our social protection strategy was focused on the rural poor. But this pandemic has shown the necessity to INNOVATION AND GOOD POLICY IN THE COVID ERA expand social protection initiatives to the urban sector. In Bangladesh, mobile financial accounts have come into play in a big way. COVID-19 has accelerated the move to digital solutions.” This event, held on June 11, 2020, was a 90-minute session in which HOSSAIN ZILLUR RAHMAN government leaders, NGO partners, and innovators delivered a series of talks, Chairman of BRAC & Executive Chairman of Power and showcasing examples of policy actions and both public and private sector- Participation Research Center (PPRC), Bangladesh led responses—across education, health, food security, digital connectivity, and social protection. World Bank Managing Director, Mari Pangestu, kicked off this event and shared key findings from the recently published report Protecting People and Economies: Integrated Policy Responses to COVID-19. “You can make everything digital. But it’s not only up to the government. The private sector needs to lead the innovation; the government needs to set up regulation, and ensure core technologies such as internet, digital identity, unique We must prepare to work together on difficult yet identifiers, etc.” critical reforms to build better. It is a whole-of- TAAVI KOTKA government and a whole-of-society approach that’s needed.” Founder, Proud Engineers and Head, Jio Research Center, Estonia MARI PANGESTU Managing Director of Development Policy and Partnerships, World Bank “…to plan for post-Covid recovery, we use two key lessons learned from our previous crisis (1998 financial crisis). One, maintain income levels and keep workers close to “Before this crisis, our government was focused on their employers and labor markets. Two, make sure people investing in people as a priority. We haven’t lost focus of our maintain enough skills or upskill as soon as possible and as objectives; we just need to adjust our policies to the current much as possible.” climate...The next generation of children and young people ​PAUL RYAN is what matters now and how we invest in them.” Member of the Executive Board & Head of International Finance Division, Ministry of Finance, Ireland MARIA ANTONIETA ALVA Minister of Finance, Peru 22 PROTECT AND INVEST in people PROTECT AND INVEST in people 23 HCP NETWORK ACTIVITIES YEAR 2 PROGRESS REPORT Snapshots of 2019-2020 Knowledge Exchanges CONNECTING COUNTRIES: May 2020: THE HCP KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE HOW RWANDA AND THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA RESPONDED TO COVID-19 Human Capital focal points in governments around the world represent “Our strategy is based on and facilitate participation of their countries in the HCP. They help move testing, tracing, and treating.” their country’s human capital agenda forward. The HCP aims to equip focal DAE JOONG LEE points and other relevant stakeholders in member countries with approaches Director, Ministry of Finance, the Republic to engage more deeply on development policy and to share best practice. of Korea Innovative and extensive use of information and communication technology has played a role in the “Local government acted Republic of Korea becoming the first on three main fronts: county to flatten the COVID-19 curve. Rather than ban travel, Korea screens citizen mobilization, social all inbound travelers at immigration assistance, and enforcement points using a self-quarantine app of social distancing.” which monitors their health through SAMUEL DUSENGIYUMVA daily symptom-checking for 14 Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local days. Rigorous epidemiological Government, Rwanda investigation based on real-time data In Rwanda, local government collection allows rapid contact tracing authorities moved swiftly to contain of anyone who has come into contact and deal with both the health and with someone who tests positive. economic fallout of the pandemic. Korea also pioneered walk-through Local authorities spanning the and drive-through testing, measures country were able to engage with that have allowed the country to test their communities and educate up to 15,000 people a day. them through door-to-door, media, and social media campaigns about Knowledge Exchange Series the need to maintain hygiene and social distance. During and post This series of 90-minute webinars in French and English are targeted learning events lockdown, local authorities provided designed by the HCP for the Human Capital Focal Points Network. Its purpose is to food, cash transfers and agricultural bring focal points together, create community, and share key technical learning to inputs to vulnerable segments of the support policy improvements within the human capital agenda. population. Local authorities are now preparing to scale up their response. Access Human Capital Project Focal Points Network Knowledge Exchange Series here: https://olc.worldbank.org/content/human-capital- project-focal-points-network-knowledge-exchange-series Recording Link: ENGLISH | FRENCH 24 PROTECT AND INVEST in people PROTECT AND INVEST in people 25 HCP NETWORK ACTIVITIES YEAR 2 PROGRESS REPORT April 2020: January 2020: SINGAPORE’S EDUCATION SYSTEM AND COVID-19 RESPONSE HOW NIGERIA GOT STATE BUY-IN FOR A NATIONAL VISION “Success does not depend on policies “… to increase human capital but on successful implementation of development and prioritize high- those policies.” impact interventions… we decided HO PENG to have each governor of a region Advisor, Ministry of Education, Singapore serve as a champion of human capital development.” Since 1965, Singapore has built a robust YOSOLA AKINBI education system that has kept pace include increased hygiene, daily Coordinator, Core Working Group on Human with the country’s evolution from temperature-taking, leave-of-absence Capital Development, Government of Nigeria process. To create buy-in for a national manufacturing to knowledge-driven for students who have travelled to vision across 36 federal states, the economy. Responding to the COVID-19 hotspots, and limiting or suspension of Set up in 2018, the Core Working Working Group is currently focused crisis, Singapore has taken several group activities. Home-based learning Group on Human Capital on state-level engagement so that sub- steps to ensure schools maintain has thrived as teachers share innovative Development in Nigeria set a vision national governments develop their uninterrupted classes, whether in- ways to teach online and effectively use for human capital development, own visions and detailed plans with person or online. In-person measures technology. including outcomes, targets, and delivery frameworks, monitoring and high-impact interventions through a evaluation approaches, and stakeholder Recording Link: ENGLISH | FRENCH collaborative whole-of-government engagement strategies. Recording Link: ENGLISH | FRENCH March 2020: HUMAN CAPITAL INDEX AND THE HCI COMPASS December 2019: “The Human Capital Index (HCI) is a Debebe, Economist, HCP, World Bank, HOW MOROCCO REVITALIZED ITS NATIONAL INITIATIVE FOR metric that has put the focus on human introduced the HCI Compass, a tool HUMAN DEVELOPMENT capital as a key issue for development.” to help countries figure out what they need to do to improve their HCI and “Morocco’s National Human ROBERTA GATTI its subcomponents and track progress Development Initiative places human Chief Economist, Human Development, World Bank Group to know how well these policies are beings at the heart of development.” working. Dr. Yakama Jones, Director, SAID ZIANE Research and Delivery Division, Program Director, National Human Ministry of Finance, Sierra Leone, Development Initiative, Ministry of the discussed Sierra Leone’s experience in Interior, Morocco piloting the Compass. When launching the third phase of through nutrition and health services, “We worked with different ministries its National Human Development and supporting expanded quality pre- and agencies to target initiatives … Initiative (INDH) Morocco prioritized primary education in remote areas Knowing what the HCI is, how it is built, using the HCI Compass…to track interventions that would maximize of the country. The program places and what the data validation process is, progress on delivery.” human capital outcomes, focusing on monitoring and evaluation at the center helps countries use it to either make the the life cycle of children and young of its implementation approach, and is DR. YAKAMA JONES case for investment or as a monitoring Director, Research and Delivery Division, adults. The third phase includes a strong using the HCI to measure the long term tool for human capital. Zelalem Yilma Ministry of Finance, Sierra Leone focus on early childhood development, effect of the interventions it supports. Recording Link: ENGLISH | FRENCH Recording Link: ENGLISH | FRENCH 26 PROTECT AND INVEST in people PROTECT AND INVEST in people 27 HCP NETWORK ACTIVITIES YEAR 2 PROGRESS REPORT HEARING FROM THE HCP IN SIERRA LEONE FOCAL POINTS HCP focal point, Dr. YAKAMA MANTY JONES, Director, Recognizing the importance of Stakeholders find a range of aspects of Research and Delivery Division, systematically hearing from key the WBG’s support to Human Capital Ministry of Finance, Sierra Leone, decision makers and stakeholders in progress important: on what the HCP has meant for her the HCP Country Network, the HCP • Strengthening data to inform country… initiated in FY2020 a quantitative better policies on human capital electronic survey to assess their What change has the HCP helped How can the HCP support you going formation views, and to track these views over bring about in your country? forward to realize your vision for time. This survey was informed by • WBG instruments to support policy human capital development amid qualitative research conducted with reforms influencing human capital HCP has further reiterated the challenges including COVID-19? WBG managers and HCP focal points. formation government’s commitment to human capital development and has created COVID-19 has forever changed life Insights will inform how the HCP • Scaling up interventions with greater awareness and buy-in for a as we know it. Countries need more engages with focal points and provide a potential for transformative impact whole-of-government approach to support in developing stronger data substantive view of how the WBG and systems to support the adaptive nationally human capital development. If this partners can coordinate to address the implementation of human capital • Strengthening capacity for is complemented by an inflow of greatest human capital challenge in development interventions. This is analyzing and applying data (better additional financial resources and country. important as countries continue to seek analytics) ‘know-how’, it would be perfect. appropriate trade-offs between health The survey findings surface a number • Diagnostic tools and socioeconomic interventions as the of concerns regarding obstacles to pandemic continues to evolve. human capital progress: • Stakeholder engagement and prioritizing of actions • Competing for resources within the Stakeholders’ reasons for joining the Human Capital Project • Design of cross-sectoral approaches country to solve pressing problems • Investing adequately but not seeing • Support with advocacy to build results for resources spent support in the country across • Advocacy to build and sustain different stakeholder groups outside support for emphasis on sectors of government relating to human capital • Identifying and reaching • Institutional support and underserved populations management of systems across government are weak 28 PROTECT AND INVEST in people PROTECT AND INVEST in people 29 HCP NETWORK ACTIVITIES YEAR 2 PROGRESS REPORT LAUNCHING HCI Compass NEW While the HCI is a tool designed to APPROACHES measure how well a country is doing in terms of fulfilling its human capital The HCP team at potential, it has its limitations for The HCI Compass has three the World Bank has policy making. Although it identifies distinct components: been developing new the broad areas in which a country 1. Enabling Environment approaches to inform is far from its potential, it does not 2. Quality of Service Delivery suggest what to do to get there. policy makers as they take 3. Intermediate Outcomes Further, the HCI does not provide critical decisions on human timely feedback to policy makers on The first two align with those areas capital policies, institutions whether their policies are working. that governments can influence. and expenditure. The intermediate outcomes are, in To address these limitations, the a way, leading indicators of what we PEIR’s analysis is three-pronged: Public Expenditure and Human Capital Index Compass expect to see in the HCI, which can serves as a guidance note that helps be thought of the final outcome of Institutional Review Outcome-oriented: PEIR’s outcome- policy makers in countries carry this chain. (PEIR) oriented analysis revolves around out their own assessment of their key country-specific human capital The human capital PEIR is priorities and seeks to determine the country’s human capital goals. They The Compass is being piloted in introducing a cross-cutting extent to which spending is aligned can adapt the assessment to suit Senegal and used as an organizing outcome-oriented approach with outcomes. their needs, challenges, and data framework for analysis in Central to complement and enhance availability. America (Guatemala and Panama). public expenditure reviews as Multisectoral: PEIR intends to go a core World Bank analytical beyond health, education and social tool. It will allow users to closely protection to assess how certain HUMAN CAPITAL INDEX examine the relationship between public expenditures, institutional expenditures such as water, agriculture energy, transport, and the private sector COMPASS STRUCTURE arrangements and specific human contribute to human capital outcomes. capital outcomes. A cross-sectoral perspective linking expenditures Institutional focus: PEIR looks and priority outcomes is also at both horizontal (across agencies and needed to inform spending actors) and vertical 1. ENABLING 2. QUALITY OF 3. INTERMEDIATE HUMAN allocations as countries address the (from upstream fiscal planning down to ENVIRONMENT SERVICE DELIVERY OUTCOMES CAPITAL INDEX COVID-19 crisis. The collaborative local service delivery) elements. This component This component focuses This component presents presents policies and on the quality of service outcomes which directly effort is led by the HCP team along laws, financing delivery, which reflects or indirectly affect the human with the Equitable Growth, Finance, At present, PEIR is being piloted in arrangements, and the implementation capital index, and which map government capacity of these policies, more or less to the policies and Institutions team, and involves Bangladesh, Kenya, Paraguay, and that shape the enabling financing arrangements and interventions outlined in staff from across the WBG. Togo. environment. and capacity. the first two components. 30 PROTECT AND INVEST in people PROTECT AND INVEST in people 31 HCP NETWORK ACTIVITIES YEAR 2 PROGRESS REPORT The Philippines The Trajectory of Human Capital Development in the Philippines uses a whole-of-government lens to examine factors that drove the trajectory, reasons why critical gaps emerged, and how the country’s decade- old national social agenda could help to sustain and amplify the government’s investments in its people. Morocco Morocco: Achievements and Challenges examines the policies, programs and processes undertaken in Morocco to improve its human capital outcomes since the 1990s. In particular, the case study focuses on improvements in Morocco’s adult survival rate, expected years of schooling and survival to age five. Ghana Learning from Ghana’s Recent Human Capital Improvements identifies the key drivers of the country’s improving HCI scores, namely childhood LEARNING FROM CASE STUDIES stunting and enrollment rates, and examines the specific policies and programs that have favorably affected these drivers. Building Human Capital: Lessons from Country Experiences is a series of case studies commissioned by the HCP team to examine the development trajectories of selected countries that have prioritized investments in key COMMON LESSONS LEARNED human capital outcomes. Lessons from Singapore, the Philippines, Morocco and Ghana reveal not only how these countries achieved improvements in Sustain political commitment Levels of funding are crucial but so is outcomes but also the additional actions that they could take in the future to to human capital development. using resources efficiently. Continuity of commitment and effort sustain and amplify those successes. over successive governments is key Collect evidence to inform to reaching any long-term goals but policy making and make course Bangladesh especially in growing human capital, corrections. Collecting data to inform Demographic Transition: Lessons from Bangladesh’s Success Story explains which can take decades and even policy implementation and design was how Bangladesh achieved a rapid fertility decline, the most rapid generations. Ensuring continuity easier in some countries rather than among South Asian countries, with a reduction in total fertility rate between successive governments is others; however, digital technologies from 6.7 in 1960 to 2.1 in 2017. The country’s success is an outcome of easier if the country in question enjoys are making it easier for all countries a clear political will and policy direction, coupled with a commitment political stability and social harmony. to collect and analyze data and to use to an evidence-based and well-designed comprehensive strategy to the resulting evidence when making reduce fertility even in the face of economic difficulties. Mobilize enough resources and policies and decisions. use them efficiently. Human capital development requires adequate and Adopt coordinated, multisectoral Singapore sustainable funding. This can be a strategies. All four countries How Singapore Does It examines the policies, programs and processes challenge for developing countries with benefitted to varying degrees that Singapore has pursued from 1960 to the present to pull ahead of limited resources, but some of the case from taking a multisectoral, cross- other economies, paying particular attention to the factors that have study countries have found innovative government approach to their human undergirded Singapore’s successful implementation of education ways to finance the necessary policies. capital policies and investments. and health strategies. 32 33 PROTECT AND INVEST in people PROTECT AND INVEST in people YEAR 2 PROGRESS REPORT What the World Bank rehabilitation of water supply and sanitation in health care facilities will help to ensure advocating and raising awareness, and promoting analytics. Group Is Doing infection prevention and control. 2. Investing in Women’s Empowerment Since the launch of the plan, training on the Geo-Enabling Initiative for Monitoring and Demographic Change and Supervision (GEMS) jumped from 150 IMPLEMENTING Over $2.2 billion of new World Bank- financed projects approved since the launch to 450 projects, encompassing over 2,000 World Bank clients, partners, and field staff THE AFRICA of the Africa Human Capital Plan will further in nearly 30 African countries. GEMS is a HUMAN CAPITAL African women’s agency, health, education, and employment opportunities. In Niger, tool for project monitoring, supervision, safeguards, procurement, and impact PLAN for instance, the World Bank is supporting evaluation. It offers geolocated data, with the government to combat child marriage a focus on fragile countries. With regard and strengthen girls’ education. In Burundi, to analytics, behavioral designs have been Launched in 2019, the World it is helping with family planning alongside incorporated into cash transfer programs Bank’s Africa Human Capital nutrition interventions. In Nigeria, it is in Madagascar, Kenya, Tanzania, and Ghana working to keep teenage girls in school and results are being rigorously evaluated Plan sets out a vision “for a Informed by this plan, the World Bank’s while in Mozambique, it is helping the to measure impacts which range from continent where all girls and boys Africa region is responding to the COVID-19 government to harness a demographic boosting children’s cognitive development reach their full potential, arrive at crisis with unprecedented speed and scale. dividend by increasing access to education to increases in savings and productive school well-nourished and ready The emergency health response already and employment opportunities for targeted investments. underway supports countries in the youth. to learn, acquire real learning in prevention, detection, and treatment of the 5. Building Knowledge and the classroom, and enter the job disease, with World Bank financing in the 3. Addressing Fragility and Conflict Partnerships market as healthy, skilled, and Africa region nearing $1.5 billion. Under the plan, the World Bank has renewed Human capital development is a key productive adults”. its commitment to provide increased topic in the World Bank’s core knowledge The Africa Human Capital Plan identifies five and more tailored support to address the products, such as country economic game changers with the potential to advance drivers of fragility, conflict, and violence memorandums, poverty assessments, and To this end, the plan outlines clear targets human capital across Africa and has tracked in Africa and mitigate the impacts of economic updates. Impact evaluations and commitments to boost Africa’s progress over the past year. fragility on human capital. The COVID-19 are also being widely applied to assess potential through its human capital. pandemic particularly exposes the profound what works in improving human capital, Thirty-one African countries have joined 1. Scaling Up and Financing Policy vulnerability of communities affected by including a focus on gender-related the Human Capital Project, united in their Reforms fragility, conflict, or violence, compelling questions. New Public Expenditure and desire to build human capital for Africa’s Human development project commitments a catch-up in investment in their human Institutional Reviews (PEIRs) are being future. They were compelled by the 2018 in Africa have more than doubled over the capital. Ongoing projects in The Gambia, the conducted to formulate recommendations Human Capital Index, which revealed past year, and teams across the World Bank Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, to better align policies, expenditures, and that African children would achieve only Group are stepping up to support human and Somalia address health, education and institutions toward human capital results. 40 percent of their potential because capital priorities, such as improved access public services and safety net needs. of deficits in health and education. The to health care, apprenticeship training Case studies, thematic research, and a series plan’s targets for 2023 are in line with the and support for entrepreneurship, road 4. Leveraging Technology and of seminal books on malnutrition, poverty, Sustainable Development Goals. Reaching safety and transport projects, access to water Innovation labor markets, skills, and safety nets have them would raise Africa’s HCI score and sanitation, and universal electrification The plan calls for leveraging technology also provided new insights into addressing and increase the productivity of future of all health centers and schools by 2030. and other innovations, such as behavioral human capital challenges. workers by an estimated 13 percent. In Eswatini and São Tomé and Príncipe, elements, by scaling up investments, 34 PROTECT AND INVEST in people PROTECT AND INVEST in people 35 WHAT THE WORLD BANK GROUP IS DOING YEAR 2 PROGRESS REPORT indicators (a first-year Progress ranges from financial assistance to IMPLEMENTING Report is under development), technical advice and capacity building THE HUMAN the World Bank has expanded support to MENA countries to help in almost every MENA country. The immediate health response is followed CAPITAL PLAN them achieve their human capital by support for the poor and vulnerable FOR THE MIDDLE objectives and limit the potential losses of human capital caused by through safety nets and support for the education system through distance EAST AND NORTH the COVID-19 crisis. learning and other measures to minimize the loss of learning. AFRICA (MENA) As of July 2020, 14 MENA countries have signed up to the World Bank’s Important analytical work has 1. Building human capital by investing Human Capital Project—ranging provided timely and cutting-edge Launched in October 2019, in early childhood development from conflict-affected Yemen to four policy advice on a wide range of the World Bank’s MENA and focusing on improving learning members of the Gulf Cooperation topics in support of human capital outcomes to lay the essential Human Capital Plan aims to Council. Following the launch of the development—from subsidy reform foundations for human capital and Plan, several MENA countries had in the Maghreb to socioemotional help countries in the region future economic prosperity. planned to organize country-level skills assessment in Tunisia, from a improve human capital Human Capital summits; however book on Fostering Human Capital in outcomes of their population. 2. Protecting human capital of these events were postponed due to the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries In particular, the plan aspires vulnerable groups, the elderly, COVID-19. to the launch of a global Learning to help MENA become: refugees/Internally Displaced People Target. The High-Level Conference (IDPs), and populations living in During FY20, more than $ 1.5 billion on Accelerating Learning in MENA • A region that realizes its FCV and building their resilience to in new IDA, IBRD and Trust Fund and Africa held in Egypt in February vast potential by harnessing environmental and climate change, financing for health, education, 2020 brought together Ministers of its greatest untapped asset: the mental health risks and Non- and social protection in MENA was Education from MENA and Sub- human capital of its population, Communicable Diseases (NCDs), approved. The newly approved Saharan African countries to share including youth, women, and the natural hazards, and economic/fiscal projects address areas identified experiences, exchange ideas and elderly. shocks. as priorities in the MENA Human discuss the way forward to address • A region where children Capital Plan such as investing in learning poverty in MENA and Africa. acquire strong foundational 3. Utilizing human capital by early childhood development in skills and young people have promoting access to jobs for youth West Bank and Gaza; improving As the region battles the social and access to strong world-class by building quality 21st century learning in Djibouti; or the economic effects of COVID-19, the education that equips them with skills, expanding productive implementation of the universal World Bank will continue to work the skills desired by the global job inclusion opportunities for the health insurance system in Egypt closely with our clients to help protect market and/or to start their own poor, leveraging digital solutions, to improve health outcomes for their achievements and improve the innovative businesses in open and and improving preparedness to all and especially for the poor and human capital outcomes of the people competitive markets. entrepreneurship activities. vulnerable. The World Bank MENA in MENA. region has responded swiftly to The MENA Human Capital Plan is The plan sets ambitious regional targets the COVID-19 crisis, helping client designed around three pillars that to be achieved by 2024. While it is too governments prevent, detect and follow the life-cycle approach: early to report on specific outcome manage the pandemic. The support 36 PROTECT AND INVEST in people PROTECT AND INVEST in people 37 WHAT THE WORLD BANK GROUP IS DOING YEAR 2 PROGRESS REPORT SELECTED WORLD BANK OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS Pakistan (P170568): Supporting quality health care, education and economic opportunities for women India (P173943): Building an inclusive and efficient social protection El Salvador (P171316): system that empowers Prioritizing the national vulnerable groups early childhood development program Tunisia (P173945): Accelerating social Philippines (P174120): safety net reform to Protecting jobs through mitigate the impact of credit guarantees to medium the COVID-19 crisis and and small enterprises protect human capital Indonesia (P172381): Turkey (P173997): Providing income support Supporting the and information on early national education childhood development digital platform and through the Social Peru (P170477): Improving Assistance Reform Project social protection service distance education delivery, early childhood development and teacher professional development systems Niger (P169830): Bangladesh (P161869) Combating child World’s largest off-grid marriage with strong program has brought education and health reliable solar powered measures for girls electricity to over 6.8 through a Gender- million people in rural focused Development areas Policy Operation Madagascar (P168697): Providing financial resources Central African in the social sectors and legal Republic (P168474): protection for women and Preparing a multisectoral children project to empower women and girls through health and education Burundi (P165253): Eswatini (P166697): Focusing on family- Will invest in WASH services planning services in health care facilities and alongside nutrition schools, including for menstrual Democratic Republic interventions through the of Congo (P172341): hygiene management to help Investing in Early Years keep girls in school. Undertaking critical and Fertility Project education reforms IBRD 45371 | OCTOBER 2020 38 PROTECT AND INVEST in people PROTECT AND INVEST in people 39 WHAT THE WORLD BANK GROUP IS DOING YEAR 2 PROGRESS REPORT SUPPORT TO • The $350 million Niger First Laying the HUMAN CAPITAL HUMAN CAPITAL Foundation for Inclusive Development DPO also has a strong gender pillar. IN COUNTRY REFORMS THROUGH • The $500 million Jordan First ENGAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT POLICY Equitable Growth & Job Creation OPERATIONS (DPO) Programmatic DPF and the $250 million Bangladesh Second Programmatic Jobs DPC are examples of DPOs that address Country Partnership Frameworks World Bank-supported DPOs reflect the jobs agenda. (CPF): The CPF aims to make the growing prioritization of human • One pillar of the $147.95 million WBG’s country-driven model more capital, both in terms of a country’s Burkina Faso Second Fiscal systematic, evidence-based, selective, vision for human capital development Management, Sustainable Growth and and focused on the World Bank’s in the medium term, as well as short- Health Service Delivery DPO aims to twin goals of ending extreme poverty Human capital has been prioritized in recent CPFs and term emergency measures to address improve health service delivery and and increasing shared prosperity in a social spending efficiency. sustainable manner. SCDs, including in the CPFs for the COVID-19 crisis. China, Comoros, Liberia, Mexico, A new generation of DPOs focusing on Beginning in late FY20, many DPOs Systematic Country Diagnostics Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, human capital has emerged recently: have addressed the COVID-19 crisis, (SCD): SCD reports are prepared Poland, Republic of Congo, • The $50 million Peru Investing in as countries face a wide range of impacts by WBG staff in close consultation Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Human Capital DPO focuses on better from the pandemic. with national authorities and the Philippines, and Timor Leste; delivery of social protection and ECD • The Accelerating India’s Covid-19 Social other stakeholders. The SCD is a in the SCDs for Albania, Bhutan, services, as well as teacher management Protection Response DPO series (see diagnostic exercise to identify key Central African Republic, Gabon, and professional development systems. box, page 42). challenges and opportunities for Indonesia, Myanmar, Nigeria, Serbia, • The $100 million Madagascar Investing • DPOs addressing COVID-19 impacts a country to accelerate progress Rwanda, and the Philippines; and in Human Capital DPO (first of two) aims have also been approved for many towards development objectives. in the Performance and Learning to support improved human resources other countries, e.g. Croatia, Cambodia, It is a reference point for client Reviews for Azerbaijan, Lao PDR, in health, and education, availability and Colombia, Dominican Republic, consultations on priorities for WBG Mozambique and Turkey, to name a predictability of financial resources in the Ecuador, Ethiopia, Indonesia, country engagement. few. social sectors, and legal protections for Philippines, Seychelles, Tunisia, Uganda, women and children. and Uruguay. • The $500 million Pakistan (SHIFT) DPO embodies a whole-of-government More human capital and COVID-19 approach, aiming to strengthen CRVS, DPOs are in the FY21 pipeline, e.g. a The Human Capital Umbrella Trust Fund health, and education systems essential multisectoral reform program in Rwanda The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has for HC accumulation; improve women’s to accelerate human capital development provided $7.3 million (over four years) for contribution to economic productivity; at critical stages of the lifecycle. a multi donor trust fund (MDTF) aimed at and improve federal safety nets to Promoting Multisectoral Policies to Boost respond to shocks more efficiently Human capital reforms are also supported Human Capital. Initially, the MDTF is (including those posed by COVID-19). through other World Bank lending supporting six countries: Bangladesh, Burkina instruments, technical assistance, and • The $10 million Albania Gender Equality Faso, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Nigeria. in Access to Economic Opportunities reimbursable advisory services. DPF is the first to solely focus on gender, building on five years of analytical work. 40 PROTECT AND INVEST in people PROTECT AND INVEST in people 41 WHAT THE WORLD BANK GROUP IS DOING YEAR 2 PROGRESS REPORT IFC AND THE HUMAN IFC’s IQ-Healthcare diagnostic tool gives health facilities an evidence-based CAPITAL PROJECT overview of their strengths and gaps in operations and a roadmap for improving quality to reach international standards of IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, care. Users include health care facilities in has long committed to tapping into the Egypt, Ethiopia, Mexico, Nepal, Pakistan, power of the private sector to support Uganda, and Colombia. health, learning, employment, and other key human capital outcomes. Listed here Skills and Learning: IFC has created an are highlights from programs that were Employability Tool to help universities ongoing prior to the pandemic and others understand how well they’re preparing that were designed in response to the students for employment and what changes COVID-19 crisis. they can make to boost their effectiveness and students’ opportunities. The tool is India’s Social Protection DPO Food Security: In 2016, IFC and the being rolled out in Asia, Africa, the Middle Private Sector Window of the Global East, Latin America and the Caribbean. The Accelerating India’s Social linked to the unique Aadhaar system. Protection Response Program supports Agriculture and Food Security Program India’s recovery from the devastating This operation supports such an made a $7 million investment in Insta IFC’s early investment in Coursera economic impacts of the COVID-19 approach while adding to the program Products to boost its capacity to produce helped expand the availability of quality, pandemic, with emphasis on scaling up in three different ways: (i) Building a high-calorie ready-to-use-therapeutic- affordable online learning to millions of pre-existing social assistance programs strong urban safety nets platform to food (RUTF). This will enable an people. COVID-19 has underscored the for the poor and vulnerable. balance India’s rural focused social additional 300,000 children suffering need for online learning, with Coursera protection architecture (ii) Building an from acute malnutrition to receive the gaining four million new learners in March The Program supported reforms to adaptive social protection system which nutrients that they need to grow and 2020 alone. strengthen the $23 billion Pradhan can quickly provide support to excluded thrive. Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) groups and cater to the diversity of COVID-19 response: IFC’s $4 billion which was launched to provide safety needs across states and communities, Environment: Through its new Global Health Platform provides support nets for those adversely affected by not only for COVID-19 but also for any TechEmerge Cooling program, IFC is for health care supplies and services COVID-19. Thus far, 320 million future crisis (iii) Creating a portable working to identify climate-friendly ways in developing countries to address the beneficiaries have received cash transfers social protection platform in India to meet the surging demand for cooling pandemic. through the overall government to ensure food, social insurance and technology across a wide range of sectors. program. Social protection is critical cash-support for migrants across state The initiative will provide innovators with as India stands to lose its hard-won boundaries. funding and pilot opportunities in Mexico gains against poverty as nearly half and Colombia. the households in India are vulnerable The Program is composed of a series – between the poverty line and twice of two Development Policy Operations. the poverty line; and majority of the The first DPO (P173943) was approved Health: IFC’s TechEmerge initiative workforce is informal without formal for $750 million in May 2020. DPO-2 helps tailor new technologies to health social security benefits. The PMGKY (P174027) is expected for Board approval systems in developing countries. Already piggy-backs on state government in December 2020 for $400 million. The implemented in Brazil and India, the systems in the context of federal India, DPO series has also attracted parallel program has just launched in East Africa, large rural safety nets, food distribution financing of $2.3 billion from other where longstanding challenges from outlets, community organizations and partners leveraging the World Bank- infectious diseases, and the rapidly self-help groups, and bank accounts supported program of reforms. growing burden of non-communicable diseases, call for innovative solutions. 42 PROTECT AND INVEST in people PROTECT AND INVEST in people 43 WHAT THE WORLD BANK GROUP IS DOING YEAR2 YEAR PROGRESS REPORT 2 PROGRESS REPORT MULTISECTORAL clean stoves” that meet WHO standards for The Lesotho Agricultural The Skilling Up Mashreq initiative indoor air quality. ESMAP has also set up a Development project seeks to support aims to prepare young women and men CONTRIBUTIONS TO $500 million Clean Cooking Fund to help increased adoption of climate smart for jobs in the digital economy. The HUMAN CAPITAL eliminate indoor air pollution from cooking agricultural technologies, enhance initiative adopts an innovative approach with solid fuels and improve gender, health, commercialization and improve dietary through building partnerships with and climate outcomes globally. diversity among targeted beneficiaries. the private sector and digital economy The Ethiopia Second Urban Water These results are expected to improve players at the global and regional levels. Supply and Sanitation Project In Pakistan, the Punjab Public farm incomes and reduce poverty supports essential water, sanitation, and Management Reform Program in rural areas and strengthen human The innovative Nepal National Rural hygiene (WASH) services for over 3 for Results supported improvements capital development through better Transport Program is an example of million Ethiopians. As of May 2020, the in human resource management and nutrition. integrating gender and human capital project has provided 623,000 people in accountability through new technologies supports into a large infrastructure urban areas with access to improved water that led to sharp increases in children’s Since 2015, the Myanmar National operation. The program prioritizes sources; 61,000 new piped household water immunizations, inspections of health Electrification Project has been marginalized communities and women connections; safe management of excreta care facilities, and extension services expanding electricity services through to become involved in maintenance for 2.7 million people in urban areas; for livestock as well as a notable both grid extension and mini grids crews, helping them provide for their over 50,000 sewer connections in Addis reduction in taxpayer complaints. Also, and off-grid solar solutions. As one of family’s education and nutrition, and Ababa; and 1,000 public latrines. Resources the Mozambique Public Financial the first countries to adopt a geospatial putting them on a path out of poverty. from the project have been mobilized Management Program for Results least-cost electrification planning For Nepal’s remote communities, where to maintain an adequate level of service in Health and Education has supported approach, Myanmar has provided 1.2 most of the country’s poor live, keeping during the COVID-19 pandemic. improvements in procurement, drug million people with electricity access. In roads reliable all year round is a lifeline supply chains and flow of funds to schools. an effort to reach remote communities to prosperity by providing access to In Lao PDR, the World Bank- This program has increased maternal with grid quality service, World Bank markets, education opportunities, and administered Energy Sector health medicines and reduced stock outs. Management Assistance Program It has also helped ensure timely delivery of financing is supporting 73 mini grids health services. (ESMAP) is designing a results-based text books and other school supplies. and a solar home system program financing pilot to introduce 50,000 “super that has connected over 400,000 households in mostly remote border areas, electrified over 20,000 public facilities—targeting schools and health clinics in particular—and provided street lighting. In Yemen, two IDA grants are helping to improve energy infrastructure. One is helping to restore electricity supply through off-grid solar systems to health clinics, schools and water wells, benefiting 2.35 million people. A second is helping restore access to a range of critical urban services. 44 44 PROTECT AND INVEST in people PROTECT AND INVEST in people 45 45 44 45 Global Engagement Third Human Capital Project Ministerial Conclave: On October 17, 2019, as part of the World Bank Group/ H.E. SHAIKH SALMAN BIN IMF Annual Meetings, KHALIFA AL-KHALIFA, ministers and high-level Minister of Finance & National representatives from Economy, Bahrain more than 70 countries “Entrepreneurial development and organizations came programs are important… together for the third HCP because we want college Ministerial Conclave. The graduates to be job creators, main topic of discussion not just job seekers.” was promoting jobs and economic transformation. ZAINAB AHMED, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Nigeria AXEL VAN TROTSENBURG, “Young people are the World Bank Managing country’s greatest asset, and Director of Operations so current reform efforts are “One of my priorities is to aimed squarely at the youth ensure we build on the Human demographic.” Capital Project’s impressive momentum—across the areas of policy reform, financing, efficiency of spending, scale-up of high-impact interventions, ANNETTE DIXON, CEYLA PAZARBASIOGLU, and strengthening of data and World Bank Vice President World Bank Vice President analytics on human capital. for Equitable Growth, There are many lessons to be for Human Development “The goal of the Conclave is Finance, and Institutions shared among Human Capital “Over the next 15 years, BENIGNO LOPEZ, to keep up the momentum of Project countries of all income nearly 600 million people Minister of Finance, Paraguay learning from one another levels, and the network of peer will be entering the labor “Universal quality of education and motivate our collective learning within the project commitment to improving force, mostly in poor is key to increasing [our] labor aims to support this.” human capital.” countries.” productivity.” 46 PROTECT AND INVEST in people PROTECT AND INVEST in people 47 GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT YEAR 2 PROGRESS REPORT Learning Poverty: Building the Foundation of Human Capital: ASEAN High Level Meeting on representatives of foundations, civil This flagship event at the 2019 Annual Meetings highlighted actions being taken Human Capital Development: society and faith-based organizations to combat learning poverty (which is the share of 10-year-olds who cannot read Held in Bangkok, Thailand, in to debate the challenges and and understand an age-appropriate story). September 2019, the meeting brought opportunities for human capital together high-level representatives development in Africa. Participants’ from ASEAN Member States, the interventions built the case for ASEAN Secretariat, the World Bank, investing in people and cited several UNICEF and the World Health inspiring actions that are being taken. Organization. Participants shared numerous examples from the region Second Human Capital Summit, of successful development of human Pakistan: Pakistan hosted the capital, along with frameworks and country’s Second Human Capital initiatives to increase investment. Summit on February 20, 2020. They also discussed concrete steps Building upon the ‘Girls Learn, to tackle common challenges such as Women Earn’ initiative launched in malnutrition, preparing a future-ready December 2019, the Summit marked workforce, and wide disparities in the progress being made in Pakistan life expectancy, job productivity and toward enabling girls to excel at quality of education. school, and women to thrive in the workplace. Co-hosted by the Japan Middle East and North Africa High-level regional training in Africa Partners Roundtable: International Cooperation Agency HCP Plan Launch: MENA: The World Bank delivered The Africa Human Capital Partners and the World Bank, the summit During the 2019 Annual Meetings, the first high-level regional training roundtable, held during 2019 was well attended by representatives the World Bank’s MENA region course on “Accelerating Human World Bank Annual Meetings, from government, academia launched the MENA Human Capital Capital in the MENA region”, gathered Ministers of Finance and development organizations, Plan at a roundtable session. The which was attended by 33 senior and Development, leadership of commercial banks, telecom industry, session was attended by 14 Ministers and mid-level policy makers multilateral organizations and bilateral startup ecosystem, fashion industry, of Planning from the region and and government officials from 11 development agencies, and senior civil society and media. chaired by World Bank Group countries and different ministries Vice President for MENA, Ferid and organizations including: Belhaj, and Annette Dixon, World Finance, Economy, Planning, Health, Bank Vice President for Human Education, Labor, Social Affairs, and Development. Competitiveness and Investment. The course covered cross-cutting themes and focused on highlighting the economic impact of investing in human capital and sharing global best practices on improving human capital in education, health, and skills development. 48 PROTECT AND INVEST in people PROTECT AND INVEST in people 49 YEAR 2 PROGRESS REPORT Looking Back, COVID-19 could potentially push 71 containment methods; and strengthened million people into extreme poverty. services that are critical for public health, Looking Ahead What steps can countries take to protect their human capital during this including clean water, sanitation and hygiene, agriculture, and transportation. Going forward, there should be a strong pandemic? emphasis on continuity of basic health HANA BRIXI, Manager, services, prevention, and preparedness. This pandemic is having a long-term Human Capital Project, offers negative effect on human capital. Lives a perspective on what has been are at risk now but, in the long run, Likewise, many countries have achieved over the past two years human development and productivity strengthened their social safety nets and supporting countries in horizontal and community support to provide households and how prioritizing human are threatened if households lose access vertical institutional reforms to modernize to food and other essential goods and with financial assistance, food security, and capital can help countries move the delivery of essential services. We also essential services. In some countries, these services due to the pandemic. For example, forward with development even see it when engaging communities and the according to current estimates, service efforts have been already accompanied amid the COVID-19 pandemic. private sector in delivering assistance and delivery disruptions may increase maternal by further modernization of service services to the poor and vulnerable. and child mortality by as much as 39 delivery systems with the use of technology The HCP has achieved a lot this percent and 45 percent respectively, in and digital platforms for better access, year, from more countries coming With the introduction of virtual low- and middle-income countries, and resilience, quality, and accountability. Such on board to more countries making Knowledge Exchanges, there has been raise deaths due to HIV, tuberculosis, modernization of service delivery systems human capital concerns a key part of increased engagement with government and malaria. We are already seeing a is at the core of strategies to “build back development plans. What struck you focal points for the HCP. Do you have spread of hunger and malnutrition and better”. as key achievements or progress? any thoughts on how HCP can further the reemergence of polio. Furthermore, increase or leverage country focal point school closures are causing a long-term Looking ahead, how do you see First, we have supported countries putting involvement? learning loss and school dropout especially HCP helping countries to anchor human capital at the core of the policy among girls. Moreover, girls and women development more firmly in efforts to agenda across regions and income groups. HCP government focal points have played have been facing a rise in violence, child improve human capital outcomes? In Even before the pandemic, a wide-ranging a key role in moving forward the HCP marriage, and unintended pregnancies. particular, what can HCP do to help group of countries from Bangladesh agenda in their respective countries. Unfortunately, past experiences with countries achieve better results in an and Madagascar to Morocco, Pakistan They are influential in driving change, pandemics, such as the Ebola crisis in West era of limited fiscal space? and Peru had prioritized institutional overcoming challenges, and facilitating the Africa some years ago, indicate that these reforms with regard to early childhood whole of government approach to human effects may erode human capital for the Overall, we hope all countries see their development and social service delivery. development. long term. people as the center of recovery. Protecting Further, as a result of the loss of learning and investing in people will be critical to Second, largely as an impact of HCP, there Further, with a greater number of peer learning opportunities such as the and lack of employment opportunities for combat poverty, create jobs, and drive is an increased emphasis on governments Knowledge Exchange webinars, we find that youth, future earnings and productivity for the economic transformation needed for implementing a coordinated effort focal points are eager to learn from experts this younger generation will be negatively a sustained recovery from the pandemic. across sectors. This coordinated “whole and one another. Everyone wants lessons impacted. The World Bank estimates a Particularly as countries are operating of government” approach is going a long in real time—what solutions worked on loss of $10 trillion dollars in earnings over with limited fiscal space, HCP can help way toward improving opportunities for the ground and why, and what are effective time for this generation of students that prioritize policies based on well-established and removing barriers to human capital mechanisms to coordinate policy across has been and is being severely affected by multisectoral theories of change, development. The approach has been especially valuable during the pandemic, sectors. COVID-19. reprioritize expenditures within their when urgent policies and programs across existing budgets, and—drawing on global many sectors had to be designed and Going forward, we would like to see focal Fortunately, many countries have taken experience as well as local knowledge— launched to protect people and promote points serve as connectors with international strong actions and prioritized their policies identify possible efficiency gains and human capital for the future. partners and the WBG country teams. This to mitigate the negative impact of the innovative solutions to improve the impact is happening in some countries already. pandemic on human capital. For instance, of expenditures. Through its integrated Third, HCP is a great example of the HCP serves as a platform for focal points with support from the World Bank, more approaches and coordination platforms, different Practice Groups in the WBG not only internationally to learn and share than 100 countries have taken immediate HCP can further support countries in coming together and working as one to experience, but also domestically to further steps to contain the virus and protect developing well-prioritized coherent help countries achieve better results for strengthen coordination within government population health. They have introduced packages of institutional and policy their people. We see this particularly when and with international partners. surveillance, protection, and smart reforms, and investments. 50 PROTECT AND INVEST in people PROTECT AND INVEST in people 51 HCP Quick Resources Guide Human Capital Project: www.worldbank.org/humancapital FAQs: https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/human-capital/brief/ the-human-capital-project-frequently-asked-questions Human Capital Index 2020: https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/human-capital#Index Africa Human Capital Plan: www.worldbank.org/ahcp Human Capital Blogs: https://blogs.worldbank.org/tags/human-capital Human Capital News & Feature Stories: www.worldbank.org/humancapitalnews Photo Credits Page 9: Dominic Chavez / World Bank Page 36: Dominic Chavez / World Bank Page 10: Maria Fleischmann / World Bank Page 40: Kenneth Pornillos / World Bank 360 Photos/Virtual Reality Experience: Page 11: Arne Hoel / World Bank Page 42: Shaju John / World Bank www.youvisit.com/tour/wbg-vc/141803 Page 19: Henitsoa Rafalia / World Bank Page 43: Dominic Chavez / International Finance Corporation Page 20: Henitsoa Rafalia / World Bank Page 44: World Bank Page 25: Sambrian Mbaabu / Henitsoa Rafalia / World Bank Page 45: World Bank Video Playlist on Youtube: Page 26: Gerhard Jörén / Deborah Campos / World Bank Page 46: Ike Hayman / World Bank https://www.youtube.com/ Page 27: Curt Carnemark / Arne Hoel / World Bank Page 48: Simone D. 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