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CREATING JOBS GOOD FOR DEVELOPMENT: POLICY DIRECTIONS FROM THE 2013 WDR
       MANAGING DISASTER RISKS FOR A RESILIENT FUTURE: THE SENDAI REPORT
    UPDATE ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GENDER EQUALITY AGENDA AT THE
                           WORLD BANK GROUP
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                                                               CHAIR’S SUMMING UP


                                                         Meeting of the Committee of the Whole

                                                                  September 18, 2012

         Executive Directors considered the papers entitled Creating Jobs Good for Development: Policy
Directions from the 2013 WDR (SecM2012-0368); Managing Disaster Risks for a Resilient Future: The
Sendai Report (SecM2012-0369); and Update on the Implementation of the Gender Equality Agenda at
the World Bank Group (SecM2012-0366).  They noted that common issues across the three papers were
the relevant cross-sectoral nature of each topic, and the need to strengthen collaboration within the World
Bank Group (WBG).
         Directors agreed that jobs are major drivers of inclusive growth and development and that the
jobs agenda is specific to each country’s development priorities and initial conditions. They encouraged
the application of “job lens� in developing country’s strategies while acknowledging that there is no silver
bullet. Directors underlined that the Bank’s work on jobs also takes into account cross-reference to the
gender agenda, youth unemployment, job destruction and informal sector. Directors stressed the
importance of strengthening countries’ institutional capacity to formulate and implement key policies.
Directors noted that going forward the Bank Group should support jobs-focused and country-tailored
programs; prioritize labor market policies and training programs targeting productivity; promote private
investments across relevant sectors as well as trade; and assist countries to develop diagnostic tools that
will help policymakers to identify binding constraints to job creation.
         Directors stressed that disaster risk management should be integrated into all aspects of
development planning as prevention, preparedness, and adaptation to save lives and assets. They
underscored that the Bank Group is in a unique position to respond to clients’ demand through country
operations and regional initiatives. There is a clear complementarity among the different development
actors in this field that should be leveraged through a strong global partnership for maximum results.
Looking forward, Directors highlighted the importance for a Bank Group-wide approach to scale up its
support for the integration of disaster and climate risk management in development planning with
appropriate instruments and advisory services, for resilient poverty reduction and growth, particularly in
high risk, low capacity countries.
        Directors emphasized their continued support of the gender equality agenda, particularly the need
to remain ambitious and help those regions, countries and sectors that have persistent gender gaps. They
cautioned against simply including gender as a box to check, and underlined the importance of results on
the ground. They welcomed progress to date on integrating gender into WBG operations, and agreed on
the need for continued momentum and long term sustainability. Directors celebrated the proposed report
on voice, agency and participation.
         Finally, Directors suggested that part of the solutions to these important challenges was the need
for monitoring results and strengthening data collection and analysis, as this knowledge is key to inform
Bank operations and development partners. Toward this end, they recognized the Bank’s role as a
“solutions� Bank that delivers best practices that may be adopted by others, rather than a “one size fits
all�, and that fostering synergies across the WBG in this respect is a priority of the modernization agenda.

                                                            
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    This Summary is not an approved record.