The World Bank Institute (WBI) is the Bank Group’s principal provider of learning activities. It has delivered training courses and seminars since the 1950s, mostly for government officials in developing countries on such topics as macroeconomic policy, poverty reduction, health, education, and policy reform in other economic sectors.
During the past decade, WBI increased its activities on a broader range of subjects aligned with the World Bank’s regional and country development priorities. It also expanded its audiences to include non-state actors such as civil society organizations, the private sector, journalists, and parliamentarians.
WBI has recently shifted its strategy in response to the widespread recognition - in the Accra Agenda for Action, for example - that capacity development is a vital element in any effective strategy to reduce poverty.
Watch World Bank Institute Vice-President Sanjay Pradhan discuss WBI's new strategy.
Mission and Strategy
WBI's mission is to be a global facilitator of capacity development for poverty reduction, helping leaders, institutions, and coalitions address their capacity constraints to achieving development results.
WBI's strategy has been shaped by:
- Strong demand for global knowledge and learning on key development topics and customized to local contexts
- Rapid expansion of institutions worldwide that are capable of producing and disseminating knowledge
- Important technological changes that open up new possibilities for delivering knowledge and learning products
The World Bank Institute ~ A global facilitator of capacity development (pdf 1,361kb)
