A Historic Momentum for Gender Equality at the World Bank Group — How WBG Alumni Can Contribute

The World Bank Group (WBG) has built historic momentum in advancing gender equality. How can we, as WBG alumni, contribute to sustaining and strengthening this momentum?

Historic ambition

The WBG Gender Strategy 2024–2030 marks a step change in ambition and approach, firmly rooted in evidence and learning from experience. Its development—and the way implementation has been jumpstarted—reflect a shared vision, broad ownership, and accountability for outcomes. The Strategy drives ambitious outcomes across three strategic objectives:

1. Foundational wellbeing for all
   • Progress in ending all forms of gender-based violence
   • Stronger and more resilient human capital
2. Economic participation for all
   • More and better jobs
   • Greater ownership and use of economic assets
   • Wider access to and use of enabling services
3. Women’s leadership
   • Advances in women’s participation in decision-making

Wide ownership and early traction for implementation

The Strategy is grounded in a bold vision to accelerate equality that emerged through reflection and dialogue—both internally and externally, including with many WBG alumni such as Ana Revenga and Sudhir Shetty, 2012 WDR co-directors, and Deepa Narayan. During 2022, they examined a decade of experience—what worked, what fell short, and what was missing—while challenging assumptions and debating openly.

Building on this vision, WBG staff spent the first half of 2023 co-creating the Strategy. The WBG Gender Network brought together evidence on both the “why” and the “how” of advancing better outcomes for women, drawing on multiple disciplines, local realities, and reflections on the WBG’s comparative strengths across the public and private sectors. Staff integrated extensive external consultations in WBG core dialogue with clients and partners. They tested the relevance of the Strategy and further strengthened traction even before launch. As a result, demand for implementation emerged even before the Strategy was finalized.

This wide ownership and early traction became a powerful accelerator of implementation. The WBG launched a Coalition of Champions, committed to fast-tracking and showcasing concerted, country-led efforts toward gender equality.

Implementation of the Strategy is underpinned by explicit targets and strengthened accountability. In early 2024, President Ajay Banga’s personal leadership and engagement with the Board shaped the final Strategy and its Implementation Plan. He challenged WBG Management and staff to be clear about institutional strengths and areas for improvement, to set ambitious WBG Gender Strategy targets, and to prepare a credible plan with accountability for outcomes.

Take-up and Working as One WBG

Looking back, the process of developing and jumpstarting implementation of the WBG Gender Strategy exemplifies core WBG strengths. It has been among the pioneers in operationalizing what it means to work as One WBG.

One of the most rewarding aspects has been seamless WBG staff work across institutional boundaries. The WBG Gender Network helped break down silos that had existed for years, while the WBG Gender Leadership Council, bringing together 22 WBG Directors, provided genuine collaborative leadership.

Initial take-up of the Strategy and commitment at the country level have been swift. During 2025, 16 country teams from Morocco, Nigeria, and Mozambique to Tajikistan, India, PNG and Peru, fast-tracked country engagement toward gender equality as One WBG, aligning policies, programs, public and private financing, and collective action (in some countries facilitated by innovative gender platforms), firmly grounded in evidence, toward specific gender equality outcomes prioritized by clients. Additionally, all Regions committed to expand and accelerate engagement toward the WBG Gender Strategy targets.

Within the first year of implementation, WBG management was able to report meaningful progress toward the Strategy’s targets and outcomes. To celebrate shared successes, the WBG launched the International Women’s Day Award in 2025, where WBG Managing Directors recognized 11 teams out of 111 nominations across the WBG for operational and knowledge contributions toward women’s economic empowerment.

How WBG alumni can contribute

The Gender TG, under the leadership of Dominique Lallement and Nadereh Chamlou, contributed during the drafting of the Gender Strategy by organizing alumni’s dialogues with WBG staff and management. Indeed, as WBG alumni, we bring a unique perspective. We understand the institution’s strengths, constraints, incentives, and culture. We know how strategies succeed or stall, how country realities shape outcomes, and how sustained change depends on leadership, learning, and persistence.

Many alumni continue to shape development outcomes—through governments, international organizations, academia, civil society, philanthropy, and the private sector. This makes us natural partners in helping the WBG Gender Strategy deliver on its promise.

How can alumni further contribute to the WBG momentum toward gender equality?

• Strengthen cross-sectoral dialogue. Gender equality depends on connections across sectors—education, health, social protection, jobs, infrastructure, climate, governance, and finance. Alumni networks, including our Thematic Groups, can help bridge these communities.
• Engage from the outside. Alumni working with partner institutions, governments, or the private sector can align programs, financing, and advocacy with the Strategy’s priorities and evidence base, creating win-wins and amplifying impact.
• Share experience and lessons learned. Alumni can help develop and test novel approaches—for example, integrating gender analysis rigorously into job creation strategies, or engaging religious leaders and civil society in shifting gender norms alongside legal reforms. In seminars and learning events, candid reflections on what has worked—and what has not—remain invaluable.
• Mentor and advise. Alumni can support current staff, particularly younger professionals, through mentoring on leadership, operational problem-solving, and navigating complex institutional environments related to gender equality.
• Stay informed and engaged for accountability. Following progress, asking hard questions, and sustaining attention over time are themselves important contributions to accountability for implementation.

Going forward and building on the legacy set by Dominique and Nadereh, we invite you to help shape the Gender TG as a a vibrant platform for connection among alumni and with active staff—sharing frontier knowledge and experience in advancing gender equality. We also warmly encourage you to stay engaged and share how you are approaching gender equality in your current roles.

P.S. In case you are not yet a member, we’d be delighted to welcome you in the Gender TG. Please be in touch with Hana Brixi (hbrixi@1818alumniwbg.org) or Jesko Hentschel (jesko.hentschel@gmail.com)

• Hana Brixi is former World Bank Global Director for Gender, with prior roles and expertise in public finance, governance, human capital, and jobs.
• Jesko Hentschel is former World Bank Country and Sector Director, and deputy Director of World Development Report on Jobs, with prior roles and expertise in poverty reduction, employment and human development.

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