WBG World Bank Group

1. Since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, has the governing body of your organization taken (or will it take) any decisions or new strategies to guide the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs? If any, please provide a brief summary below, including the overarching vision of your organization.

In April 2015, the multilateral development banks (MDBs) and the IMF produced a joint discussion note, "From Billions to Trillions: Transforming Development Finance" which proposed a preliminary vision for the collective role of these institutions looking toward the Addis Financing for Development conference. This was a testament that the World Bank Group (WBG) was to support the 2030 Agenda by tackling the FfD agenda, as the Means of Implementation to the SDGs.

Following the paradigm shift proposed in the Billions to Trillions narrative, the WBG 2015 Annual Meetings in Lima, the Development Committee discussion set the tone for our institution's work towards implementation of the SDGs in the document "WBG Support for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development." Further, in 2016, a strategy paper, the "Forward Look - a Vision for the World Bank Group in 2030," set a common view among our shareholders on how to best support the development agenda for 2030; it also connects the Bank Group's institutional vision to the SDGs. The Forward Look encourages commitments and policies toward the global public goods agenda while (i) prioritizing private sector solutions before deploying scarce public resources, including for infrastructure; (ii) strengthening domestic resource mobilization; (iii) assisting all Bank Group clients, including low-income and middle-income countries; (iv) encouraging agility and results-focused work across the public and private sectors; and (v) paying attention to stabilizing the economy and supporting growth in situations of fragility, conflict and violence, as well as to the development needs of small states.

The Bank Group has set two goals for the world to achieve by 2030: ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity. These goals need to be pursued in a sustainable manner: socially, economically, and environmentally. We will achieve them in three ways:

1. Promoting sustainable and inclusive economic growth, especially by helping countries create jobs and boost private investment in infrastructure.

2. Investing in human capital, including early childhood development; equal opportunities in education, health, and training; and acquisition of job skills: areas that can make the biggest difference in countries' ability to grow and compete over the long term.

3. Fostering resilience to global shocks and threats that could roll back development gains, by helping countries develop resilient infrastructure, invest in disaster risk preparedness, prepare for and respond to pandemics, and cope with forced migration.

Through our country engagement instruments, the WBG has taken several steps to align our work to the 2030 Agenda. This includes Country Partnership Frameworks and the new Environmental and Social Framework, which promotes inclusive development and aims to leave no one behind.

Further, the Bank Group Corporate Scorecards, which were endorsed in April 2014 to monitor the implementation of the Bank Group Strategy, are aligned with the 2030 Agenda. The Bank Group has assessed the strategic alignment of the SDGs' targets and indicators with the Bank Group's corporate results frameworks and the Results Measurement System (RMS) for the International Development Association (IDA). Starting in July 2017, new frameworks will take the SDGs into account in the Bank Group's business planning and monitoring. The Scorecards and IDA18 RMS will be consistent with and fully reflect the spirit of the SDGs while maintaining the ability to serve specific needs in monitoring the Bank Group's performance.

Based on the Addis Ababa Agenda for Action, the WBG has embarked on an effort to help countries maximize finance for development, and to do so responsibly without pushing the public sector into unsustainable levels of debt and contingent liabilities. This will entail pursuing private sector solutions where they can help achieve development goals, and reserving scarce public finance for where it is most needed. This approach builds on the Principles of MDBs Strategy for Crowding in Private Sector Finance for Growth and Sustainable Development (the "Hamburg Principles") and the Joint MDB Statement of Ambitions for Crowding in Private Finance, which commit MDBs to collectively increase private financing mobilized by 25-35 percent over the next three years.

This includes changes to the latest replenishment to the International Development Association (IDA), as a bold paradigm shift in how it mobilizes finance to support a significant policy package to help IDA clients achieve their development goals. It was the largest replenishment in IDA's 56-year history - approximately $75 billion- and heralds a significant step change in its policy and financing framework. In the Report from the Executive Directors of the International Development Association to the Board of Governors it notes that the five Special Themes in IDA support growth, resilience and opportunity and are fully aligned with the SDGs.

2.1 SDG-specific strategies, plans or work programmes

To deliver on the vision of the WBG (outlined in question 1), the organization restructured itself by global themes to deliver the global solutions to the world's most pressing development challenges. The new Global Practices are aligned to specific SDG goals, and includes several global cross-cutting areas (such as climate and fragility) to greater support this work. Understanding the interconnectedness of the SDGs, the WBG established in 2017 a new vice presidency, Global Themes. This new part of the WBG brings together five thematic areas that are priorities for the World Bank Group: Climate Change; Fragility, Conflict & Violence; Gender; Infrastructure, PPPs & Guarantees; and Knowledge Management and represent the big development challenges of our time. These are also fundamental to the twin goals of the WBG of ending poverty and boosting shared prosperity as well as the 2030 Agenda.

Specific strategies, plans or work programmes - The WBG is working with client countries to deliver on the 2030 Agenda in three critical areas: data, finance, and implementation. In each, we support country-led and country-owned policies to attain the SDGs.

2.2 Aligning the structure of the organization with the transformative features of the 2030 Agenda, including any challenges and lessons learned in doing so

The WBG has a dedicated unit that focuses on the 2030 Agenda, under the auspices of the Senior Vice Presidency for the 2030 Development Agenda, United Nations Relations and Partnerships. The Vice President unit maintains extensive contacts throughout the WBG, the UN, and other partners to build and manage political, intergovernmental and inter-agency partnerships across a range of thematic and technical agendas. Led by Senior Vice President Mahmoud Mohieldin, the unit has offices in Washington, D.C., New York, and Geneva.

2.3 Readjusting or updating results-based budgeting and management, including performance indicators:

The Bank Group Corporate Scorecards, endorsed in April 2014 to monitor the implementation of the Bank Group Strategy, are aligned with the 2030 Agenda. The Bank Group has assessed the strategic alignment of the SDGs' targets and indicators with the Bank Group's corporate results frameworks (in particular, the Scorecards) and the Results Measurement System (RMS) for the International Development Association (IDA). These new frameworks take the SDGs into account in the Bank Group's business planning and monitoring. The Scorecards and IDA18 RMS will be consistent with and fully reflect the spirit of the SDGs while maintaining the ability to serve specific needs in monitoring the Bank Group's performance.

2.4 Action to enhance support to the principle of "leaving no one behind" and to integrated policy approaches:

The World Bank's environmental and social safeguard policies work to support the policy of "leaving no one behind" and it is an example of how the Bank operationalizes this approach. One such example are the safeguards that speak to vulnerable groups such as indigenous communities. The Indigenous Peoples policy (Bank Operational Policy 4.10) ensures that the development process fully respects the dignity, human rights, economies, and cultures of Indigenous Peoples.

For all projects that are proposed for Bank financing and affect Indigenous Peoples, the Bank requires the Borrower to engage in a process of free, prior, and informed consultation. Bank-financed projects include measures (a) to avoid potentially adverse effects on the Indigenous Peoples' communities; or (b) when avoidance is not feasible, to minimize, mitigate, or compensate for such effects.

3.1 Mainstreaming the SDGs in development plans and policies or through national sustainable development plans/strategies:

The WBG has been appointed custodian over several SDG indicators and works collaboratively with several other UN entities to ensure monitoring of several others. The WBG also appointed an SDG indicator group which aims to provide input to the IAEG-SDG indicator process. Further to this, the WBG published Trajectories for Sustainable Development Goals: Framework and Country Applications in late 2015. This tool developed by the World Bank analyzes countries' likely progress on SDGs and their determinants as well as discusses country policy and financing options that can accelerate progress. It looks at around 15 country examples that are geographically dispersed and include a mix of low-income, middle-income, landlocked, natural resource-rich, and small island countries. The lessons learned could improve policymakers' ability to identify and address opportunities and challenges for achieving the SDGs. This also serves as a starting point for quantitative analysis for countries to better understand the policy and financial efforts needed to attain the SDGs.

3.3 Data and statistical capacity building:

Globally, the Bank Group compiles data to track development progress, contributes to building standards and definitions for the SDG indicators, and works with others to maximize impact. Some examples of this work are:

• At the country level, the Bank Group works to improve data production and use by funding improvements in partner country data. The Bank Group has about 300 active projects to support data improvements; we are providing about $200 million a year in financing for upgrades to key data collection as well as open data initiatives. In 2015, the Bank Group committed to helping countries complete at least one household survey every three years, with a focus on IDA countries. An estimated 111 surveys should be completed between 2017 and 2019.

• The April 2017 edition of the Atlas of Sustainable Development Goals combines maps, charts and analysis to illustrate trends, challenges, and measurement issues related the 17 SDGs. The Atlas primarily draws on the World Development Indicators, the Bank Group's compilation of over 1,400 internationally comparable statistics about global development.

• The Bank Group participates in the Inter-Agency Expert Group on SDG Indicators which defines the indicators the world will use to measure progress on the SDGs. The Bank Group is directly involved in reporting on 17 of these indicators (and, indirectly, many more). It leads on SDG 1 on poverty, both in terms of methodology and data.

• The Bank Group is a major contributor to innovative approaches for filling gaps in SDG data production, access, and use. Working in close collaboration with the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data, the Bank Group is providing funding and technical knowhow to pilot, test, and scale inventive uses of technology and new forms of collaboration among governments, civil society, and international organizations. The first installment of innovative financing will provide $3 million in support to a wide range of new projects.

3.4 Science, technology and innovation for the SDGs:

The WBG supports the advancement of science, technology and innovation for development across all countries in which it operates. There are some 1,600 STI initiatives, worth US$ 1 billion. Some examples of how the Bank works to expand these services to countries are:

• The Bank Group's Information and Communications Technology (ICT) business plan is designed to deliver digital dividends by: expanding digital connectivity; adapting the legislative and policy environment; and developing integrated digital solutions through a range of products and services. It addresses changes in telecom policy and legislation; ICT sector reform and privatization; creation of new economy platforms and services; universal access to connectivity; and innovative business models for citizen engagement, government services, and digital capability. This responds to SDG targets and indicators (e.g., 5b, 9c) that call for enhancing access to, and quality of, ICT services. The plan also offers assistance to governments on disruptive and "over the horizon" technologies like the Internet of things, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and drones in support of development goals.

• The World Bank Group is working with governments to reach their objectives for Goal 7 (Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all) which requires a concerted push on scaling up renewable technologies. Some examples of our recent investments are: in India, the Bank provided $ 1 billion in lending for solar projects; and in China, $ 80 million was invested in a clean stove project, which provided 6 million clean stoves to the Hebei Province.

• The Bank Group is accelerating efforts to expand access to electricity, by scaling up investments in both on- and off-grid solutions. The goal is to add 20 GW of renewable energy generation over five years and mobilize $25 billion in commercial funds for clean energy. In Africa alone, the Bank Group has committed to helping develop 5 GW of grid-connected solar energy projects and to providing 55 million off-grid consumers with modern energy services by 2026.

• STI Forum: The World Bank Group is a member of the Interagency Task Team on Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs. It also participates in STI Forum events.

3.5 Multi-stakeholder partnerships:

Wide participation in multi-stakeholder partnerships for the SDGs (See response for question 6 on partnerships). One partnership to highlight is the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data. The Global Partnership is comprised of over 280 members across governments, private sector, civil society, international organizations, academic institutions, foundations, statistics agencies, and other data communities to advance data sharing and innovation for the SDGs.

Another partnership to highlight is work on the Blue Economy where the World Bank Group collaborated across more than ten UN agencies, scientific institutions, academia and NGOs to produce a report 'The Potential of the Blue Economy: Increasing Long-term Benefits of the Sustainable Use of Marine Resources for Small Island Developing States and Coastal Least Developed Countries'.

4.1 Supporting the intergovernmental body of your organization in contributing to the thematic review of the HLPF:

At the request of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), the WBG initiated, convened, and co-hosted a two-day preparatory conference looking at the progress made on SDG 1. This conference was co-hosted with DESA and UNDP and was convened in Copenhagen, Denmark on May 11-12, 2017. The event showcased the world' progress to date on reducing extreme poverty, identified barriers to future progress, convened country representatives to reflect on real-life lessons, and highlighted the WBG's work of ending global extreme poverty by 2030 and boosting shared prosperity in every country.

The WBG also participated in several Expert Group Meetings convened by other members of the UN family, including on food security and nutrition - SDG 2 (convened by FAO), and those convened by DESA/ECOSOC such as Expert Group Meeting on Voluntary National Reviews for the HLPF.

The WBG has also participated in every HLPF through the involvement and speaking engagements of senior management. These engagements covered many topical areas such as - financial innovation, poverty, mobility for all, partnerships for the SDGs, women empowerment, trade policy and health. The World Bank Group has also hosted events at the HLPF, such as the launch of the SDG Atlas, teach-in events on SDG Bonds, an event on social protection (with the ILO) and the HLPF Business Forum.

4.2 Contributing to policy/background briefs for the HLPF:

See above

4.3 Helping organize SDG-specific events in the preparatory process:

See above (Poverty conference in Copenhagen, 2017)

4.4 Organizing side evens or speaking at the HLPF:

See above

4.5 Supporting VNR process:

Supporting several client countries with financial framework and MOIs towards achieving SDGs.

5. How has your organization cooperated with other UN system organizations to achieve coherence and synergies in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs? In this regard, has your organization launched or intend to launch any joint programmes or projects in collaboration with other UN entities? Are there any results or lessons you would like to highlight that might help improve the design and impact of such efforts? Has your organization participated in any of the following coordination systemwide mechanisms or any other relevant platform - CEB, UNDG, EC-ESA Plus, RCMs, UN-Energy, UN-Water, UN-Ocean, IAEG, IATT?  Please specify which and indicate any suggestions you may have about improving collaborations within and across these mechanisms/platforms:

The WBG has developed meaningful and impactful partnerships with several UN system organizations that promote coherence and synergies in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Below are some examples of how the organization works with these organizations:

• High-Level Panel on Water: The World Bank Group President and UN Secretary General convened a high-level panel consisting of 11 sitting Heads of States and a Special Advisor. The Bank Group is actively engaged and committed to contributing to the achievement of SDG 6 and all the SDGs that rely on water.

• Partnership with the UNICEF/WHO Joint Monitoring Program: The Bank Group is the custodian agency for SDG indicators 6.1 (on drinking water) and 6.2 (on sanitation and hygiene); both of these define a "safely managed" service level. The Bank Group is also working with various UN partners to define methodologies and collaborate on data gathering for the proposed indicators.

• The UN and the Bank Group have produced a joint flagship publication, Prevention of Violent Conflict/Pathways to Peace, that aims to improve understanding of how domestic policymaking and endogenous dynamics interact with development assistance, security, political, and human rights tools, to prevent conflict from becoming violent (SDG 16). The study has a strong focus on gender equality and on violence against women and children in crisis situations. It will identify ways that international assistance tools can shift local dynamics to reduce the risk of conflict.

• The Bank Group and the UN also jointly support implementation of the humanitarian-development, peace, nexus, bringing together key elements of the Agenda for Humanity and UN resolutions of sustaining peace with the Bank Group's strong development engagement and implementation capacity in situations of fragility, conflict, and violence. The Bank Group launched Humanitarian-Development-Peace Initiative in northeast Nigeria in March 2017 to accelerate the delivery of a $775 million package of operations for early recovery and livelihood support in the region. That grant will pilot a new way of working with humanitarian, development, and peace actors to tackle an elevated risk of famine in a complex and multidimensional subnational crisis.

• In April 2017, the Bank Group and the UN signed a partnership framework on building resilience and sustaining peace that encourages greater collaboration between the institutions and promotes work to reduce multidimensional risks of crisis and help prevent violent conflict. It will also develop joint analysis and tools, coordinate support to address protracted crises, and scale up impact by leveraging financing.

• The MDBs convened the Global Infrastructure Forum in April 2016 to coordinate global efforts to reduce the infrastructure gap and achieve the objectives of SDG 9 on innovation and infrastructure. At the Forum's second gathering in April 2017, the MDBs agreed to extend their collaboration to overcome upstream constraints and mobilize additional infrastructure investment and finance from the private sector. The MDB's are moreover working on a set of principles to guide MDB's strategy for crowding-in private sector finance for growth and sustainable development.

• The Bank Group is collaborating with the WHO to strengthen efforts in monitoring UHC at the global level. The two institutions have developed a global UHC database that is currently going through a country consultation process. In addition, the International Health Partnership for UHC 2030 provides a multi-stakeholder platform to strengthen collaboration and contribute to resilient, sustainable and equitable health systems, which are key to achieving universal health coverage and global health security by 2030. The Bank Group and WHO co-host its secretariat.

• The WBG is working jointly with the Department of Economic and Social Affairs to determine the value of creating a new transport entity meant to help coordinate the various activities in the sector throughout the UN system. This work may lead to the creation of a new inter-agency coordination mechanism and builds from the recommendations outlined in the SG's report on sustainable transport in 2016.

Participation in any of the following coordination system wide mechanisms or any other relevant platform - CEB, UNDG, EC-ESA Plus, RCMs, UN-Energy, UN-Water, UN-Ocean, IAEG, IATT

• CEB: The World Bank Group participates in the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB).

• UNDG: Participation in the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) -UNDG Steering Committee on Famine Response and Prevention in North-East Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia and Yemen. The IASC-UNDG Steering Committee is co-chaired by the ERC and the Chair of the UNDG / UNDP Administrator. It further comprises FAO, IOM, UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, WHO, and the World Bank.

• ECESA Plus: The World Bank Group participates in ECESA Plus Principals meetings such as the meetings on the Follow-up to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

• RCMs: World Bank Group country offices participate and engage directly with UN offices on the ground, including engagements with RCMs.

• UN-Energy: The World Bank Group is a member of UN-Energy and participates in UN-Energy engagements and initiatives.

• UN-Water: The World Bank Group is a member of UN-Water and participates in UN-Water engagements and initiatives.

• UN-Ocean: The World Bank Group is a member of UN-Ocean and participates in UN-Ocean engagements and initiatives.

• IAEG: The World Bank Group actively participates in the IAEG and is a custodian agency to provide data for many of the SDG indicators.

• IATT: The World Bank Group is a member of the Inter-agency Task Team.

• IATF: The World Bank Group is an institutional stakeholder of the IATF and actively participates in meetings, events and providing technical input for the IATF report.

6. How has your organization engaged with stakeholder groups, both in supporting implementation at the country, regional and global levels, and within your own organization? If yes, please provide main highlights, including any lessons learned:

The Bank Group recognizes that a central tenet of the SDGs is partnership at the global, regional, and country levels. Hence the Bank Group is providing a platform for coordinated action. Partnership is one of our key pillars of support for the SDGs. The Bank Group is involved in numerous global partnerships across different stakeholders:

• Private Sector: The Bank Group has numerous partnerships with private sector entities which advance the SDGs in all regions. These range from financial institutions that are co-investors in projects, to health industry partners delivering health and medical services, to insurance providers responding to natural disasters, to banks issuing special World Bank bonds (green bonds, SDG bonds, etc.).

• Local governments and mayors: The Bank Group works closely with municipalities and local government administrators and mayors to advance development goals. Specifically, the organization has worked with Mayors to advance the dialogue on the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals through knowledge sharing events and exchanges.

• Civil society: The Bank interacts with hundreds of CSOs every day throughout the world, engaging with them through information sharing, policy dialogue, strategy consultation, operational collaboration, and institutional partnerships. There are over 120 professionals in the Bank's Washington, DC Headquarters, and in over 100 country offices, that act as Civil Society Focal Points responsible for engaging CSOs from the local to the global levels.

• Foundations: The WBG has partnerships with over 100 foundations around the world. We work with well-established global leaders, younger philanthropies testing new approaches, corporate foundations, social entrepreneurs, and small, local community foundations. Our partnerships cover a broad range of priorities, from proving health care systems to managing depleted freshwater resources, supporting women's economic empowerment to training teachers and designing green cities.

• Academia: The Bank Group has long-standing relationships with academic institutions and specifically universities. World Bank Group experts have engaged more recently with universities to host lectures and seminars on the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.

• Youth: The World Bank Group and the Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research at the Wharton School, launched Ideas for Action, as a knowledge platform connecting young leaders all around the world who are passionate about the future development of our world. We host an annual competition during which youths from around the world design ideas for financing the 2030 Agenda. The competition acts as a catalyst to spark global conversation among millennials and seeks to encourage them to contribute their own voice to the development conversation

7. Has your organization organized any conferences, forums or events designed to facilitate exchange of experience, peer and mutual learning? If yes, please provide a brief summary below and include lessons learned and gaps identified based on the outcomes of these events. Please also include any events you plan to organize in the coming years.

At the request of the DESA, the WBG initiated, convened, and co-hosted a two-day preparatory conference looking at the progress made on SDG 1. This conference was co-hosted with DESA and UNDP and was convened in Copenhagen, Denmark on May 11-12, 2017. The event showcased the world' progress to date on reducing extreme poverty, identified barriers to future progress, convened country representatives to reflect on real-life lessons, and highlighted the WBG's work of ending global extreme poverty by 2030 and boosting shared prosperity in every country.

The WBG hosted during its 2017 Annual Meetings and event entitled "Localizing the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals." This 90-minute event highlighted the perspective of partners working to achieve success at the local level, including local and regional government, businesses, CSOs, and academia. The first 30 minutes showcased Colombia's efforts to integrate SDG targets into the National Development Plan and Peace Agreement, as well as to meet their international commitments (including the Paris Climate Agreement, OECD Accession, SDGs). The second portion (60 minutes) highlighted country perspectives from various regions around the world, along with global leaders who are deeply involved in SDG implementation efforts.

The WBG also organized a MOOC course on financing development and the billions to trillions narrative with the Department of Public Affairs. This MOOC held the participation of over 800 thousand people.

Other events have been organized at the margins of UNGA, the HLPF, the WBG Annual and Spring Meetings, and include focused events on specific topics. This includes on Islamic finance and the SDGs, Maximizing Finance for Development, the Humanitarian Development nexus.

8. Is there any other information you would like to share, including annual reports of your organization and any impact assessment or evaluation reports? If yes, please use the space below and attach the document(s). Please also use this space to provide any other information, comments or remarks you deem necessary:

Report on how the World Bank Group is implementing the 2030 Agenda: 'Implementing the 2030 Agenda: 2017 Update' - http://pubdocs.worldbank.org/en/491561500316509118/FINAL-web-2030AgendaUpdate-20170713.pdf

IEG report on WBG engagement on the MDGs and lessons for the SDGs - http://ieg.worldbankgroup.org/sites/default/files/Data/Evaluation/files/transforming-our-world-sdgs.pdf

9. In your view, what should a strategic plan for the UN system in support of the 2030 Agenda and SDGs look like? What key elements should it include and major challenges address in such a road map?

The WBG approach to the SDGs is along three key areas of work (supported by partnerships): Finance, Data, and Implementation.

Regarding finance, the WBG (and other MDBs) will ensure that public and private investments are complementary and based on the Hamburg Principles adopted during the last G20 Summit. These principles essentially outline how the MDBs will help countries scale up their development resources by drawing appropriately on private sector solutions where these can boost growth for the poorest and most vulnerable. For the Bank Group, this includes an effort that brings together IDA, IFC, and MIGA to mobilize private investment and create markets in the most challenging environments.

Regarding data, the WBG has three main areas of work: strengthening partnerships, producing data and cross-country indicators, and fostering client country data production, dissemination, and use. This includes technical assistance on household survey programs and poverty mapping, inputs to the SDG indicator negotiations and custodian agency for several indicators (including SDG 1.1 on poverty), supporting the World Development Indicators and building the annual SDG Atlas, and working with partners, such as UNHCR on establishing a joint data center on forced displacement to improve statistics on refugees, and with Eurostat on producing international purchasing power parity estimates.

Regarding implementation, the WBG twin goals are supported by three areas of investment: human investment, inclusive growth, and resilience.

10. Please indicate one or two endeavor or initiatives you suggest that the UN system organizations could undertake together to support the implementation of the SDGs between now and 2030:

n/a