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Published on World Bank Voices

2018: A year of influence, impact and cooperation on global issues through social media

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​In 2018, the themes of climate change, disruptive technology, and human capital were not only priorities for the World Bank Group, but for governments, private companies, and international organizations of all kinds.  The level of partnership online among these groups has been unprecedented as the world collectively tries to address global challenges.

The same kind of cooperation that is driving impact on the ground is also driving awareness and advocacy more broadly as the world rises to these challenges. Below are just a few examples of how collaboration online has strengthened and amplified the global effort to end poverty in 2018 across three key themes.

 

Human Capital

2018 was the year to put human development front and center. Without an urgent and concerted global effort to invest in their people, a lot of countries are in danger of being excluded from future prosperity.  At this year’s World Bank Group/IMF Annual Meetings in Bali, Indonesia, President Jim Yong Kim unveiled the Human Capital Project together with the Human Capital Index which will help measure outcomes including child survival, early hardwiring of children for success, student learning and health. We were encouraged to see that this effort was met with enthusiasm. Take a look:

Climate Change

At the beginning of December, the urgency to limit global warming to below 2°C was heard the world over. Global leaders gathered in Katowice, Poland for COP24 to finalize the framework of rules that will guide the implementation of the Paris Agreement. There, the World Bank Group announced new targets for 2025 including a major boost in financing for adaptation and delivering low carbon pathways to development.

With a shift in focus to adaptation and resilience, the Bank Group’s announcement of a doubling of its current 5-year investments to around $200 billion in support for countries to take climate action was met with encouragement from a number of influential voices on social media such as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, UN Secretary-General Antoni Guterres among others:

Disruptive Tech

All around us, we can see the evidence of technology disrupting how we live our everyday life. In global development, innovators are increasingly deploying technology in an effort to solve some of the world’s pressing challenges. One of these challenges is famine.  Today, 124 million people experience crisis-levels of food insecurity and over half of them are in situations affected by conflict. That’s why in September this year, The United Nations, World Bank, International Committee of the Red Cross, Microsoft Corp., Google and Amazon Web Services launched the Famine Action Mechanism (FAM), the first mechanism dedicated to preventing future famines. See how the global community responded:
 

It takes a village … online!

When it comes to ending poverty, we know that it will take a village.  This year we were happy to see so many voices come together in agreement for a better tomorrow for the world’s poorest people. From the themes we’ve just discussed, to highlighting the importance of educating girls, to supporting Rohingya refugees, the world has rallied behind these and other global efforts to end poverty. As we head into 2019, let’s continue the collaboration and cooperation for real impact to solving these challenges.

Authors

Zubedah Robinson

Digital Engagement Specialist

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Mario Trubiano

Social Media Strategist

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