World Bank

The World Bank is a development institution whose goal is to reduce poverty by promoting sustainable and balanced economic and social programs in its client countries.

The World Bank is the world's largest source of development assistance, providing nearly $20.1 billion in loans in 2004 to developing countries.

The World Bank is owned by more than 184 member countries whose views and interests are represented by a Board of Governors and a Washington-based Board of Directors.

The World Bank website is an important resource for social and economic research. You can access:

• Resources for business, civil society. client governments, investors, journalists, parliamentarians, youth and schools
• Data and research on countries including World development indicators - The World Bank's annual compilation of data about development
• Projects and operations
• Publications and documents
• Alphabetical list of topics in development
• Governance indicators

Follow this link to the World bank website

World Development Reports

The World Bank publishes an annual World Development Report with a different development theme each year.

The World Development Report 2007 focuses on youth with the theme Development and the Next Generation.

The report argues that: Developing countries which invest in better education, healthcare, and job training for their record numbers of young people between the ages of 12 and 24 years of age, could produce surging economic growth and sharply reduced poverty, according to a new World Bank report launched at the Bank's Annual Meetings in Singapore.

With 1.3 billion young people now living in the developing world-the largest-ever youth group in history-the report says there has never been a better time to invest in youth because they are healthier and better educated than previous generations, and they will join the workforce with fewer dependents because of changing demographics.

However, failure to seize this opportunity to train them more effectively for the workplace, and to be active citizens, could lead to widespread disillusionment and social tensions.

Follow this link to the World Bank website to download the 2007 World Development Report

For further information

Contact	:	The World Bank HQ
Address	:	1818 H Street, NW Washington, DC 20433 USA
Phone	:	(202) 473-1000
Fax	:	(202) 477-6391

WWW

:

http://www.worldbank.org