Sustainable development requires balancing the needs of present and future generations and has become a rapidly growing global concern. Three critical factors — economic, ecological, and social — take a central place in discussions of growth and poverty-reduction. Social sustainability is a critical aspect of achieving long-term development that significantly improves the lives of the world’s poorest people.
Development experiences from client countries of both the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association(IDA) have shown that overcoming poverty requires more than getting economic policies right. Many of these societies are torn by conflict, fragility, and violence, or beset by inequality of opportunity based on gender, race, ethnicity or other factors. Governance problems, such as corruption and lack of citizen voice and engagement, afflict many societies and nations, undermining public participation in decision-making that affects communities’ futures.
The World Bank’s client countries face several challenges in this area, including creating social inclusion that enables the vulnerable and marginalized segments of society to have a say in defining their development paths; dealing with climate change and its social dimensions; the problems of fragility of countries, states, and societies and the implications for poor people; increasing urbanization and its impact on developing societies; and revolutionary changes in information and communication technologies. Social development work at the World Bank aims to strengthen the understanding and analytical underpinnings for inclusive, cohesive, resilient, and accountable institutions.
The World Bank's work in social development supports measures for poor, excluded, and vulnerable women and men to have equal access to opportunities and to contribute to social and economic progress and share in its rewards. Addressing common needs, overcoming constraints, and giving consideration to diverse interests helps maintain cohesion and prevents conflict. The Bank also supports community organization and empowerment to demand more effective, efficient, responsive, and transparent public institutions and service providers. This approach helps communities confront a range of negative trends and shocks whether economic, political, or environmental.
To meet these challenges, the World Bank is making substantial evidence-based policy and program contributions through:
- Undertaking better and more timely social and political risk analysis, including poverty and social impact analyses;
- Building a greater understanding of the resilience of communities and institutions to a range of natural and man-made shocks, be it economic crises, climate change, natural disasters or violent conflict;
- Strengthening links between citizens and their government representatives and promoting more responsive and responsible government structures;
- Empowering communities through control over development decisions and resources for poverty-reduction through the community-driven development (CDD) approach;
- Enhancing positive impacts, mitigating negative impacts, and managing social and political risks, including compliance with the Bank’s social safeguards policies on Indigenous Peoples and Involuntary Resettlement; and
- Mainstreaming gender concerns and ensuring that operations are gender-informed.