About Us - Our MissionBy 2015, children and youth will account for nearly 45% of the population in developing countries. "Our work will fall short if we cannot provide these young people with the opportunity to build a better tomorrow. That means we must do more and do it better to reach them now."
James D. Wolfensohn In addressing the needs of children (0-14), we know much of what works and we know the powerful economic and social justifications for early investment. The challenge is to understand how to effectively scale up within the scarce resource environment confronting our clients and partners. Tackling the needs of youth (15-24) is more challenging. Today's youth represent the largest cohort ever to enter the transition into adulthood and the issues they face – unemployment, lack of schooling and skills, risky behaviors, violence, among others – represent enormous economic and social costs to society. Yet they have little or no voice in current strategies for development, leaving them susceptible to politically and economically disruptive activities. Nevertheless, this segment of the population remains a largely neglected constituency. Unfortunately, there is very little international work on cost-effectiveness of most youth interventions. Demand for the World Bank’s support in addressing the needs of youth – from both clients and partners – is growing. The challenge will be to move the agenda from advocacy to evidence. Given the above and in response to increased client demand, it became evident that the World Bank needed to address the children and youth agenda in a more systematic and integrated manner. To this end, the Children & Youth (C&Y) Team was established in late 2002 within the Human Development Network to guide and foster coordination and partnerships that contribute to more effective children and youth development work at the World Bank. The Team’s main objectives are: Providing the World Bank a strategic framework for action in the area of Children and Youth. Supporting the regions in developing, implementing, and monitoring Children and Youth operational plans. Improving coordination among sectors, networks, and regional work. Ensuring consistency with companion development strategies in Human Development, Social Protection, Social Development, Urban Strategies, Gender, and other sectoral groups. Providing effective and innovative knowledge management. Promoting improved Children and Youth learning outcomes across sectors and countries. Contribute to shaping the Bank’s collaboration on Children and Youth issues with other international agencies and donors. Raising additional funds. Facilitating dialogue with children and youth worldwide, especially in developing countries.
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