Designed for the Future?

This report by the World Resources Institute (WRI) evaluates how the World Bank integrates sustainable development and governance principles into a sample of projects approved between January 2012 and June 2013, offering ten recommendations for improvement.

• The majority of assessed World Bank projects failed to integrate climate change considerations into their design, with 75% lacking climate change risk assessments and 88% failing to assess likely greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions relative to a baseline. Projects that helped countries build resilience and adapt to climate impacts were described as the exception.
• While 68% of evaluated projects explicitly identified and targeted vulnerable populations, only approximately 50% could demonstrate that these populations would receive specific benefits regarding economic opportunities and access to essential services.
• Project design showed mixed results regarding governance and sustainability: 82% conducted environmental and social assessments, but less than 50% showed strategic embedding in long-term sustainable development plans, and 58% considered relevant enabling policies and regulations during appraisal.
• The World Bank has established two new goals as part of its reinvention: reducing global extreme poverty to 1-3% of the world's population by 2030 and promoting shared prosperity by fostering income growth for the poorest 40% of the population in every country.

APA

Seong, J. (n.d.). Designed for the Future? World Resources Institute. https://www.wri.org/research/designed-future

Chicago

Seong, Joonkyung. Designed for the Future? World Resources Institute, n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/designed-future.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Seong |first1=Joonkyung |title=Designed for the Future? |publisher=World Resources Institute |url=https://www.wri.org/research/designed-future |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{seongnddesigned, author = {Seong, Joonkyung}, title = {{Designed for the Future?}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/designed-future}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }