On February 3, the EDS10 office organized a Brown-Bag Lunch on ‘World Bank Group and United Nations Collaboration in Security and Justice Sectors: Linkages to Development’.
Following an extremely interesting study on this topic by NYU Center on International Cooperation (CIC), this event convened WBG senior management, Board colleagues and key experts from inside and outside the World Bank for a fascinating discussion on the links between security, justice and development.
As effective security and justice institutions and outcomes foster economic growth and development progress, they serve as key enablers for sustainable development. This proposition was the starting point for a discussion on how the World Bank Group is supporting countries to reduce uncertainty linked to the security and justice sectors and ways to further deepen this engagement together with key partners such as the UN.
Some key takeaways from this discussion include:
1. Without security and justice, there can be no sustainable development” - Security and justice are key development challenges across regions and countries and require strategic, multistakeholder engagement following a people-centered approach.
2. A running start?” – The WBG has a track record engaging in the security and justice sectors while country demand is growing as many governments prioritize security, stability and violence prevention
3. Stronger together” - While the World Bank Group and UN have vast experience working together in many countries on these topics, there is scope to further deepen this collaboration based on mutual strengths and complementarities
This conversation was particularly timely as the World Bank Group is working towards a successor of its Strategy for Fragility, Conflict and Violence, a critical tool to deliver on our mission to eradicate poverty and boost shared prosperity, especially as up to two-thirds of the world’s extreme poor will live in countries characterized by fragility, conflict, and violence by 2030.