WASHINGTON, April 2, 2021 — World Bank Group President David Malpass today issued the following statement on the World Bank Group’s new Climate Change Action Plan:
“I am pleased to announce that yesterday we presented to our Board the key elements of the World Bank Group’s new Climate Change Action Plan. Our collective responses to climate change, poverty and inequality are defining choices of our age. The World Bank Group is already the largest multilateral provider of climate finance for developing countries, and has increased financing to record levels over the past two years. To deliver on our twin goals of reducing poverty and boosting shared prosperity, it is critical that the World Bank Group help countries fully integrate climate and development. It is also important we help countries maximize the impact of climate finance, with measurable improvements in livelihoods through adaptation, and measurable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions through mitigation.
We will achieve this by:
- Increasing our climate finance: 35% of World Bank Group financing will have climate co-benefits, on average, over the next five years; and 50% of World Bank – IBRD and IDA – climate financing will support adaptation and resilience. This represents a big step up from the 26% achieved on average in FY16-20 and an even bigger step up in dollar terms as the Bank Group’s total financing has also expanded.
- Focusing on climate results and impact: We will focus on measuring results and achieving impact, through a greater focus on greenhouse gas emissions reduction, adaptation and resilience goals, supported by new metrics.
- Improving and expanding climate diagnostics: We will build a strong analytical base at the global and country level, including introducing new Country Climate and Development Reports that will support preparation and implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and Long-Term Strategies (LTSs), and which will feed in to all WBG Country Partnership Frameworks.
- Reducing Emissions and Climate Vulnerabilities in Key Systems: We will support transformative investments in key systems that contribute the most to emissions and have the greatest climate vulnerabilities: for example, energy, food systems, transport, and manufacturing.
- Supporting a Just Transition out of Coal: We will significantly increase our support for the transition away from coal in client countries that request assistance. Importantly, we will seek to mobilize the further large-scale resources to support this. One example is the jobs and skills transition for people working in the coal sector. Another is helping countries replace coal with affordable, reliable and cleaner alternatives as they expand electricity access.
- Aligning our financing flows with the goals of the Paris Agreement: The Bank Group is committed to aligning financing flows with the objectives of the Paris Agreement. For the World Bank, we plan to align all new operations by July 1, 2023. For IFC and MIGA, 85% of new operations will be aligned by July 1, 2023 and 100% of these by July 1, 2025.
The World Bank Group has been instrumental in helping countries address climate change: including delivering over $83 billion in climate finance over the past five years and reaching the highest level in a single year in 2020 at $21.4 billion. Through this plan, we will be doing more in terms of both dollars and impact.
Today, the world has a historic opportunity and necessity to change course – to overcome the rising dangers of hunger, social division, conflict, violence and climate change. The World Bank Group will work with all stakeholders to address these challenges head on and support our clients to unlock the benefits of green, resilient and inclusive development.”
