/World Bank Group

The World Bank Group (WBG) has been working with ADB since 1972. The WBG works with countries to implement sustainable solutions to reduce poverty and build shared prosperity in developing countries.

WBG’s collaboration with ADB prioritizes projects on health, education, infrastructure, agriculture, public administration, macroeconomic management, institutional development, governance, financial and private sector development, environmental protection, and natural resource management. In April 2020, ADB and the International Finance Corporation, a member of the WBG, discussed common development goals, including opportunities to expand their collaboration in responding to COVID-19, tackling climate change, creating new markets, and mobilizing private sector financing.

Sovereign Cofinancing. In 2022, the WBG supported three investment projects. These include support for Sri Lanka through a $275 million loan cofinancing for emergency assistance to ensure access to food and protect livelihoods for poor and vulnerable people in response to a food insecurity crisis in the country. These also provided a $14 million grant cofinancing to Samoa to help the government implement reforms to restore fiscally sustainable growth led by the private sector, which has been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Pacific developing member countries have consistently received the WBG’s grant cofinancing because most of them are recipient countries of the International Development Association and are eligible for 100% grants. Also, ADB and the WBG work together through Development Coordination Offices posted in selected countries of the 11 smallest Pacific island countries, enabling better coordination on the field.

Knowledge. During the Asian Clean Energy Forum 2022, co-organized by ADB, a side event featured the World Bank, among others. The World Bank shared rich experience and discussed potential key interventions that could enable an accelerated deployment of rooftop solar in the small and medium-sized enterprises and residential sectors in India.

In February 2022, the Helping Save Lives from Road Crashes in Asia-Pacific webinar series was held, providing comprehensive training on safer road infrastructure toward eliminating high-risk roads and in pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goal of halving road deaths and injuries by 2030. The World Bank is one of the partners that co-organized this capacity-building initiative with ADB.