Social Development

Social development means ensuring all people have access to public services, job opportunities, and a say in the projects that impact them. In addition, it means building cohesive and resilient societies and making institutions accessible and accountable to citizens.

BOOK

SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY IN DEVELOPMENT

Social Sustainability in Development: Meeting the Challenges of the 21st Century seeks to advance the concept of social sustainability and sharpen its analytical foundations.
PUBLICATION

Economic Cost of SOGIESC Exclusion

The annual economic loss due to SOGIESC-based exclusion totals 0.5% of the GDP of both North Macedonia and Serbia.
Research

Forced Displacement and Social Cohesion

By mid-2021, an estimated 84 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced, including over 20 million refugees.

Social Development At-A-Glance

Social Sustainability and Inclusion focuses on the need to “put people first” in development processes. It promotes social inclusion of the poor and vulnerable by empowering people, building cohesive and resilient societies, and making institutions accessible and accountable to citizens.

Overview

Data

Project

Woman and man, both in blue clothing, pick tree seedlings.

Financing Locally-Led Climate Action Program in Kenya

This new program establishes the first national-scale model of devolved climate finance and supports the Government of Kenya to translate its ambitious climate agenda into scaled-up action on the ground.

Projects

Focus Areas

Social Cohesion and Resilience

About two billion people in the world, and half of the world’s extreme poor, live in countries affected by fragility, conflict ...
Social Dimensions of Climate Change

As the climate continues to change, millions of poor people face greater challenges in terms of extreme events, health effects, ...
Citizen Engagement

Citizens play a critical role in advocating and helping to make public institutions more transparent, accountable and effective,...
Indigenous Peoples

Indigenous Peoples make up 5% of the global population, they account for about 15% of the extreme poor.
Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity

Despite advances in the past two decades, LGBTI people continue to face widespread discrimination and violence in many ...
Disability Inclusion

One billion people, or 15% of the world’s population, experience some form of disability.
Community-Driven Development

CDD programs operate on the principles of transparency, participation, local empowerment, demand-responsiveness, greater ...
Social Inclusion

Social inclusion is the process of improving the terms on which individuals and groups take part in society—improving the ...

Research

Blogs

View more blogs on Social Sustainability and Inclusion

Experts

Robin Mearns

Global Director, Social Development

Maninder Gill

Global Director, Environmental and Social Framework

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News & Events

What's New

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Latest Events

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Highlights

Just Transition for All

Learn about the World Bank Group's support to countries transitioning away from coal.
Environmental and Social Safeguards

The World Bank's environmental and social safeguard policies are a cornerstone of its support to sustainable poverty reduction.
Conflict and Fragility

Fragility, conflict, and violence (FCV) is a critical development challenge that threatens efforts to end extreme poverty, affecting both low- and middle-income countries.
Gender-Based Violence (GBV)

The World Bank is committed to addressing gender-based violence (GBV) through investment, research and learning, and collaboration with stakeholders around the world.

Work With Us In Social Development

Additional Resources

Focus Areas

Media Inquiries

Washington, D.C.

Laura Ivers

laivers@worldbankgroup.org

Social Development

SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY IN DEVELOPMENT

Economic Cost of SOGIESC Exclusion

Forced Displacement and Social Cohesion

Social Development At-A-Glance

Data

Project

Financing Locally-Led Climate Action Program in Kenya

Focus Areas

Social Cohesion and Resilience

Social Dimensions of Climate Change

Citizen Engagement

Indigenous Peoples

Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity

Disability Inclusion

Community-Driven Development

Social Inclusion

Research

Equality of Opportunity for Sexual and Gender Minorities

Inclusion Matters in Africa

Economic Shocks and Human Trafficking Risks

Inclusive Education and COVID-19

Blogs

Experts

Stay Connected