Strengthening the Organization

Our Values, People, and Places

We strive to become a more sustainable and responsible workplace by upholding and practicing our core values, safeguarding staff health and well-being, reducing our environmental footprint, and finding more efficient ways to work. Our Global Reporting Initiative Index and Sustainability Review present further details on the sustainability considerations of our operations and corporate practices; these can be accessed online through the Annual Report website.

Our Values

The World Bank Group’s core values are impact, integrity, respect, teamwork, and innovation. They embody what is most important to us as an institution and guide how we work with each other, our clients, and our partners. Our Code of Ethics—which articulates what our core values mean in practice and focuses on behaviors, rather than compliance—complements these values. In fiscal 2023, we strengthened the code’s focus on anti-racism and anti-discrimination, clarified reporting options for different types of misconduct, articulated responsibilities for staff who supervise other colleagues without formal authority, and expanded content on retaliation and diversity sensitivity. The Staff Rules continue to define the regulations and policies that guard against and prohibit misconduct. We build understanding of ethical and compliance issues in the workplace through a mandatory e-learning for staff on our core values and Code of Ethics. We facilitate in-person offerings on how to create a respectful workplace, supervisors’ and managers’ responsibilities, and bystander interventions. We also conduct outreach via staff townhalls, a learning series on ethics in the workplace, and internal communications.

Our People

We aim to attract, motivate, and retain diverse and global top talent by continually evaluating and improving our employee value proposition. In fiscal 2023, we rebranded our Office of Human Resources as the Office of People and Culture, reflecting our commitment to enhance the employee experience, facilitate a more compassionate and values-based culture, and boost our reputation as the best place to work in development. We are prioritizing ways to strengthen our culture and weave this into strategies and communications with staff.

At the end of fiscal 2023, the Bank had 13,122 full-time staff (53.2 percent of them women), in 141 locations representing 181 nationalities. Of these, 1,081 were new employees who joined the Bank during the fiscal year.

Focusing on people. We are committed to strengthening the employee experience and working at all levels to build resilience, maintain competitiveness, and enhance our position as the premier development institution. In fiscal 2023, this included our ongoing support to staff and the organization to address the impacts of COVID-19, as well as efforts to build a healthier, more agile workplace where people can thrive and build successful global careers. We also made our leave policies more family-friendly, including better access to paid parental leave for primary and secondary caregivers and a broader definition of “parent” to include stepparents and others in child-rearing roles.

We improved our support for employees facing disabilities through several policy reforms, providing staff with eligible claims with a more user-friendly case management process and greater access to pay. We also made enhancements that emphasize rehabilitation, return to work, and special accommodations.

We took steps this year to promote work-life harmony and help employees transition back to the office after a two-year period of home-based work necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Through a tiered approach, we facilitated a safe return to offices by monitoring local health indicators, gradually easing protective measures as the situation allowed, and issuing continuous guidance to staff.

We carefully monitor the security landscape in country offices, particularly in situations of fragility, conflict, and violence, to ensure the health and safety of employees and their families worldwide. In fiscal 2023, we swiftly and safely evacuated 53 staff from Haiti, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in response to wide-ranging crises.

Strengthening culture. In fiscal 2023, we worked to support culture changes and improve trust, transparency, and two-way communication within the institution. Through all-staff townhalls, senior leaders held open dialogue with staff about onboarding, career progression, mobility, discrimination, and other important topics. They also went on missions to hear and address concerns specific to country offices. Other engagements included quarterly conversations with staff groups and roundtable discussions with senior leaders on compensation, mobility, and performance. Through our Be the Value campaign, we promoted the Bank Group’s core values throughout the institution, and will recognize employees who went above and beyond to exemplify them.

Strengthening our workplace culture

The Bank Group’s workplace culture is central to delivering on our mission. In September 2022, then-President David Malpass and members of the Task Force on Workplace Culture—established by the president in November 2021—shared their initial recommendations on enhancing managerial accountability and reducing the fear of retaliation. The recommendations were shaped through sustained engagements with staff over several months.

Since these recommendations were announced, the Bank Group has taken several actions. We established the Ethics and Internal Justice unit and selected a new vice president to lead it. We launched a review to create a modern grading structure that aligns with industry best practices and enhances our ability to attract, motivate, and retain staff. We expanded our employment screening program to include criminal background checks for all new short-term consultants.

We continue to work on implementing the recommendations, including establishing the Disciplinary Advisory Panel and clarifying staff rules and whistleblower protections. Together, these actions build trust, empower, and motivate staff, and strengthen culture as a core value proposition.

Protecting and promoting staff health and safety. We are committed to protecting and promoting the health and safety of staff by focusing on personal health and wellness, occupational health and safety, and mental health and well-being. As of fiscal 2023, as part of a multiyear strategy to enhance services for staff globally, we have deployed fully staffed multidisciplinary hubs in Bulgaria, India, and Kenya that offer medical, counseling, and occupational health and safety support for staff based in the regions. This expansion will also apply to existing medical teams in Cameroon, Senegal, Singapore, and South Africa. We also continued to implement the Bank Mental Health Strategy to instill a culture of health and well-being, mitigate work-related and other risk factors, and provide better support for staff and families who face mental health challenges.

To strengthen support for employees experiencing mental health conditions, we launched a campaign to increase understanding, reduce stigma, and encourage people to seek help early. We also delivered stronger medical plans this year that enhance access to mental health services for all staff and their families, with special emphasis on country offices, given the shortage of mental health professionals in some locations.

Addressing racism and racial discrimination. Since June 2020, the Anti-Racism Task Force has delivered recommendations to senior leadership to address racism and racial discrimination within the Bank Group, our operations, and the communities we serve. In its first phase, the Task Force submitted ideas on issues within the workplace, which were endorsed by management for implementation. In Phase Two, the Task Force focused externally, looking at race in our operations, corporate procurement, community engagement, and the composition of our country offices and staff around the world. The recommendations from this phase were submitted to the Bank Group President and senior leadership in March 2023 for review and endorsement for implementation. This marked the fulfilment of the Task Force mandate, and the working groups were disbanded.

During early 2023, vice presidents across the Bank Group hosted townhalls for the Task Force secretariat to present and discuss the anti-racism work, engage with staff, and keep up the momentum around the effort, building on previous internal engagements and those with external organizations. This was capped by an all-staff townhall with the President, members of senior leadership, and the Staff Association in March 2023.

The Task Force also worked to raise awareness around race and encourage conversations and activities across the organization. The Task Force developed and shared resource guides and other tools to support staff in these efforts and offer practical information and guidance. It also prepared and shared an infographic based on data that look at the composition of staff by regional nationality, including recruitment, promotions, and our global footprint. With the sunsetting of the Task Force—and based on feedback from staff and senior leadership that the anti-racism work continue to be built into the organization’s culture, policies, and work—the Task Force Chair, Ethiopis Tafara, will lead a transition period to further implement the recommendations and periodically report on progress tracked by an Implementation Monitoring Unit.

Supporting more efficient and modern operations through information and technology solutions. In fiscal 2023, the Bank continued to modernize our internal operations workspace—which supports more than 6,000 teams—through better digital capabilities. Through Project ARIA, a Bank Group–wide, multiyear initiative, we continued to replace our aging financial enterprise resource-planning system to enhance process effectiveness, increase agility, improve business insights, and reduce operational risk. We also boosted cybersecurity preparedness through our Zero Trust Architecture initiative, helping thwart more than 177 million cyberattacks in fiscal 2023.

Supporting staff learning and skills development. With the World Bank Group’s Open Learning Campus, staff can access a broad range of learning and leadership development programs, including self-paced virtual courses, facilitated learning, and on-the-job learning. In fiscal 2023, we introduced the EdCast Learning Experience Platform to meet the Bank Group’s evolving needs and to simplify and improve offerings for staff and clients. The platform helps staff learn continuously through artificial Intelligence and machine learning to support a personalized learning experience.

Facilitating a safe place for staff to address concerns and conflicts. In fiscal 2023, we established the Ethics and Internal Justice Services Vice Presidency to provide comprehensive and coordinated services related to Staff Rules compliance and addressing work-related concerns and grievances. The new unit comprises the functions performed by the Bank’s Internal Justice Services and Ethics and Business Conduct Department.

Through the Internal Justice Services, staff have confidential channels to seek guidance on workplace issues and resolve conflicts. These include Ombuds Services, the Respectful Workplace Advisors Program, Mediation Services, Peer Review Services, Performance Management Review, and the Race Equity Office. In fiscal 2023, more than 1,100 staff turned to these services for help. The Internal Justice Services also delivered training and outreach to 5,827 staff.

The Ethics and Business Conduct Department is another trusted resource for staff seeking guidance on compliance and workplace issues and for preventing and addressing misconduct. In fiscal 2023, it reviewed 168 allegations of misconduct and delivered ethics training and outreach to 8,113 staff. Through its advisory services, it also responds to staff requests for ethics advice on potential conflicts of interest or other compliance issues, on average within less than one business day. In fiscal 2023, 1,248 staff sought advice from the department. It has focused its efforts on promoting transparency around the outcomes of its reviews of misconduct and conducts in-depth reviews of high-risk or recurring cases to help close gaps in controls. The department’s Anti-Harassment Coordinator addresses allegations of sexual and other forms of harassment. In fiscal 2023, the Anti-Harassment Coordinator received 278 cases; along with other institutional stakeholders, they also implemented supportive measures, such as post-resolution monitoring to ensure a safe working environment for survivors of sexual harassment.

Representing staff voice. The World Bank Group’s Staff Association represents the rights and interests of staff to senior management and the Board. It offers several services for members, including consultations on grievance-related matters, health insurance coverage for short-term temporary employees and consultants at headquarters, and regular communications to inform and update staff on relevant issues. In fiscal 2023, the Staff Association Delegate Assembly entered the second year of its two-year term to advocate for staff priorities and concerns, including compensation (particularly in country offices), talent retention, and career growth. In March 2023, the Staff Association hosted a Country Office Staff Association Forum that brought together representatives from around the world to exchange knowledge and engage on advocacy, with the support of the Bank’s regional vice presidents. The Staff Association also facilitated townhalls and supported policy changes through its working groups.

WORLD BANK (IBRD/IDA) STAFF DATA, FISCAL 2021–23

Our Places

The Bank manages the environmental, social, and economic impacts of our internal business operations by striving for net positive impacts on the ecosystems, communities, and economies where we have facilities.

Reducing emissions globally. Travel resumed, resulting in an estimated 24 percent increase in emissions from fiscal 2021 to fiscal 2022. Globally, buildings remained below full capacity. As part of our annual effort to offset carbon emissions, carbon offsets and Renewable Energy Credits equivalent to the World Bank’s footprint were purchased and retired.

Reducing emissions at headquarters. In July 2022, we began piloting a hybrid work model and resumed cafeteria, coffee bar, and catering services in alignment with the Bank Group commitment to the Cool Food Pledge of reducing food-related greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2030 relative to a 2019 baseline. We purchased Renewable Energy Credits equivalent to 100 percent of our electricity use at headquarters. These credits represent the environmental impact of one megawatt-hour of renewable energy generation that is added to the electricity grid. Carbon offset projects are chosen based on rigorous Bank Group guidelines in IDA countries, with recent projects in Cambodia (to reduce methane leakage), Madagascar (to expand solar power), and Myanmar (to restore mangroves).

Designing sustainable facilities. We incorporate sustainability considerations into all aspects of our real estate portfolio, including new constructions, renovations, and day-to-day operations, to ensure that our facilities are not only modern, healthy, and comfortable but also environmentally responsible. This includes earning energy efficiency certifications, enhancing facilities with renewable technologies, using green and biophilic design elements, and applying these principles across all our facilities, from headquarters to country offices. 

We have modernized our approach to optimize sustainability in our facilities. This enables us to maximize space use, lower operating costs, increase office flexibility, and reduce carbon emissions, energy consumption, and waste. In Washington, D.C., we are renovating the aging "I Building” with energy-efficient designs, sustainable materials, and remanufactured office furniture (as part of a circular economy approach). We have implemented similar design concepts for our country offices in Australia, Bhutan, the Central African Republic, France, Lebanon, Kenya, Mali, Micronesia, Nepal, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, Uganda, Zambia, and other locations. 

An example of how we incorporated sustainability into renovations is our Bangladesh country office in Dhaka, which recently achieved LEED Gold Certification for Operations and Maintenance. We upgraded our 20-year-old building with more efficient filtration systems, green walls, water-saving devices, LED lighting, and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. Our current projects include a 150 kilowatt-hour solar panel installation and an 88,000 liter rainwater harvesting system, further reducing energy consumption and water usage. In Paris, we are enhancing the sustainability of our office by connecting to Europe’s first cooling network, which provides chilled water from the Seine that is used to cool the building, eliminating the need to own or maintain any air conditioners or chillers. We also completed new buildings in Brazil, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Sierra Leone in accordance with green building standards.

Our Supply Chain

Promoting a more inclusive and sustainable supply chain. In fiscal 2023, the Bank’s institutional supply chain continued to be disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical conflicts, and global debt distress. The main challenges include demand volatility, inventory shortages, and workforce disruptions across various sectors and locations. We stepped up efforts to manage third-party risk in our global vendor base, which includes vendors from 196 countries, by effectively assessing risks and vulnerabilities and establishing contingencies. Amid global financial disruptions and inflation, we also sought to balance vendors' financial stability and operational capacity with the need to drive sustainable development in an ever-changing environment.

Despite these challenges, we continued to increase our corporate procurement from women-owned and minority-owned businesses. We are well on our way to double the share of procurement to 7 percent by fiscal 2023 and 8 percent by fiscal 2025, respectively. Results will be announced in fiscal 2024. In fiscal 2023, we engaged with more than triple the number of women-owned businesses as vendors since we began measuring in fiscal 2018, enhancing supply chain resilience and promoting women’s economic inclusion. For the second year in a row, the World Bank was commended as a Platinum Top Global Champion for Supplier Diversity and Inclusion by WEConnect International.

SELECTED WORLD BANK ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS, FISCAL 2019–22