World Bank Group Timeline

The reorganization – the organization’s largest in nearly 20 years – is part of the World Bank Group’s new strategy focusing on the delivery of transformational solutions, marshaling combined resources effectively, and accelerating collaborations with private sector partners. Specifically, the reorganizational reforms aim to improve knowledge flows and the delivery of multisector solutions to clients. The reform process began with a design and analysis phase in 2012. The resulting implementation will bring significant change to the organization of operational units in the Bank by relocating sector staff from the Regional Vice Presidencies to one of fourteen new sector-specific Global Practices (GPs) or five Cross-Cutting Solution Areas (CCSAs). The GPs are responsible for managing the Bank's thematic priorities, such as agriculture, water, and education, while the CCSAs are responsible for the Bank's five solution areas—climate change; fragility, conflict, and violence; gender; jobs; and public-private partnerships. By pooling sector expertise, the expectation is that knowledge will move more freely and staff mobility across Regions will become the norm.