The World Bank provides support through policy advice, research, and analysis to developing countries around the world. Learn from leading World bank economists how urban upgrading, green technologies, and global value chains can help improve the lives of people around the world.
All courses in this list are free to audit. You can opt-in for a paid verified certificate issued by the World Bank for an extra fee.
Urban Upgrading for Inclusion, Sustainability and Resilience in a time of Global Pandemics
Physical distancing, self-isolation, and regular handwashing are often impossible for residents of urban slums where access to sanitation and safe drinking water has been a fundamental issue already before the pandemic.
In this course, you will learn about the social, economic, and spatial characteristics of urban slums, how they emerge and how they impact local communities. You will analyze policy approaches and strategies to addressing urban slums and what worked and what did not in previous interventions. In this course, you will apply key operational principles and tools for designing upgrading interventions, including planning, finance, infrastructure, social inclusion, sustainability, and more to improve the livelihoods of people living in slums.
This course is ideal for policymakers and urban practitioners who want to be better prepared to respond to the challenge of slums during a global pandemic. The course takes roughly nine weeks to complete and is self-paced.
GREENTECH: Mainstreaming Technologies in Green, Blue and Clean Operations
Millions of people are already suffering from the catastrophic effects of climate change, pollution, and the exploitation of natural resources. Globally, air pollution is estimated to cause 7 million deaths annually, more than half of the tropical rainforests have been destroyed, and our planet has lost more than 40% of its biodiversity. The vast majority of the worlds’ poor depend on this biodiversity for their well-being and survival. The need for disruptive green technologies to stop the harm caused to people and the planet is more urgent than ever.
In this course, you will learn about global environmental challenges and how disruptive technologies aim to address challenges related to the pollution of air, water, and land. You will explore what green technology can do to preserve biodiversity, forests, and landscapes and how species loss, deforestation, and forest degradation can be addressed more effectively. The third week of the course will focus on fisheries/aquaculture, marine pollution (including plastics), coastal zone management, and the larger ocean economy and what opportunities exist for the blue economy to contribute to sustainable development.
This course is a great fit for everyone interested in green technologies and how they can be used to effectively address environmental challenges. The course takes four weeks to complete and is self-paced.
Trading for Development in the Age of Global Value Chains
In today’s economy, global value chains constitute almost half of all international trade. This enabled low-income countries to catch up with high-income countries more rapidly since the 1990s. After the 2008 financial crisis, the growth of trade has stagnated, and the expansion of global value chains has stalled. This development is further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In this course, you will learn how global value chains can help strengthen sustainable and inclusive economic growth and how they can help reduce poverty and inequality. World Bank economists will discuss how global value chains impact a range of development issues, from creating better jobs to preventing environmental degradation.
This course takes roughly five weeks to complete and is ideal for everyone interested in how international trade can promote sustainable development and inclusive economic growth.
The Hidden Side of Energy Access: Clean Cooking
More than 4 billion people around the world lack access to modern energy cooking services. Especially in developing countries, people often cook with firewood and charcoal in poorly ventilated rooms. This causes severe negative impacts on their health, the environment, and our climate.
In this course, you will learn strategies to make clean cooking a reality for households around the world. You will learn about the main barriers to the adoption of cleaner cooking and explore examples of national clean cooking programs. After completing the course, you will be able to formulate recommendations related to modern energy clean cooking services for national governments, donors and development partners, and private investors.
The course takes roughly four weeks to complete and is a great fit for everyone aiming to build expertise in the clean cooking sector.
Unlocking Investment and Finance in Emerging Markets and Developing Economies (EMDEs)
To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, an estimated $4.5 trillion per year in additional investment in emerging markets and economies is required.
In this course, you will learn about the global efforts and innovations of international investors, development banks, and policymakers to unlock additional investment opportunities in emerging economies. The course provides access to cutting-edge investment and finance strategy resources, diagnostic tools, and statistics on investment opportunities and trends. Upon graduation, participants will be invited to join an international investment and finance professionals’ network on LinkedIn.
The course takes roughly four weeks to complete and is ideal for investors, government officials, international development professionals, financial sector actors, and other professionals with interest in investment and finance in emerging markets and economies.
