Jobs as the Path to Prosperity: How Knowledge Drives Development Impact
March 31, 2026 | 5:00–6:00 p.m. (EST)
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
Main Event Space
105 E 17th St, New York, NY 10003
Join Paschal Donohoe, Managing Director and Chief Knowledge Officer of the World Bank Group (WBG), for a keynote presentation and conversation on the global jobs crisis and how knowledge, policy, and financing must converge to meet the defining development challenge of our generation.
The world is facing a defining development challenge: over the next decade, 1.2 billion young people in developing countries will reach working age, yet only around 400 million jobs are expected to be created. This widening gap threatens to reverse progress on poverty reduction and undermine shared prosperity. How can governments and institutions respond at the scale and speed required?
Drawing on his leadership at the World Bank Group, Paschal Donohoe will explore why job creation sits at the heart of development and how it must be paired with a transformation in how knowledge is generated and applied. From building infrastructure and enabling private sector growth to mobilizing investment, he will outline the key policy and institutional shifts needed to close the global jobs gap.
He will also reflect on the “One World Bank Group” approach, which brings together public and private sector tools—including the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)—to deliver integrated solutions across sectors such as energy, agriculture, water, and health. At the same time, the lecture will examine how knowledge produced both within the Bank and in collaboration with universities and think tanks can drive better policy decisions and development outcomes.
Following his remarks, Paschal Donohoe will join a moderated discussion with Paul Smoke, Acting Director of the Center on International Cooperation (CIC) at NYU and Professor of Public Finance and Planning at NYU Wagner. The event will conclude with a Q&A and closing remarks from Maria Dimitriadou, Special Representative to the United Nations and Head of Multilateral Affairs at the World Bank.
This event is organized in collaboration between the World Bank Group, the Center on International Cooperation (CIC) at NYU, and NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.
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