Nearly 1.1 billion people escaped extreme poverty between 1990 and 2015, thanks to 
broad-based economic growth and inclusive approaches to development. But progress is stalling, and we face an urgent challenge; today, one in 10 people still live in extreme poverty.
If you can’t be at the Meetings in person, we’ve got you covered with World Bank Live, the World Bank’s digital platform for live-streaming and engaging with global audiences. Block out time now to watch our events live, and in case you miss it, you can still catch up with your favorite events on our events recap page or watch a replay. Don’t forget to tune in to our Global Voices interviews with top-notch global development influencers, as well as our short 30-second challenge videos with experts sharing their knowledge on all things global development.
Nearly 1.1 billion people escaped extreme poverty between 1990 and 2015, thanks to 
broad-based economic growth and inclusive approaches to development. But progress is stalling, and we face an urgent challenge; today, one in 10 people still live in extreme poverty.
To boost action and accelerate progress towards tackling development challenges and reducing extreme poverty, delegates from our member countries, observer organizations, civil society, private sector, and media will convene at the 2019 Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
This year’s events will take place in Washington, D.C. from October 14-20, 2019.
External debt stock of low- and middle-income countries rose 5.2% in 2018 to $7.8 
trillion, a slower pace of accumulation than in 2017, according to the World Bank’s International Debt Statistics 2020. Excluding the top ten borrowers (Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey) external debt stocks for low- and middle-income countries rose 4%.
Net debt inflows (gross disbursements minus principal payments) to low- and middle-income countries fell 28% in 2018 to $529 billion. At the same time, net financial flows (including both debt and equity) to low- and middle-income countries fell 19% in 2018, down 29% excluding China.
Fragility, conflict and violence (FCV) threaten to derail significant progress that has been
made in improving living standards and reducing poverty over the past decades. While extreme poverty is going down around the globe, it is increasing in countries impacted by fragility and conflict. The World Bank estimates that by 2030, almost half of the world’s poor will live in countries facing FCV challenges.
Inclusive and sustainable economic growth can also help heal grievances stemming from economic exclusion. These countries likely already face high levels of public sector debt, so private sector investment can bring an infusion of capital without increasing the debt burden. But these volatile environments struggle greatly to attract and sustain the long-term private sector investment that is needed to help them break the “fragility trap.”
Indonesia has been transformed by urbanization. As a new World Bank report titled 
Time to ACT: Realizing Indonesia’s Urban Potential shows, when its independence was proclaimed in 1945, only one in eight Indonesians lived in towns and cities, and the country’s entire urban population stood at about 8.6 million, roughly that of London today. By contrast, today about 151 million, or 56% of Indonesians live in urban areas, roughly 18 times the population of London.
NEW YORK, September 23, 2019 – The United Kingdom pledged £200 million ($250 
million) to the Climate Investment Funds’ Global Energy Storage Program, which in collaboration with the World Bank’s Energy Storage Partnership aims to deliver breakthrough energy storage and renewable energy solutions at scale.
France’s Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the Netherlands pledged $100 million to the Solar Risk Mitigation Initiative (SRMI), with the Netherlands also announcing $20 million for the Bank’s planned Clean Cooking Fund.
Netherlands for the World Bank 
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