Sector departments were created as part of a World Bank-wide reorganization in 1972. The sector departments were responsible for improving and maintaining the quality of Bank lending and related operations through sector policy and guideline development; support and review of operations; recruitment assistance; staff development and training; and liaison with external organizations. Sector departments were generally not responsible for leading project lending operations and member country relations. The Bank's projects and member country relations were instead the responsibility of regional vice presidencies (RVPs). See the related units of description note for more information.

The Bank's sector work began in the Economic Department (created April 19, 1948) and the Technical Operations Department (TOD) (September 1952 to January 18, 1965). Departments were structured geographically; there were no specific units assigned to different sectors. These departments had similar responsibilities for operational and sector work, providing expertise and assistance for projects and studies that mainly addressed basic utilities and infrastructure. Urban issues were initially limited to water supply and sanitation.

1968 - 1972

Urban development was first articulated in the organizational structure starting in 1968 when President McNamara created an Economics of Urbanization Division in the Economic Department led by Chief Richard Westebbe. On November 1, 1968, a reorganization of Bank departments led to the creation of the Special Projects Department (SPP) that began operations in October of 1969. SPP was responsible for inter-sectoral, multi-purpose, and very large projects. The Urbanization and Regional Projects Department (SPPRB) was one of the three departmental divisions.

The three departments of the Special Projects Department were responsible for:

• identifying, appraising and supervising projects;

• carrying out research and monitoring developments in its sectors;

• providing advice to the area departments; and

• cooperating with other international agencies, such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), on programs of common interest.

An urbanization sector policy paper was requested in 1971 and completed in 1972 under the title Sectoral working paper: Urbanization. The paper outlined the problems within urban areas and examined potential strategies to reduce urban pressures and methods for improving resource efficiency and urban productivity. It also addressed the role of the Bank in urban development.

The Bank's first project in the urban sector and the first in the Western Africa region was the Senegal Sites and Services Project P002280, approved in June 1972. Most of the Bank's urban lending that followed in the 1970s was centered on similar sites and services projects. These projects provided plots of land, basicinfrastructure, and social services to low-income families, enabling them to build their homes incrementally. Other early projects focused on upgrading squatter settlements.

1972 - 1986

SPP was terminated as part of a Bank-wide reorganization in October, 1972. In order to more effectively fuse country knowledge and sector skills, sectors with a sufficient number of experts and an established lending program were largely decentralized; while maintaining a centralized core staff of department advisors, the majority of staff were dispersed to regional project departments in newly established regional vice presidencies. The remaining centralized staff made up the sector operating departments and performed advisory services for the regions. Because of its small number of staff, the urban sector of the former Special Projects Department remained centralized within the newly formed Central Projects Staff Vice Presidency (CPSVP), and was given the name Urban Projects Department (UBP). As a centralized operating projects department (COPD), the department provided a full operational package of technical services to the regions and was responsible not only for policy formulation and quality control, but also for the planning, direction and supervision of project and economic sector work. On the date of its establishment, the Urban Projects Department comprised two departments: Operations Division I (UBPD1) and Operations Division II (UBPD2). The previous director of SPP, Robert Sadove, continued to lead the new department.

On October 1, 1973, the Urban Projects Department was merged with the Transportation Department (TRP) to form the Transportation and Urban Projects Department (TRU). The department continued to report to the CPSVP. However, transportation projects continued to function as a sector department, performing only advisory services for the regions at their request and also formulating policies and quality control. The department's urban project functionality continued to act as a centralized operating projects department. The department maintained two Urban-related divisions - Urban Projects I (TRUD1) and Urban Projects II (TRUD2) - along with a Transport Research Division (TRURS). On February 1, 1976, a third urban-related operational division, Urban Projects III (TRUD3), was established in anticipation of an expanded role for the department.

On June 1, 1976, staff working on urban projects were separated from those working on transportation projects and re-established as an independent Urban Projects Department (URB). It remained a centralized operating projects department and, as such, it continued to be responsible not only for policy formulation and quality control, but also for the planning, direction and supervision of project and economic sector work. This organizational restructuring was undertaken as part of the implementation of the Bank's new Urban Poverty Program. The program, announced in President McNamara's 1975 speech to the Board of Governors, was an interdepartmental Task Group chaired by Urban Projects Department director Mr. E.V.K. Jaycox and was designed to develop an Urban Poverty Action Program. Its oversight led to a significant increase in Department workload, as it became responsible for coordinating input of all organizational units involved in the Program as well as designing new policies, methods and projects to alleviate urban poverty. The department's Housing Sector Policy paperissued in 1975 examined the economics of housing and provided recommendations for future lending to ensure efficient and equitable development.

At the date of its re-establishment in 1976, the Urban Projects Department was composed of the following divisions: Urban Division I (URBD1), Urban Division II (URBD2), Urban Division III (URBD3), the Sites and Services Monitoring Unit (URBMO), and the Operations Review and Support Unit (URBOR). The latter was responsible for supervising the Urban Poverty Program.By October of 1978, it was determined that the department's policies, methods and standards were sufficiently mature to permit regionalization. Consequently, a significant amount of organizational restructuring took place during the following year in preparation for regionalization. On January 1, 1979, realignment of the Department's three operational divisions took place. Division I was assigned responsibility for Latin America, while Division II was assigned responsibility for Europe, Middle East, and North America as well as South Asia and Division III was given responsibility for East Asia and the Pacific. On or around this time a fourth operational division, Urban Division IV (URBD4), was created and given responsibility for Eastern and Western Africa. Also, on July 1, 1979, a new Tourism Advisory Service (URBTO) was established in the Urban Department, taking on some of the functions of the terminated Tourism Projects Department (TOU).

Regionalization of Urban Projects Department divisions began in July of 1979 when Division I of the Urban Projects Department was moved to the Latin America and Caribbean Region (LAC). In July of 1980, Division III was transferred to the East Asia and Pacific Region (AEN). At the same time, the Europe, Middle East, and North America responsibilities were separated from South Asia within Division II in preparation for the divisions' transfer to regional departments. Transfer of these two sections of Division II occurred on January 1, 1981. In March of the same year Division IV was split to form independent divisions for Eastern Africa and Western Africa in preparation for their regionalization. Transfer to regional departments occurred in August 1, 1981, for Eastern Africa Region (EAN) and October 1, 1981, for Western Africa Region (EAN). This concluded the regionalization of the Urban Projects Department.

In mid-1981, the Tourism Advisory Service (URBTO) was terminated. Some of its functions were transferred to the Tourism Advisor in the Front Office of the Urban Department (URBDR). In February of 1982, after the transformation of the Central Projects Staff (CPS) into the Operations Policy Staff (OPS), the department began to report to the vice president, Operations Policy (OPSVP).

On July 1, 1983, the Urban Projects Department was merged with the water supply functions of the former Transportation and Water Department (TWD) to form the new Water Supply and Urban Development Department (WUD). The department continued to report to OPSVP. The department operated as a sector department with responsibility for operations and development policy formulation, research, operational support and quality control for project and sector work. Anthony Churchill, who had taken over from E.V.K. Jaycox as the Urban Projects Department (URB) director on October 15, 1979, was named director of WUD; Ping-Cheung Loh would take over on July 1, 1986.

The structure of the Department comprised an Operations Support and Research Division (WUDSR), which in turn comprised an Operations Research Unit (WUDOR) and the UNDP-affiliated Water Supply and Sanitation Unit (WUDWS) and Applied Research and Technology Unit (WUDAT). On October 1, 1985, the Department was reorganized to bring the policy advisors together under the Senior Advisor heading of the Operations Policy and Research Staff (WUDOS), and the rest of the staff under the Chief of the renamed Operations Research and Policy Division (WUDOD). During this period, the 1983 sector review, Learning by doing: World Bank lending for urban development, 1972-82 studied the effectiveness of the Bank's experience and examined future projects and issues.

1987 - 1996

On July 1, 1987, a Bank-wide reorganization resulted in the termination of almost all organizational units. A new department, the Infrastructure and Urban Development Department (INU), incorporated the previous Water Supply and Urban Development Department and Transportation Department, and was placed in the Sector Policy and Research Vice-Presidency (PRE, then, after January 1, 1990, the PRS). The PRE had no responsibility for managing operational activities but, rather, focused on operational support, the formulation of Bank-wide sector policies and overseeing the ex post evaluation of Bank-wide sector work and lending. The units within the PRE concentrated on policy creation and analysis, support for operations and sectoral research for emerging priority areas of the Bank.

At the time of its establishment, the Infrastructure and Urban Development Department (INU) comprised three divisions: Transport Division (INUTD), Water and Urban Development Division (INUWD), and Infrastructure Strategy, Management, and Assessment Division (INUIS). INU was responsible for:

• developing, in consultation with the Regions, priorities for research and policy on key issues in urban development;

• conducting policy analyses, research, external liaison, operational support, and related quality enhancement activities on various economic, environmental, institutional and management issues;

• advising on urban development issues in the design of country strategies, and in adjustment and sector operations;

• providing operational support to strengthen links among research, policy and projects;

• reviewing annual performance of Bank operations in the urban sector; and

• disseminating research results and policy studies for the sector and organizing and conducting appropriate training seminars on emerging issues in the sector.

The Bank announced a shift in urban policies and strategies with the publication of the April 1991 Urban policy paper. The paper discussed the expansion of megacities and the need to maintain the Bank's focus on poverty reduction, while emphasizing urban productivity to increase economic growth and addressing pollution.

On December 1, 1991, President Lewis Preston's first reorganization abolished all Senior Vice-Presidencies. The new Sector and Operations Policy Vice Presidency (OSP) was created and adopted functions previously supervised by Senior Vice Presidents, including the Infrastructure and Urban Development Department. On January 1, 1993, as part of a larger initiative to align the Bank's organization with the priority areas of its poverty reduction effort, the Sector and Operations Policy Vice Presidency was terminated. It was replaced by three new thematic vice presidencies: Human Resources Development and Operations Policy (HRO), Finance and Private Sector Development (FPD), and Environmentally Sustainable Development (ESD). All research activities were removed from the departments in the central vice presidencies, including INF, and were consolidated under the chief economist and vice president for Development Economics (DECVP). The Policy Research Department (PRD) under DECVP became the principal research arm of the Bank; IEN was no longer responsible for urban sector research.

On January 1, 1993, the urban development function was placed in the newly created Transportation, Water and Urban Development Department (TWU). The Department's first director was Louis Y. Pouliquen. The Department was organized within the Environmentally Sustainable Development Vice Presidency alongside three other sector or thematic departments: the Agriculture and Natural Resources Department (AGR), Environment Department (ENV), and the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Secretariat. At the time of its creation, the Transportation, Water and Urban Development Department had the following divisions: the Transportation Division (TWUTD), the Urban Development Division (TWURDS), the Water and Sanitation Division (TWUWS), and the UNDP/World Bank Water and Sanitation Program (TWUWU).

Each Sector Department was responsible for the following:

• preparing policies, guidelines, standards, handbooks and analytical tools relevant to the sector;

• identifying, codifying and disseminating best practices and lessons of experience, and evaluating weaknesses;

• providing advice to the Regions as needed;

• monitoring and tracking work in the sectors assigned in order to identify generic issues and identifying, evaluating and influencing trends and patterns;

• performing surveys of experience and practice within the Bank and elsewhere, and develop innovative approaches;

• participating in Bank-wide efforts to assess skill requirements, and to upgrade skills through recruitment, training, orientation, seminars, newsletters, etc.;

• representing the Bank to external communities of interest;

• maintaining an awareness of relevant external practices and viewpoints.

1997 - 2014

Four years later, in 1997, the thematic vice presidencies were reorganized to strike a better balance between country focus and sectoral excellence. To facilitate sharing of expertise and knowledge, the Bank established networks that linked Bank-wide communities of staff working in the same field across organizational boundaries and with external partners. The networks formed a virtual overlayon the existing Bank organization, and were intended to link staff working in the same sectors throughout the Bank, whether the staff was located in the Regions, in the central vice presidencies' sector departments, or other vice presidencies.

Each of the three thematic central vice presidencies was transformed into the central units, or anchors, of each network and consisted of the existing sector departments. On a Bank-wide basis, sector specialists were grouped into regional sector units or into central sector departments which worked with country departments in a matrix relationship. Staff from the central sector departments could become part of the regional operational teams when their sectoral expertise was required. The work programs of network staff focused on:

• global knowledge - putting the best development knowledge in the hands of Bank task teams; ensuring that the knowledge base was accessible to external clients; and contributing to the growth of the knowledge base;

• enhanced skills - developing and providing content to training courses; establishing professional and technical standards for professional development;

• shared strategies - assisting regional and central units to develop a common sector agenda, and ensuring that skills are effectively deployed across the entire network. Network leadership assumed responsibility for global programs, sector strategy development and evaluation, strategic partnerships, and learning and dissemination;

• best teams and best practices - improving the Bank's flexibility and mobility by building stronger task teams and delivering higher quality products;

• institutional initiatives - providing substantial support for new Bank-wide initiatives, such as Social Development, Rural Development, Financial Sector, Anti-corruption, Human Resources, and Knowledge Partnerships.

The result of the 1997 restructuring was four networks: the Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development Network (ESSD); the Finance, Private Sector Development, and Infrastructure Network (FPD); the Human Development Network (HDN); and the Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Network (PRM). The Transportation, Water and Urban Development Department (TWU) retained its name and component parts and was situated within the Finance, Private Sector Development, and Infrastructure Network (FPSI). TWU units included the Transport Division (TWDTD), Urban Development Division (TWURD), Global Urban Unit (TWUGL), Water and Sanitation Division (TWUWS), UNDP/WB Water and Sanitation Program (TWUWU), and the regional water program units, all reporting to the Office of the Director (TWUDR).

In early 1999, President Wolfensohn announced the need for greater integration of Bank operations and its International Finance Corporation (IFC) affiliate, which specialized in private sector development advisory and investment services. As a result, in February 1999, FPSI was terminated in place of the joint World Bank and IFC Private Sector Development and Infrastructure Development Vice Presidency (PSIVP). Functions and staff from PSD, EMT, and TWU departments of FPSI were transferred to the new PSIVP and the Project Finance and Guarantees Department (PFG) was also mapped into PSIVP.

Globally, the rapid pace of urbanization in the 1990s and rising urban poverty required a new strategy from the Bank and its partners to address the needs of a growing population. TWU coordinated a series of workshops that brought together government officials, academics, aid agencies, NGOs, private companies, and Bank units. This exchange of ideas led to the May 1998 Urban Forum, a three-day retreat where over a hundred staff and guests, including donor agencies and local officials, defined the strategy's main directions. To drive strategy implementation, and to execute the "Livable Cities" agenda of the UN Conference on Human Settlement (Habitat II) held in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1996, the Bank and United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (later UN-Habitat) created the Cities Alliance partnership.

The alliance, still in existence, is a multi-donor trust fund program that offers technical assistance in the following key areas:

• City Development Strategies (CDS) to help local stakeholders define a vision for their city, assess economic prospects, and prioritize actions for better city management and investment planning;

• City-wide and nation-wide slum upgrading to improve the living conditions of poor and vulnerable urban residents by offering scaled-up programs of services, in line with the Cities Without Slums United Nations Millennium Development Goal (MDG), later Sustainable Development Goal (SDG).

The Cities Alliance secretariat was established at the Bank's headquarters in Washington and was first situated in the Bank's organizational structure as the Cities Alliance unit, Infrastructure and Urban Development Department (INFCA). INFCA was responsible for administering Cities Alliance funding and implementing its activities. The Bank's network vice president served as co-chair of the Cities Alliance Consultative Group tasked with establishing the alliance's long-term strategy, approving the work program and budget, and reviewing outcomes.

In December 1999, the Board of Executive Directors approved the Bank's new urban strategy, Cities in transition: World Bank urban and local government strategy. The strategy positioned cities as central to reducing poverty and driving growth, and promoting sustainable development through good governance, livability, competitiveness, and bankability. It redefined the Bank's role by tailoring urban assistance programs, strengthening partnerships, and building capacity to better support local governments in developing countries.

Beginning in 2000, the department went through a series of organizational changes including the restructuring that created INF. Under Director Frannie Leautier, INF continued to report to PSIVP and comprised the following units, each led by a manager: Energy (INFEG); Transport (INFTD); UrbanDevelopment (INFUD); Water and Sanitation (INFWS); World Bank Water and Sanitation Program (INFWP); Cities Alliance Program (INFCA); and Disaster Management Facility (INFDM).

INF was soon dissolved following another reorganization effective July 1, 2001, that created the Energy and Water Department (EWD) and the Transport and Urban Development Department (TUD). EWD and TUD were not joint Bank and IFC departments and continued to report to PSIVP. TUD, led by Director John Flora, contained the following units: Transport (TUDTR); Urban (TUDUR); Disaster Management Facility (TUDDM); and Cities Alliance Program (TUDCA).

In May 2003, a subsequent reorganization terminated PSIVP and split its functions and staff among the new joint IFC and World Bank Private Sector Development Vice Presidency (PSDVP) and the Bank's Infrastructure Network (INF). The Oil, Gas, Mining, and Chemicals Department (COC), Global Information and Communications Technologies Department (CIT), EWD, and TUD were mapped into the INF Network. Maryvonne Plessis-Fraissard was appointed director of TUD. By 2005, TUD divisions included: Transport (TUDTR); Urban (TUDUR); Hazard Management (TUDHM); and Cities Alliance Program (TUDCA).

In June 2006, President Paul D. Wolfowitz announced the consolidation of the former ESSD and INF Vice Presidencies into the Sustainable Development Network (SDN) with the objective of mainstreaming environmental issues, improving synergies, better integrating core operations, and strengthening focus on sustainability. SDN was operational on January 1, 2007, and the urban development functionality was moved into the Finance, Economics and Urban Department (FEU) within the SDN. FEU Director, Laszlo Lovei, oversaw the following units: Urban (FEUUR); Finance and Guarantees (FEUFG); Financial Solutions (FEUFS); Spatial and Economics (FEUSE); Cities Alliance Program (SDNCA); and Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR). Although Cities Alliance acronym became SDNCA, the unit continued to report to FEU director.

The aim of network integration in relation to the urban sector was to:

• Treat water issues more broadly by building water resource management strategies that cover agriculture, rural and urban dimensions, while linking these with energy and environment concerns;

• Develop a holistic approach to climate change mitigation and adaptation, expanding the work on the clean energy investment agenda.

During this period, the Bank introduced its ten-year strategy, Systems of Cities: Harnessing Urbanization for Growth and Poverty Alleviation - the World Bank Urban and Local Government Strategy. The strategy aimed to expand efforts to reduce urban poverty and assist governments in making cities more equitable, efficient, sustainable, and environmentally friendly.

As part of the SDN restructuring in September 2010, FEU remained a department with the same acronym, but its name changed to Finance Economics and Urban Development. By 2010, the urban unit was renamed to Urban and Local Government but retained the same acronym, FEUUR. Other FEU units were: Finance (FEUFG); Cities Alliance (SDNCA); Finance Global Partnership on Output-based Aid (GPOBA); and Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility (PPIAF).

By May 2013, FEU reorganized as the Urban and Disaster Risk Management Department (UDR) comprised of the Cities Alliance Program (UDRCA) and the Urban and Resilience Management Unit (UDRUR). Towards the end of 2013, Cities Alliance ceased to be a Bank unit when the partnership was moved to the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) as its secretariat and trustee.

2014

On July 1, 2014, a Bank-wide reorganization introduced by President Jim Yong Kim restructured the Bank into fourteen Global Practices (GPs) and five Cross-Cutting Solution Areas (CCSAs). Sector staff from the regional vice presidencies were relocated to the GPs or CCSAs. The GPs were responsible for each major thematic area, which the Bank supports through projects and functions as a vertical pillar of technical expertise.

As a GP located within the Sustainable Development Practice Group (GGSVP), the Social, Urban, Rural, and Resilience Global Practice (SURR GP) was created to address the interconnected challenges of urbanization, rural development, social inclusion, and resilience to disasters and climate change.

Responsibilities of SURR GP included:

• Defining the strategic direction and the Bank's work in the social, urban, rural, resilience sectors;

• Developing and deploying expertise globally;

• Delivering comprehensive solutions to client countries through environmentally and socially sustainable approaches and creating and promoting sustainable and inclusive cities; and

• Capturing and leveraging knowledge

Ede Ijjasz-Vasquez was appointed senior director of the Global Practice (SURDR) in 2014. The urban and disaster risk management units in the SURR GP were formed as follows: SURR Urban, DRM EAP (GSU08); SURRUrban, DRM ECA (GS09); SURR Urban, DRM LAC (GSU10); SURR Urban, DRM MNA (GSU11); SURR Urban, DRM SAR (GSU12); SURR Urban, DRM AFR (GSU13).

Past sectors heads or directors:

1969 - 1973: Robert Sadove

1973 - 1979: Edward V.K. Jaycox

1979 - 1986: Anthony A. Churchill

1986 - 1987: Ping-Cheung Loh

1987 - 1995: Louis Y. Pouliquen

1995 - 1999: Anthony Pelligrini

2000 - 2001: Frannie Leautier

2001 - 2003: John Flora

2003 - 2007: Maryvonne Pleissis-Fraissard

2007 - 2008: Laszlo Lovei

2009 - 2014:Zoubida Allaoua

2014 - 2017: Ede Ijjasz-Vasquez

2019 - 2022: Sameh Naguib Wahba

2022 - 2024: Bernice Van Bronkhorst

Mr. Frank K. Vita, a U.S. national born in 1936, attended the University of Pittsburgh where he earned a Bachelor of Science (Economics) in 1964 and a Master in Public and International Affairs (MPIA) the following year. In 1966 he was a Ford Foundation Fellow at Harvard University.

Vita joined the World Bank in 1969 as a loan officer in the Eastern Africa Department (EAF). In 1972 he moved to the Latin America and Caribbean Vice Presidency (LCN) where he served in the same capacity. In June 1973 Vita took leave from the Bank to pursue studies at Harvard University.

Upon Vita's return in 1975, he joined the Development Finance Companies Department (DFC) as an Economist in the Financial Development Unit (DFCDR). The new Industrial Development and Finance Department (IDF) assumed DFC's responsibilities in 1977. Vita briefly served in the new IDF before being transferred to the Financial Division of the Western Africa Industrial Development and Finance Projects Department (WAPID) where he was promoted to Senior Operations Officer.

In 1980, Vita moved into the Bank's Finance Complex when he was named Senior Economist for Financial Operations in the Treasury Vice Presidency's Financial Operations Department (FOD). In this capacity he headed FOD's Capital Markets and Economic Studies Unit (CAMES). In June 1984 he was appointed to the position of Deputy Chief of Mission, Tokyo Office, and was the Bank's liaison with the Japanese government and financial community.

Vita joined the Bank's International Finance Corporation (IFC) in November 1985. He was located in the Office of the Executive Vice President (CEX) where he was a Manager in Corporate Development.

In 1990, Vita returned to the World Bank's Operations Complex when he was named Senior Country Officer in the Europe, Middle East, and North Africa Vice Presidency (EMENA). Vita was placed in Country Department 4 (EM4) which contained a number of former communist states that were in the process of transitioning to market economies; EM4 countries included Poland, Romania, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia. After the Bank-wide 1991 reorganization, Vita was named a Senior Operations Officer in the Europe and Central Asia Vice Presidency's (ECAVP) Country Department 2 (EC2) which was responsible for Albania, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, and Yugoslavia.

Vita retired from the World Bank in 1992. In 1993 he was named special advisor under the Executive Service agreement between the World Bank and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Vita worked out of USAID's Central Europe Department which was responsible for rendering advisory assistance in the areas of privatization of domestic financial institutions and commercial enterprises. It was also responsible for identifying potential projects for the World Bank Group or other financing in former communist countries.

In 1994 Vita was hired by Arthur Andersen LLP as Managing Director, Global Emerging Markets Services (GEMS). Vita's teams provided support for large-scale World Bank-financed financial institutions. Vita fulfilled contracts funded by recipient governments in Russia and the Central Asian republics. In 1997, Vita moved to PricewaterhouseCoopers (Asia) where he worked on project identification for possible World Bank funding primarily in the financial and energy sectors.

Sector departments were created as part of a World Bank-wide reorganization in 1972. The sector departments were responsible for improving and maintaining the quality of Bank lending and related operations through sector policy and guideline development; support and review of operations; recruitment assistance; staff development and training; and liaison with external organizations. Sector departments were generally not responsible for leading project lending operations and member country relations, although some sector departments, including the water sector, were involved in the administration of global program projects. The Bank's projects and member country relations were instead the responsibility of regional vice presidencies (RVPs). See the Related Units of Description for more information.

The World Bank's (Bank) projects and studies on water resource development, control, and use began in the Economic Department (which existed between April 19, 1948 and September 1952) and the Technical Operations Department (TOD) (which existed between September 1952 and January 18, 1965). These departments had similar operational and sector work responsibilities, providing expertise and assistance for projects and studies. Departments were structured geographically; there were no specific units assigned to different sectors.

The Bank's first development credit for water was in 1961: first to the Republic of China on September 6, 1961 and second to Jordan on December 22, 1961. The development credit to the Republic of China, funded by the International Development Association (IDA), financed part of the cost of the Taipei Regional Water Supply Project (P003659), i.e., the expansion and improvement of water supply facilities in the city of Taipei and surrounding suburban communities. The development credit to Jordan was IDA's first operation in Jordan; the purpose of the Amman Water Supply Project (P005239) was to assist in financing the cost of expanding and improving the water supply system in Amman.

1965 - 1971

Functional responsibility for water-related activities was first articulated in the Bank's organizational structure on January 18, 1965 with the reorganization of TOD into the new Projects Department (PRJ). The Projects Department was responsible for the identification, appraisal, and supervision of projects, as well as policy formulation,research, and advice in support of the operational activities of the area departments. The Projects Department initially had five subordinate divisions: Agriculture Division (PRJAG); Education Division (PRJED); Transportation Division (PRJTP); Public Utilities Division (PRJPU); and Industry Division (PRJIN). Water supply staff was briefly located in the Industry Division, but after the Industry Division's transfer to the International Finance Corporation on April 19, 1965, a new and separate division was created in the Projects Department called the Water Supply Division (PRJWS). Soon after, on January 1, 1967, the Water Supply Division was merged into the Public Utilities Division of the Projects Department (PRJPU).

On November 1, 1968, PRJ was terminated, and the subordinate divisions were upgraded to the department level. One of these departments was the Public Utilities Projects Department (PBP), led by Director Mervyn L. Weiner from 1969 to 1972, which maintained responsibility for the water sector from the last division. PBP continued to carry out the full range of activities related to the water sector, specifically:

• providing advice, conducting research, and monitoring developments in sector issues;

• carrying out sector studies to identify projects and determine priorities within sectors;

• preparing policy papers outlining the basic principles and approaches of the Bank relating to project and sector work;

• preparing guidelines and standards;

• appraising proposed projects and supervising projects in execution;

• assisting in the identification and preparation of projects;

• providing operational support in the negotiation and administration of loans and credits; and

• cooperating with other international agencies on programs of common interest.

PBP comprised the following divisions: Power Division I (PBPP1); Power Division II (PBPP2); Power Division III (PBPP3); Water Supply Division I (PBPW1); and the Telecommunications Division (PBPTE). In addition, in or around January 1970, another Water Supply Division II (PBPW2) was established in the department.

In October 1971, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Bank signed an agreement to formalize the cooperation for pre-investment activities in the fields of water supply, waste disposal, and storm drainage: IBRD (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development)/WHO Cooperative Program in Water and Wastes (Cooperative Program). This stemmed from more than six years of informal collaborative arrangements, which began in late 1964. The types of work under the Cooperative Program included:

• sector studies and sector reconnaissance;

• project identification;

• project preparation;

• UNDP project formulation;

• participation in Bank economic, project appraisal, and project supervision missions (in support of IBRD staff);

• sub-sectoral studies on water supplies, sewerage, drainage, sanitation, and pollution control;

• studies and technical assistance for all aspects of water and waste management and operations; and

• project revision.

1972 - 1986

In the October 1972 reorganization, most PBP staff were dispersed to regional projects departments in newly established regional vice presidencies to fuse country knowledge and sector skills more effectively. This left PBP with a core staff of advisors responsible for operational and development policy, research, operational support, and project and sector work quality control. Led by Director Yves Rovani, PBP was contained within the Central Projects Staff Vice Presidency (CPSVP; also created in 1972) and was composed of the following divisions: Power Division I (PBPP1); Power Division II (PBPP2); Power Division III (PBPP3); Water Supply Division I (PBPW1); and the Telecommunications Division (PBPTE).

The primary responsibility of the Public Utilities Department's Central Projects staff was to improve and maintain the quality of Bank lending and related operations through formulating policies, methodology and guidelines; providing operational support and advice; and through related programs of recruitment assistance, staff development and education. They were also responsible for: reviewing operational documents and providing guidance and advice to regional offices; developing systems to monitor the project cycle; developing analytical tools such as appraisal and forecasting models; and liaising with relevant external organizations. In addition, their role was to advise, guide, cross-fertilize among regions, train, evaluate, and provide intellectual leadership. Additionally, in the case of the decentralized sectors (Public Utilities, Education, Transportation, and non-African Development Finance Companies), specialized personnel assigned to Central Projects staff were temporarily assigned to the regions to work under the full operational control and direction of the appropriate regional division chief and mission leader for the duration of the assignment.

On April 1, 1976, the Public Utilities Projects Department was renamed Energy, Water, and Telecommunications Department (EWT) to clarify its functional responsibilities. No structural changes accompanied the renaming of the department. Also, around this period, specifically between 1975 and 1977, PBP (later EWT) collaborated with the Urban Poverty Task Group for the Urban Poverty Program. The Task Group was established after President McNamara's address to the Board of Governors in July 1975, and it was charged with implementing the Bank Group's Urban Poverty Action Program to address the issues of poverty and insufficient resources, such as public water supply and sewerage services, in urban environments. PBP, then called EWT, created statements or papers designed to complement the Task Group's preliminary report to President McNamara.

In 1978, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and World Bank created a formal partnership to establish the UNDP-World Bank Water and Sanitation Program (UNDP-World Bank WSP). The UNDP-World Bank WSP launched the Global Project (GLO/78/066) to examine their research findings onwater from previous years, transform it into projects, and develop and test cost-effective technologies and models for providing safe water and sanitation to low-income economies. Because of the project's success, GLO/78/066 expanded in 1982 and was renumbered and renamed Development and Implementation of Low-Cost Sanitation Investment Projects (INT/81/047). In addition, the UNDP-World Bank WSP grew to include other initiatives. This included the International Training Network (ITN) for Water and Waste Management, developed in response to and in support of the United Nation's International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade (IDWSSD) that ran from 1981 to 1990. IDWSSD focused on field-based learning to support international partners.

The core budget for the UNDP-World Bank WSP was supplied primarily by UNDP, while secondary financial support came from the Bank, government agencies, and multilateral organizations. The Bank was the executing agency. Projects and administrative activities (e.g., personnel recruitment) were managed through various iterations of the water sector departments in the Bank, such as the Water Supply and Urban Development Department (WUD) and the Technology Advisory Group (TAG). By the end of the 1990s, the UNDP-World Bank WSP had split its activities between field projects in regions across the world and evaluation of efforts to address the issue of small-scale successes that were often difficult to replicate on a national scale. In 2000, the program shortened its name to theWater and Sanitation Program (WSP), and in 2001 it adopted a charter that established a Water and Sanitation Program Council (WSPC).

On July 1, 1979, EWT was terminated after the energy functions were upgraded to an independent Energy Department (EGY). The water supply and telecommunications functions were transferred to the Transportation Department (TRP) to form the new Transportation, Water and Telecommunications Department (TWT).

The telecommunications function of the Transportation, Water, and Telecommunications Department (TWT) was moved to the newly established Industry Department (IND) in March 1982, after which the department included only Transportation and Water (TWD). Subsequently, on July 1, 1983, the independent Urban Projects Department (URB) merged with the Water Sector to form the Water Supply and Urban Development Department (WUD). Part of this reorganization involved the removal of the transportation function from the previous Transportation and Water Department and the re-creation of an independent Transportation Department (TRP). WUD continued as a sector department responsible for operations and development policy formulation, research, operational support, and quality control for project and sector work.

1987 - 1996

On July 1, 1987, a Bank-wide reorganization resulted in the termination of almost all organizational units. A new department, the Infrastructure and Urban Development Department (INU, later INF), absorbed the previous Water Supply and Urban Development Department (WUD) and Transportation Department (TRP) and was placed in the Sector Policy and Research Vice Presidency (PRE, then PRS). The PRE had no responsibility for managing operational activities but focused on operational support, formulating Bank-wide sector policies, and overseeing the ex-post evaluation of Bank-wide sector work and lending. The units within PRE concentrated on policy creation and analysis, support for operations, and sectoral research for emerging priority areas of the Bank.

The Infrastructure and Urban Development Department was responsible for:

• developing, in consultation with the Regions, priorities for research and policy on key issues in water, sanitation, and waste management;

• conducting policy analyses, research, external liaison, operational support, and related quality enhancement activities on various economic, technical, environmental, institutional, and management issues;

• advising on water, sanitation, and waste management issues in the design of country strategies andstructural adjustment and sector operations;

• providing operational support to strengthen links among research, policy, and projects;

• reviewing the annual performance of Bank operations in the water, sanitation, and waste management sector;

• disseminating research results and policy studies for the sector and organizing and conducting appropriate training seminars on emerging issues in the sector; and

• managing the joint UNDP/World Bank Water and Sanitation Program, including reporting responsibility to UNDP and other donors.

On December 1, 1991, President Lewis Preston's first reorganization abolished all Senior Vice Presidencies. The new Sector and Operations Policy Vice Presidency (OSP) was created and adopted functions previously supervised by Senior Vice Presidents, including the Infrastructure and Urban Development Department, which continued to maintain responsibility for water sector functions. On January 1, 1993, as part of a larger initiative to align the Bank's organization with the priority areas of its poverty reduction effort, OSP was terminated. All research activities were removed from the departments in the Central Vice Presidencies, including INF, and were consolidated under the Chief Economist and Vice President for Development Economics (DECVP). The Policy Research Department (PRD) under DECVP became the principal research arm of the Bank. OSP was replaced by three new thematic vice presidencies: Human Resources Development and Operations Policy (HRO), Finance and Private SectorDevelopment (FPD), and Environmentally Sustainable Development (ESD).

The water function was placed in the newly created Transportation, Water, and Urban Development Department (TWU). The department was organized within the Environmentally Sustainable Development (ESD) Vice Presidency alongside three other sector or thematic departments: the Agriculture and Natural Resources Department (AGR), Environment Department (ENV), and the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Secretariat. At the time of the creation of the Transportation, Water and Urban Development Department, it had the following divisions: the Transportation Division (TWUTD), the Urban Development Division (TWURDS), the Water and Sanitation Division (TWUWS), and the UNDP/World Bank Water and Sanitation Program (TWUWU).

Each Sector Department was responsible for the following:

• prepare policies, guidelines, standards, handbooks, and analytical tools relevant to the sector;

• identify, codify, and disseminate best practices and lessons of experience, and evaluate weaknesses;

• provide advice to the Regions as needed;

• monitor and track work in the sectors assigned to identify generic issues and identify, evaluate, and influence trends and patterns;

• perform surveys of experience and practice within the Bank and elsewhere, and develop innovative approaches;

• participate in Bank-wide efforts to assess skill requirements and to upgrade skills through recruitment, training, orientation, seminars, newsletters,etc.;

• represent the Bank to external communities of interest; and

• maintain an awareness of relevant external practices and viewpoints.

1997 - 2000

Four years later, in 1997, the thematic Vice Presidencies were reorganized to strike a better balance between country focus and sectoral excellence. In addition, to facilitate sharing expertise and knowledge, the Bank established networks that linked Bank-wide communities of staff working in the same field across organizational boundaries and with external partners. The networks formed a virtual overlay on the existing Bank organization and were intended to link staff working in the same sectors throughout the Bank, whether the staff was in the Regions, in the Central Vice Presidencies' Sector Departments, or in other Vice Presidencies.

Each of the three thematic Central Vice Presidencies was transformed into each network's central units or anchors and consisted of the existing sector departments. On a Bank-wide basis, sector specialists were grouped into regional sector units or central sector departments that worked with country departments in a matrix relationship. Staff from the central sector departments could become part of the regional operational teams when their sectoral expertise was required.

Each Network Anchor had a Network Council to oversee the entire network and sector boards covering the individual sectors within a network. The Network Council was composed of the top network managers from each Region and was responsible for settingthe network's overall agenda and promoting the effective deployment of skills across network units. Sector boards brought together the sector leaders from each Region and the central vice presidencies.

The work programs of network staff focused on:

• global knowledge - putting the best development knowledge in the hands of Bank task teams; ensuring that the knowledge base was accessible to external clients; and contributing to the growth of the knowledge base;

• enhanced skills - developing and providing content to training courses; establishing professional and technical standards for professional development;

• shared strategies - assisting regional and central units to develop a common sector agenda and ensuring that skills are effectively deployed across the entire network. Network leadership assumed responsibility for global programs, sector strategy development and evaluation, strategic partnerships, and learning and dissemination;

• best teams and best practices - improving the Bank's flexibility and mobility by building stronger task teams and delivering higher quality products; and

• institutional initiatives - providing substantial support for new Bank-wide initiatives, such as Social Development, Rural Development, Financial Sector, Anti-corruption, Human Resources, and Knowledge Partnerships.

The result of the 1997 restructuring was four networks: the Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development Network (ESSD); the Finance, Private Sector Development, and Infrastructure Network(FPSI); the Human Development Network (HDN); and the Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Network (PRM). The Transportation, Water, and Urban Development Department (TWU) retained its name and component parts and was situated within FPSI. In 1999, FPSI became the Private Sector Development and Infrastructure (PSI) Network. TWU remained in the newly named network.

2001 -2013

By April 2000, the water function was situated under the Infrastructure and Urban Development Department (INF) led by Director Frannie Leautier, still reporting to PSIVP. INF comprised the following units, each led by a manager: Energy (INFEG), Transport (INFTD), Urban (INFUD), and Water and Sanitation (INFWS).

INF was soon dissolved following another reorganization effective July 1, 2001 that created the Energy and Water Department (EWD), led by Director Jamil Saghir, and the Transport and Urban Development Department (TUD). EWD contained the following units: Energy Unit (EWDEN), ESMAP (EWDES), Water and Sanitation Unit (EWDWS), Water Supply and Sanitation Program (EWDWP), and four Water and Sanitation Program units based on regions. This department remained intact through the network's renaming and reorganization in 2003, when it became the Infrastructure Network (INF).

In June 2006, President Wolfowitz announced the consolidation of the former ESSD and INF Vice Presidencies into the Sustainable Development Network (SDN) to mainstream environmental issues, improve synergies, better integrate core operations, and strengthen the focus on sustainability. SDN was operational on January 1, 2007. The aim of the network integration concerning the water sector was to treat water issues more broadly by building water resource management strategies that cover agriculture, rural, and urban dimensions while linking these with energy and environmental concerns.

At this time, energy and water functions were combined with the transport sector to form the Energy, Transport and Water Department (ETW). This department was moved to the Sustainable Development Network (SDN).

In 2009, the Water Partnership Program (WPP) was launched. It was one of the Global Programs and Partnerships (GPPs) in SDN; specifically, WPP was a partnership between the World Bank and the governments of the Netherlands, Denmark, and the United Kingdom. It was a multi-donor trust fund that aimed to support water resource management and water supply in all World Bank regions and water sub-sectors.

On September 17, 2010, the restructuring of SDN separated the energy function from transport and water, and the following SDN departments were created: Environment Department (ENV); Agricultural and Rural Development Department (ARD); Concessional and Sub-National Finance (CSF); Finance, Economics and Urban Development (FEU); Sustainable Energy (SEG); Social Development (SDV); and Transport, Water, and Information and Communication Technologies (TWI).

2014

On July 1, 2014, a Bank-wide reorganization introduced by President Jim Yong Kim restructured the Bank into fourteen Global Practices (GPs) and five Cross-Cutting Solution Areas (CCSAs). Sector staff from the regional vice presidencies were relocated to the GPs or CCSAs. The GPs were responsible for each major thematic area, which the Bank supports through projects and functions as a vertical pillar of technical expertise. To achieve the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals in the water sector (i.e., SDG 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all), the responsibilities of the World Bank Water Global Practice (Water GP) include:

• defining the strategic direction and the Bank's work in the water sector to support countries in ensuring safely managed sanitation services, water security, sustainable and healthy ecosystems, and economic growth;

• developing and deploying expertise globally;

• delivering integrated solutions to client countries; and

• capturing and leveraging knowledge in the water sector.

Jennifer J. Sara was appointed global director of the WaterGlobal Practice in 2014. The following units in the Water Global Practice were formed after the 2014 reorganization: Water Department - Global Practice (GWADR); Water East Africa Region (GWA01); Water East Asia & Pacific Region (GWA02); Water Europe and Central Asia (GWA03); Water Latin America & Caribbean (GWA04); Water Middle East & North Africa Region (GWA05); Water South Asia Region (GWA06); Water West Africa Region (GWA07); Water Europe & Central Asia Region 2 (GWA09); Water Global Programs (GWAGP); Water Global Solutions (GWAGS); and Water Global Partnership Program (GWAWP).

Past water sector directors are as follows:

1972 - 1979: Yves Rovani (director, Public Utilities Projects Department-PBP; director, Energy, Water & Telecommunications Department-EWT)

1979 - 1983: Christopher R. Willoughby (director, Transportation, Water, and Telecommunications Department-TWT; director, Transportation and Water Department-TWD)

1983 - 1986: Anthony A. Churchill (director, Water Supply and Urban Development Department-WUD)

1986 - 1987: Ping-Cheung Loh (director, Water Supply and Urban Development-WUD)

1987 - 1995: Louis Y. Pouliquen (director, Infrastructure & Urban Development Department-INU; then Transportation, Water & Urban Development Department-TWU)

1995 - 1999: Anthony Pellegrini (director and chair, Sector Board, Transportation, Water & Urban Development Department-TWU)

2000 - 2001: Frannie Leautier (director, Infrastructure and Urban Development Department-INF)

2000 - 2010: Jamal Saghir (director, Infrastructure and Urban Development Department - Water and Sanitation-INFWS ; then Energy and Water Department-EWD; then Energy, Transport and Water Department-ETW)

2014 - 2022 : Jennifer J. Sara (global director, Water Global Practice)

2022 - present: Saroj Kumar Jha (global director, Water Global Practice)

Adrian John Bickersteth Wood was born on January 25, 1946 in Woking, England. He graduated from Cambridge University (BA) in 1967 and received a Masters in Public Administration (MPA) from Harvard University in 1969. He returned to Cambridge, completing his PhD in 1973, while working as a Fellow of King's College, Cambridge from 1969 to 1977. He was also a lecturer in the Economics Faculty of Cambridge University from 1973 to 1977.

Wood joined the World Bank in 1977 as an economist in the Europe, Middle East, and North Africa Regional Vice Presidency (EMENA), working on Turkey until 1979, when he was recruited to the core team that prepared the 1980 World Development Report. In 1980, he became an economist in the new China Division in the East Asia and Pacific Regional Vice Presidency (AENVP), at a major transition point when the People's Republic of China had assumed representation as China in the World Bank Group in May of that year. Wood remained in the China Division until he left the Bank in 1985.

From 1985 to 2000, Wood was a professorial fellow of the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) at the University of Sussex in the UK. During this time, he continued to work on China as a Bank consultant, primarily on state-owned enterprises. From 2000 to 2005, he was chief economist of the United Kingdom?s Department for International Development (DFID), and from 2005 to 2011 was professor of International Development at the University of Oxford.

After leaving the Bank, Wood did further work on China as a Bank consultant. He was involved with DFID's work in China, including the establishment in 2017 of China's Centre for International Knowledge on Development. At Oxford, he worked under the auspices of the Cairncross Foundation (with former Bank colleagues including Edwin Lim and Gene Tidrick) on advisory reports for China.

Louise Taraldson was born 1907-10-11 in Grafton, North Dakota. In 1931 she briefly married Montford Swan Steele, and on 1935-04-29 she married George D. Woods. The couple had no children. Except during World War II and for the period of George D. Woods' service as President of the World Bank, when they lived in Washington, the Woods lived in New York City. They also maintained a house in Lisbon, Portugal. After Woods' death in 1982, Louise Woods commissioned Robert D. Oliver to write the authorized biography of Woods. Mrs. Woods died on 1986-08-23.

The concept for the World Bank Institute (WBI, formerly the Economic Development Institute [EDI]) originated in the early 1950s. Bank staff recognized that the knowledge and practical experience they had accumulated should be shared and that those who would benefit most from it were key people in the governments of developing countries. In 1952, President Black appointed a committee to consider the possibility of creating an Institute of Advanced Studies in Economic Development and to make recommendations on that proposal to the Staff Loan Committee. A Report of Committee to Consider Bank Sponsorship of Institute of Advanced Studies in Economic Development was submitted to the Staff Loan Committee on July 9, 1952. Subsequently, cooperation in the form of operational and financial support from external agencies was sought; a report prepared by Bank staff entitled Preliminary Proposal for an Economic Development Institute (1953) was circulated to various government agencies, educational institutions, and private foundations. As a result, the Rockefeller Foundation and the Ford Foundation became involved in the endeavor, agreeing to provide half of the budget for the first three years of the Institute's operation.

The Economic Development Institute was established by the World Bank in 1955 and officially opened on January 9, 1956, on a two-year trial run basis. A.K. Cairncross, Professor of Applied Economics and Director of the Department of Social and Economic Research at the University of Glasgow, had been invited to develop the Institute in 1954 and was subsequently named the first Director of the EDI.

The Institute's objective was to help promote international development through the training of mid- and high-level officials from developing countries. Training focused on planning and managing national investments more effectively through the mobilization of knowledge and experience accumulated by the World Bank. The Bank conceived of EDI as an instrument to improve developing country governments' capacities to manage and direct the development process. In its operations it aimed to fulfill its objective through three major functions: training; institution building; and publishing.

In May 1957, the Executive Directors voted to establish the Institute as a permanent activity of the Bank. For its first two years, EDI was included as a part of the Technical Assistance and Liaison Staff but with its new permanent status it was to be considered a separate unit comparable to other Bank departments. On January 1, 1962, the Institute started reporting to the Development Services Department (DSD). However, the Institute regained its independent status and officially became a Bank department on July 27, 1964.

During its first seven years, until 1962, the EDI offered a single six-month general course that focused on the formulation and administration of policies, programs, and projects related to economic development. There were fourteen participants in the Institute's first year; in subsequent years the number of participants rose but would be limited to twenty-five. Potential participants were nominated by their respective governments and selection of participants was undertaken by an admissions committee composed of senior Bank officials. Participants who completed the courses given by the EDI received certificates as Fellows of the Institute. The EDI teaching staff consisted of Bank personnel as well as instructors from universities, government agencies, and research centers. Bank staff members were often invited to conduct sessions on subjects on which they had particular knowledge. External guest lecturers were also invited to guest lecture.

In the early 1960s, a movement towards the contextualization of courses and curricula began, as different problems and requirements for the various regions and countries were identified. In 1962, the Institute began offering a more diverse group of special courses. In the summer of 1962 a compressed ten-week general course was offered in French. A specialized course on the preparation and appraisal of development projects was offered for the first time in the spring of 1963; this marked the beginning of a trend towards focusing on the preparation and evaluation of investment projects rather than on development plans and programs. A modified project appraisal course in Spanish was also offered in the fall of 1963. Specialized sectoral courses were added over the following decade: industry projects in 1964; agricultural projects in 1965; education projects and transportation projects in1970; urbanization, advanced agricultural projects, and water supply and waste disposal projects in 1973; development banking, transportation policy planning, and agricultural processing industries in 1974; and Rural Credit in 1976. In 1973, the long General Development course was replaced with a shorter macroeconomic course called National Economic Management that provided reduced coverage of basic economic principles.

In the early 1960s, the Institute also began to organize or cosponsor ad hoc courses given outside of Washington. In 1963, a Development Program Course was organized in Seoul, Korea. In 1965 a Joint Regional Project Evaluation Course was held in Jaipur, India, and the following year a Regional Project Evaluation Course was held in Karachi, Pakistan.

EDI began publishing activities immediately following its creation. William Diamond's Development Banks (1957) and Jan Tinbergen's The Design of Development (1958) were the first two EDI publications. By the early 1970s, however, it became the policy of the Institute that EDI research and publication should be limited to material required for its own teaching. In addition to publishing, EDI began a service in 1960 that provided small libraries comprised of books, articles, and reference materials to countries where materials on economic development were unavailable.

In 1970, the EDI's principal responsibilities were described as:

• To conduct courses on principles and practices of economic development, the formulation of economic and financial policies, and the planning and administration of development programs, with special emphasis on practical problems and the experience of the Bank Group and its member countries; the preparation and evaluation of development projects; and other subjects related to the promotion of economic growth;

• To undertake studies related to its training program and, after approval by the Publications Committee, to prepare for publication those studies of general interest;

• To provide, in appropriate cases, technical assistance to other institutions which have programs for training in the subjects mentioned under (1) above;

• And to undertake other work related to the functions described above or required to perform such functions effectively.

While retaining its departmental status the Institute started reporting to the newly formed International Relations Department on March 1, 1973; the IRD was part of the Director, External Relations (DER). The DER was terminated on July 1, 1974, and replaced by the Vice President, External Relations (VPE). EDI began reporting to the VPE at this point.

The 1970s saw substantial expansion and diversification of project courses in terms of specific sectors covered and, especially, locations around the developing world where the courses were offered. In 1972-73, the Institute began to focus on increasing its ability to sponsor and participate in overseas training in cooperation with other training institutions. A rapid increase in the number of overseas courses took place during the mid- to late-1970s; by 1978, two thirds of EDI courses took place in member countries. Courses continued to be developed, teaching materials and methods tested, and teachers trained in Washington. The Bank's Regional offices, which had been provided with increased size and importance following the Bank's reorganization of 1972, cooperated with EDI with respect to course planning and organization.

The principal responsibilities of the EDI as described in 1975 were similar to those in 1970 (listed above) with the exception of an additional objective: [t]o advise and assist in the development of regional and national training institutions. In addition, EDI mirrored the Bank's concerns regarding increasingly complex economies in developing nations as well as issues of low per capita income, growing external debt and the slowdown of the world economy. The Institute addressed these concerns by placing a stronger emphasis on economic and sector studies, analysis of key policy issues, structural adjustment, and technical assistance.

In 1975, the Institute began publishing a quarterly newsletter entitled EDI Review.

In the early 1980s, the Bank established a Task Force to reassess EDI's purposes, approaches, and activities. One of the results of the Task Force's 1983 report, The Future of the Economic Development Institute, was that, on April 1, 1983, EDI was placed under the supervision of the Vice President, Operations Policy (OPSVP). The intention was to create a closer link between EDI and the Bank's Operations Complex and thus to obtain the staffing and substantive support that was deemed necessary.

The Task Force also created a broader mandate and increased activity for EDI. Four new undertakings were established in the mid-1980s: short policy-related seminars to high-level government officials that would explore issues, alternatives, and likely implementation problems in bringing about policy improvements was offered; technical and pedagogical assistance to other training institutions was increased and coordination with the Bank's Regional offices was extended; publication and distribution of training materials was increased; and the Institute's focus on the participation of sub-Saharan African countries was increased.

The Institute's repertoire of course offerings continued to be diversified throughout the 1980s. By the early 1980s, the number of seminars and courses in which EDI was directly involved rose to about 70. By 1989 over 100 training activities were offered and institutional support to 52 training institutions was planned. By this point, the nature and location of courses had also changed. By 1983, 85-90% of courses and seminars were taught in developing countries. The length of seminars ranged from less than one week to three weeks while courses ranged from four to six weeks.

The changes of 1983-84 resulted in the expansion of the Institute's organizational structure. Beginning in 1972, EDI was organized into a small number of units aligned with the sector courses being offered. After the 1983 reorganization and the increase of EDI's activities, the number of divisions and units began to grow. As the Institute's activities continued to increase in subsequent years, units and divisions changed in title. (Click here for an MS EXCEL chart of WBI/EDI's organizational history. The information for this chart was taken from World Bank organizational history charts created by Archives staff in the mid-2000s and from World Bank directories. The dates, therefore, indicate the month represented by a given chart or when a directory was published; the dates do not mean that changes to the organizational structure of WBI/EDI took place at that point.)

Two scholarships were created through the Institute in the 1980s. The Robert S. McNamara Fellowships Program was established in 1982. The fellowship, funded by the Bank and various governments, provides its recipient with full-time study or research at the postgraduate level in fields related to economic development. In 1987, the Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program was initiated. The program is funded by the government of Japan and administered by EDI. It awards scholarships to individuals from World Bank member countries to undertake graduate studies at universities throughout member countries.

As part of the Bank-wide reorganization of May 1987, EDI was moved from OPSVP to the new Senior Vice President, Policy, Planning and Research (PPR). There was, however, little change to the internal organization of the Institute. Soon after, in the spring of 1988, EDI was moved into the Development Economics Vice Presidency (DEC).

EDI continued to expand its activities in the 1990s. It opened a number of training centers in Eastern Europe and Asia. A master's degree program in economic development for officials from developing countries was created as part of the new World Bank Graduate Scholarships Program. The Institute also began expanding the type of participants it invited to take part in its programming; these included public sector enterprise managers, bankers, civil society leaders as well as opinion makers such as journalists, teachers, parliamentarians, and youth. In 1998, evaluation units and coordinators for each of the Bank's Regions were established in order to ensure the relevance of the Institute's programs and their quality and impact. The use of technological innovation was expanded in the late 1990s. This allowed distance learning to be developed and resulted in the initiation of the Global Development Learning Network (GDLN) by the World Bank in June 2000. The GDLN brings together more than 100 international learning centers (GDLN Affiliates) that offer the use of advanced information and communication technologies to people working in development around the world.

In 1999, EDI merged with the Bank's Staff Learning and Leadership Center to become the World Bank Institute (WBI). On February 1, 2000, WBI was removed from DEC and became its own Vice-Presidency: the World Bank Institute, Office of the Vice President (WBIVP).

In the years following, a renewed effort to reflect and support Bank operations was made by WBI. Courses, programs and training materials were developed that emphasized the cross sectoral and thematic approaches to development and development projects that were increasingly prevalent in Bank operations. Fifteen well-defined thematic programs were developed by the Institute in conjunction with the Bank's Regions and Networks. Responding to individual country needs also became a point of focus with the transition from individual training to the design and delivery of products and services intended to create long-term institutional capacity development.

In July of 2011, WBI launched the e-Institute, a virtual learning platform that provides access to knowledge and communities of practice to users from around the world. Online classes, podcasts, webinars, toolkits, and other resources are provided through the resource.