Nov. 17 US Minorities Roundtable: President Zoellick's speech

The World Bank Group’s mission is to fight poverty with passion and professionalism for lasting results. Our commitment is to create excellent teams who work with clients to address the complex challenges of international development

We take our commitment to diversity and inclusion seriously and continually work to be representative of the people in the member countries we serve.

We are a highly diverse group, representing 167 different nationalities, of which 61 percent are from developing countries and 15 percent are from Sub Saharan Africa or the Caribbean. We are truly global.

Our current total workforce is comprised of 13,690 full-time staff, 1,290 extended-term consultants and temporaries, and the full-time equivalent of 3,000 short-term consultants.

Since 1997, we have been aggressively pursuing a policy of decentralization, with 157 country offices around the world. Currently, over 40 percent of our full-time workforce is outside of Washington, D.C

Our leadership team is increasingly diverse. Forty percent of our managers come from developing countries, 10 percent are from Sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean, and 33 percent are female. World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick has made increasing diversity in the institution a major priority. More than 70 percent of his appointments to senior positions are either women or from developing countries. In fact, his two most senior appointees are women from developing countries - Nigeria and Indonesia respectively.

Our diversity is a reflection of who we are, and whom we serve as an institution. We offer expertise in a wide range of disciplines, combining educational qualifications with practical experience––often acquired across multiple countries and regions.

Our staff is our greatest asset and our diversity is our comparative advantage as a global knowledge and international development organization.

We do not just recognize our diversity, we mobilize it. We consistently strive to create an inclusive and respectful workplace environment where we demonstrate that we fully value the diverse contributions of all staff by:

• Searching worldwide for the best talent.
• Enabling staff to contribute to their full potential, through programs such as mentoring and coaching for targeted groups.
• Fostering an environment where differences are respected and valued, for example through training on Working with Respect and Living Our Values.