This collection of photographs was commissioned by the World Bank to provide a visual sense of the impact and implications of development for the lives of ordinary people. Working with four international photographic agencies (AsiaWorks Photography, Focus, Link Picture Library, and Panos Pictures), we identified local photographers from 16 countries and asked them to illustrate the theme of empowerment and specifically the four central elements of:

Access to information
Inclusion and participation
Accountability
Local organizational capacity

From the resulting collection of 1,800 images, we have chosen 60 photos from Africa, East Asia, Europe and Central Asia, Latin America, Middle East and North Africa, and South Asia to show you here. Each image has a caption in the photographer’s own words.

Together these concepts provide a strong basis for action in the fight against poverty.

The World Bank’s mission is to support governments and other organizations as they endeavor to reduce levels of poverty worldwide and provide more access and opportunity to poor people.

The following images illustrate empowerment at work.