Today, the World Bank’s core mission remains the promotion of economic growth and the eradication of poverty in the less developed countries. At the same time as the Bank has maintained a role in economic development, however, it has increasingly focused on a multitude of other issues. It has become more involved in post-conflict situations and, as the world has centered its attention on global environmental issues, it has not only integrated these concerns into its development agenda (for example, through mandatory environmental assessments of its projects), but has actively promoted work on specific issues. For instance, the World Bank has addressed concerns about greenhouse gases through the Global Environment Facility[12] and through promoting "carbon trading."[13] At the same time, the Bank has also been involved in a number of "bail-out" packages, which have had the effect of providing liquidity support to countries in crisis.
The core mission of IMF continues to be quite distinct: stabilization, both of the monetary system and of the world economy in general. Like the World Bank, the Fund too has evolved over time, especially in its assistance to the countries in transition and to less developed countries, in its Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility (ESAF) program.