Established in 2013, the Youth Summit is an annual event hosted by the World Bank Group (WBG) to engage with youth globally on the most pressing topics facing our generation. The WBG Youth Summit is an affiliate of the Youth-to-Youth (Y2Y) network, the largest volunteer organization at the WBG, which aims to inspire and empower youth within and outside the institution.
The primary goals of the Summit are to:
The theme for the 2021 Summit is Resilent Recovery for People and Planet.
The 2021 WBG Youth Summit will be a virtual event.
The economic hardship, loss of life, and global human suffering seen at an unprecedented level as a result of COVID-19 has highlighted the deficiencies in our society and ignited a call to action that is practical, inclusive, and sustainable. At the heart of the 2021 Youth Summit theme is the opportunity for a global conversation that emphasizes the role of the youth in addressing the effects of climate change and examining the measures and opportunities for a resilient recovery for people and planet.
A people centered recovery that promotes wellbeing, encourages inclusion through job creation, skill training and equitable education while addressing gender and racial inequality, housing and healthcare accessibility, and creating opportunities for fragile nations to benefit from funding and contribute to the conversation on how to mitigate the effects of climate change.
A planet centered recovery that focuses on reducing our carbon footprint by encouraging waste reduction through a gradual green transition to reduce the negative impact of consumerism. And emphasizes investments in sustainable infrastructural projects, enacts legislature to halt further loss of biodiversity, localizes production to shorten supply change, and incentivizes industries to advance the Sustainable Development Goals.
Day 1 - Wednesday, June 9th, 2021
| Time | Event |
| 7:00 – 8:00 | Virtual Welcome to Day 1 of the 2021 Youth Summit and networking opportunity for delegates |
| 8:00 – 8:05 | Welcome remarks |
| 8:05 – 8:15 | Introduction of the 2021 WBG Youth Summit Theme |
| 8:15 – 8: 30 | Keynote Conversation I – Resilient Recovery for People and Planet |
| 8:30– 8: 45 | Innovator Spotlight Session |
| 8:45 – 9:45 | Plenary Session I – The Components of a Resilient Recovery |
| 9:45 – 10: 00 | Coffee break |
| 10:00 – 11:15 | Break out Session I - Resilient Recovery Solutions Case Challenge for Registered Delegates |
| 10:00 – 11:15 | Activity for participants not registered for the Case Challenge |
| 11: 15 – 11:30 | Keynote Conversation II – Empowering the Youth to Effect Change |
| 11: 30 – 12:30 | Plenary Session II – Bridging the digital gap for women and the youth for an inclusive recovery |
| 12:30 – 13:30 | Break out Session II - Resilient Recovery Solutions Case Challenge for Registered Delegates |
| 12: 30 – 13: 30 | Activity for participants not registered for the Case Challenge |
| 13: 30 – 14: 30 | Networking |
Day 2 - Thursday, June 10th, 2021
| Time | Event |
| 7:00 – 8:00 | Virtual Welcome to Day 2 of the 2021 Youth Summit and networking opportunity for delegates |
| 8:00 – 8:15 | Keynote Conversation III - Prosperity at the heart of the recovery process for people and planet |
| 8:15 – 9:15 | Plenary Session III – The Green Promise |
| 9:15 – 10:30 | Break out Session III- Resilient Recovery Solutions Case Challenge for Registered Delegates |
| 9:15 – 10:30 | Activity for participants not registered for the Case Challenge |
| 10:30 – 10: 45 | Coffee break |
| 10:45 – 11:30 | Plenary Session IV – Infrastructure for a Resilient Recovery |
| 11:30 – 13:00 | Live Presentation by finalists |
| 13: 00 – 13: 15 | Coffee break |
| 13: 15 – 14:15 | Break out Session IV- Resilient Recovery Solutions Case Challenge for Registered Delegates |
| 13: 15 – 14:15 | Activity for participants not registered for the Case Challenge |
| 14:15 – 14:45 | Awards ceremony and closing remarks |
| 14:45 – 15:45 | Networking |
Dr. Sandie Okoro is Senior Vice President and General Counsel for the World Bank Group, and Vice President for Compliance at the World Bank. She is also the Chair of the World Bank Group Task Force on Racism.
A British national and the first black woman to hold this role, Sandie is the principal advisor and spokesperson on all legal matters for the world’s leading development finance institution. She also heads the Compliance Vice Presidency that is responsible for developing and overseeing the World Bank data privacy framework based on the World Bank Group Policy on Personal Data Privacy. The two Vice Presidencies are separate and distinct. In her role as the Chair for the World Bank Group Task Force on Racism, Sandie is bringing the topics of race and racial equity at the forefront of Bank Group staff and operational matters, convening discussions and proposing action steps to help ensure racism and racial inequalities have no place in the institution, its operations, and the countries it serves.
Prior to joining the World Bank, Sandie was General Counsel for HSBC Global Asset Management, Deputy General Counsel of HSBC Retail Banking and Wealth Management, and Global General Counsel at Barings.
Sandie is an Honorary Bencher of Middle Temple in the United Kingdom (2018) and was named one of the Upstanding 100 Leading Ethnic Minority Executives (2016), Top 20 Global General Counsel (2019) by the Financial Times, and was recognized as Britain’s 5th most influential person of African and African Caribbean heritage by Powerlist (2018). She holds Honorary Doctorates in Law from City University London (2014), London Southbank University (2018), and her alma mater Birmingham University (2019). Sandie received a lifetime achievement award from the UK Black Solicitors Network (2016), was named one of the Power 100 Women by City A.M. and 100 Women to Watch by Female FTSE Board.
Sandie received the Howard University 2019 Vanguard Women Award for her accomplishments as a woman of color who has blazed the trail and her commitment to mentoring young women and advancing the rights of women and girls globally. She is also the recipient of the Beyond the Glass Ceiling Award presented by the Leadership Institute for Women of Color Attorneys (2019), the Chambers 100 Outstanding Global General Counsel (2019), and an honoree of Harvard Law’s 7th Annual International Women’s Day Portrait Exhibit (2020).
Sandie is an ardent defender and champion for women empowerment, gender equality, and justice for all. Outside of work, Sandie is a Governor of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and prior to joining the World Bank Group, she was a council member of the human rights organization JUSTICE, Ambassador for the Law Society’s Diversity Access Scheme and sat on the Equality Standards Panel of the Premier League