World Bank Group at COP27

Developing and implementing Long-term, Low Emissions and Development Strategies (LTSs) are pivotal for countries to deliver on the climate targets under the Paris Agreement. For lower-income countries, LTSs can define a more sustainable and beneficial development pathway than continuing current development policies. In the runup to COP27, only 53 LTSs have been developed, mostly from high and upper middle income countries. More LTSs need to be developed to inform the design of NDCs and shorten the gap between national climate targets and the goals of the Paris Agreement. While some countries have developed LTSs that identify a possible low-carbon development pathway, translating these pathways into action is not automatic. Future iterations and new LTSs should more rigorously evaluate how different future conditions affect the opportunities and risks to countries’ development. LTSs should explore the costs and benefits across many different low-emissions pathways to best tailor a strategy for a countries’ specific needs. Lastly, LTSs should identify the needed policies and near-term investments that will provide a foundation for a robust and adaptable low-carbon transition.

A core priority for the World Bank Group’s engagement at COP27 is to highlight its assistance to countries in making these strategies ambitious, feasible, and inclusive. The World Bank is currently developing and testing an approach that includes cutting edge modeling and analytics to support countries in their formulation of LTSs that can inform action. The World Bank Group’s pilots are being advanced in collaboration with country officials, key stakeholders, and other development partners, including other MDBs and NGOs. Bank-supported LTSs will not only identify pathways for reducing emissions, but also evaluate the socioeconomic benefits and costs of a low-carbon transition that yield direct and indirect benefits to developing countries.

Jennifer J. Sara, Global Director, Climate Change Group, World Bank Group

Jennifer Sara is the Global Director for the World Bank Group’s Climate Change Global Practice from July 1, 2022. Ms. Sara is responsible for overseeing the key strategic priorities and implementation of the World Bank Group’s Climate Change Action Plan and lead five Practice groups on: Climate Operationalization and Impact, Climate Economics and Finance, Climate Funds Management, Climate Investment Funds Secretariat, and Strategy, Knowledge and Outreach.

Prior to taking on this position, Ms. Sara served for eight years as Director and Global Director for the Water Global Practice, overseeing the Bank’s $30B water portfolio, analytics, trust fund management and knowledge agenda. She has worked on infrastructure and sustainable development issues for the World Bank for more than thirty years in the following assignments: Sector Manager for Sustainable Development based in Vietnam; Sector Leader for Infrastructure in Brazil; Lead Infrastructure Specialist for Latin America, Senior Water and Sanitation Specialist for West Africa, and Water and Sanitation Specialist in Bolivia. Prior to joining the Bank, Ms Sara worked in Liberia and for the US Indian Health service. Ms. Sara holds an MSc in Environmental Management from the University of London and a BSc in Environmental Engineering from Brown University.

David Groves, Senior Climate Change Specialist, World Bank

David Groves is a Senior Climate Change Specialist in the World Bank’s Climate Change Group. He works on initiatives that support the World Bank’s climate change agenda, including its new Country Climate and Development Reports and mainstreaming new methods for evaluating emissions and climate resilience of Bank-supported investments and policies. He also co-leads the World Bank’s global program on long-term low emissions and development strategies (LTSs). Prior to joining the World Bank in 2021, he was a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation and directed its Climate Resilience Center and Center for Decision Making Under Uncertainty. Mr. Groves holds environmental and atmospheric sciences degrees from Stanford University and University of Washington and a PhD in Policy Analysis from the Pardee RAND Graduate School.

Jürgen Zattler, Director General, German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)

Dr. Jürgen Karl Zattler is the Director-General for International development policy; 2030 Agenda; climate at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Mr. Zattler is a development and macroeconomist with more than 30 years of experience in international cooperation. Until the end of 2020 he served as World Bank Group Executive Director representing Germany. Prior he had various positions in the BMZ, the European Commission and a private bank. Jürgen Karl Zattler studied economics and political science. He holds a PhD in economics from the University of Giessen (trade theory and policy).

Stéphane Hallegatte, Senior Climate Change Advisor, Sustainable Development Practice Group, World Bank

Stéphane Hallegatte is the Senior Climate Change Advisor of the World Bank Climate Change Group. Mr. Hallegatte is the author of dozens of articles published in international journals in multiple disciplines and of several books and World Bank reports including Shock Waves: Managing the Impacts of Climate Change on Poverty. He also led the development of the Resilience Rating System, a tool to monitor and report on how resilience is included in public or private investments. In 2022, he has provided methodological guidance to the new World Bank Group diagnostic, the Country Climate and Development Reports, and has co-led the CCDRs for Turkey and Brazil. Mr. Hallegatte holds an engineering degree from the Ecole Polytechnique (Paris) and a Ph.D in economics from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (Paris).

Sara Gonzalez Troncoso, International Relations Advisor at the Dominican Republic’s National Council for Climate Change

Graduated in Law, specialized in climate legislation and financing mechanisms for climate action, she has participated and led the formulation of legal instruments at the national level. She has represented DR in international climate law conventions, leading education and capacity building issues and participating as an observer in international carbon market negotiations, climate action financing, and transparency. It has also represented the country in meetings and work networks for the implementation of collective efforts aimed at promoting the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, adaptation to the effects of climate change and the transparency systems that are required to measure, work and communicate their progress, such as regional education strategies, national measurement, reporting and verification systems, guidelines for the issuance of green bonds and legally binding agreements, such as the Paris Agreement.

Pablo Vieira, Global Director, NDC Partnership

Pablo Vieira is the Global Director of the NDC Partnership Support Unit. In this role, Pablo leads efforts that build momentum for ambitious climate and development actions, in collaboration with governments and international stakeholders around the world. Pablo develops and executes activities that help countries advance climate goals by facilitating access to analysis, tools, expertise, financing, and other resources.

Pablo is a leading figure in the environmental, green growth, and sustainable rural development sectors in Colombia. Before joining the NDC Partnership, he served as an Advisor to President Juan Manuel Santos, managing Colombia’s accession to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and supporting the coordination and implementation of national and international commitments on the environment and climate change.

Marcela Jaramillo, Senior Associate, 2050 Pathways Platform

Marcela Jaramillo joined the 2050 Pathways Platform in 2021 as Senior Associate. She leads the Platform’s strategic engagement with development banks, building collaborative work on long-term climate strategies. Prior to joining the 2050 Pathways Platform, Marcela was at the Inter-American Development Bank, where she worked with governments in the design of net-zero strategies and alignment of public finances to climate goals, including through public investment planning, fiscal policy, and public budgeting. Marcela also worked at E3G in the Climate Finance and Diplomacy programs, on the role of finance within the UNFCCC and national financing strategies at the country level. She has multiple publications on net-zero development planning and approaches to finance the transition. Marcela is also co-chair of the Low Emissions Development Strategies (LEDS) Platform for Latin America and the Caribbean, and a Senior Associate at E3G. Marcela holds a BSc in Mechanical Engineering and an MSc in Sustainable Energy Technologies.

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