Watch the recording.
 

The World Bank Group Office in Geneva and the Data Academy under the Office of the World Bank Group Chief Statistician came together to organizae the second session of the Let’s Talk Data in Geneva series.

In the session, the team explored the Human Capital Index Plus (HCI+), a new framework for measuring how health, education, and skills accumulate over the life cycle to shape productivity and earnings. Participants learned how the Index extends beyond schooling to capture workplace learning and skills development throughout adulthood, and how it provides a more complete picture of human capital outcomes. The discussion highlighted how global data assets can support better policy decisions across health, education, jobs, and social protection, and offer an opportunity to engage with experts working to strengthen evidence-based approaches to human capital development.

What did the session cover?

  • How multilateral data assets feed into a common measurement framework on human capital; 
  • How HCI+ can support joint diagnosis, prioritization, and accountability across agencies; 
  • Bridging humanitarian–development–jobs agendas by highlighting how shocks, displacement, and labor market structures affect lifetime skills and productivity; 
  • Strengthening alignment between global indicators and operational decision-making in country contexts. 

Irene Alaoui

Special Representative to the United Nations and World Trade Organization in Geneva, World Bank Group

Irene Alaoui is the World Bank Group’s Special Representative to the United Nations and the World Trade Organization in Geneva, leading multilateral engagement and external affairs for the institution in Geneva.  In this role, she represents the Bank in high-level dialogues and partnerships with UN agencies, member states, and international organizations.  She contributes to advancing the Bank’s global development priorities, including economic prospects, investment, and partnerships, and has also served in an acting capacity as head of the Geneva office.

Joana Silva

Deputy Chief Economist, People Vice Presidency, World Bank Group

Joana Silva is Deputy Chief Economist for the People Vice Presidency at the World Bank Group, where she works on social protection, labor, and human development policies. She is also an associate professor at Católica Lisbon School of Business and Economics and a recognized expert in labor, development, and international economics. Silva has led major World Bank operations and advised governments on economic reforms and social programs. Her research, published in leading journals, focuses on jobs, inequality, and policy evaluation, and she holds a PhD in economics from the University of Nottingham

Craig Hammer

Manager, Data Governance, World Bank Group

Craig Hammer is a Manager with the Development Data Group at the World Bank. He specializes in governance reforms, and in particular on open government and open data initiatives. His work at the World Bank has included strengthening laws, policies, and regulations focused on access to information, open government data, and data-driven decision-making for improved public service delivery to traditionally marginalized and underserved communities in more than 30 countries in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, South Asia, and Central Europe.

Octavian Bivol

Deputy Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, UNICEF

Octavian Bivol is Deputy Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia at UNICEF, based in the regional office supporting child rights and development across the region. He is a medical doctor from the Republic of Moldova with over 25 years of experience in international development, particularly in health, education, and social protection systems. Within UNICEF, he has held senior leadership roles, including Representative in Lao PDR and Bulgaria and Deputy Director in the Brussels-based EU relations office. His work focuses on strengthening national systems and partnerships to improve outcomes for children and vulnerable populations.

Kalipso Chalkido

Director of the Performance, Financing and Delivery Department, World Health Organization (WHO)

Dr. Kalipso Chalkidou is Director of the Performance, Financing and Delivery Department at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, where she leads work on health financing and system performance. She is a physician trained at the University of Athens, with a doctorate in molecular biology from Newcastle University. Prior to WHO, she founded and led the health finance department at the Global Fund and served as Director of Global Health Policy at the Center for Global Development. Her work focuses on helping countries use evidence to allocate resources and advance universal health coverage.

Bo Pieter Johannes Andree

Data Scientist, Development Data Group, World Bank Group

Bo Pieter Johannes Andree is a Data Scientist in the World Bank’s Development Data Group, based in Geneva, where he serves as a Data Envoy coordinating multilateral data initiatives on humanitarian issues, trade, and real-time monitoring. He leads work on Real-Time Development Indicators and the Real-Time Food Prices dataset, applying machine learning and geospatial analytics to food security challenges in data-scarce and fragile contexts. His research has informed famine early warning systems and crisis response tools. He holds a PhD in econometrics from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and has authored numerous publications on development data and forecasting.