This Annual Report documents a year of exceptional progress for the Global Program on Sustainability (GPS). At a time when the world is confronting accelerating and interlinked crises—from climate change and biodiversity loss to economic uncertainty—the need to measure, value, and integrate nature into decision making has become increasingly urgent. GPS remains at the forefront of this agenda, leveraging analytics, partnerships, and inclusive approaches to support transformative change for people and the planet.
A major milestone during the reporting period was the publication of the Changing Wealth of Nations (CWON) 2024 flagship report. This edition advances the understanding of sustainable development through innovative methodologies for valuing countries’ wealth, expanded coverage of resource categories, and the provision of robust data to support long-term prosperity and intergenerational equity. CWON 2024 establishes a new benchmark for evidence-based policy making.
GPS also made significant progress in advancing the sustainable finance agenda and strengthening private sector engagement through targeted support and innovative tools. The launch of the Feasibility and Ambition Dashboard within the Sovereign Environmental, Social, and Governance Data Portal enables issuers, investors, and analysts to assess sustainability targets and supports greater market confidence. As an open-access platform, it has already informed Côte d’Ivoire’s Sustainable Finance Framework and supported the country’s first sustainability-linked loan transaction with commercial lenders.
In fiscal year 2025 (FY25), GPS strengthened its analytical capabilities through the integration of ecosystem services into the Bank’s macroeconomic models. These nature-aware models enable more accurate analysis of how policies and climate change affect both economies and the environment. Pilot modeling exercises in India, Sri Lanka, and Uganda demonstrate that incorporating ecosystem services has the potential to increase gross domestic product, create jobs, and improve carbon outcomes.
Country-level engagement expanded substantially over the year. In FY25, GPS launched three large grants in Kenya, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, and Zambia, alongside five smaller grants in the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Liberia, São Tomé and Príncipe, and South Africa, extending program support to a total of 35 countries. In Kenya, GPS supported the development of asset accounts across land, water, ecosystems, forests, and energy, strengthening capacity within the National Treasury and directly informing the country’s Budget Policy Statement. In Nepal, GPS analytics informed federal grant policies and provincial regulations and supported a programmatic Development Policy Credit, helping ensure that investments are nature positive and inclusive.
Recognizing the interconnections between natural capital, gender, poverty, and social inclusion, GPS has intensified efforts to integrate these dimensions across analytics and policy dialogue. A new study, Smallholders at Scale: Land Restoration, Poverty, Resilience and Jobs, was initiated to examine inclusive approaches to scaling up land restoration.
Looking ahead, GPS launched new calls for proposals and selected several new grants that commenced in early FY26. This period marks an important transition, focused on consolidating achievements while laying the groundwork for the next strategic phase of the program. The forthcoming GPS 2.0 represents the next generation of the initiative, building on proven methodologies and partnerships to strengthen the role of nature in economic and financial decision making.
The work of GPS remains central to accelerating global progress toward ending extreme poverty on a livable planet, contributing to a more resilient, equitable, and sustainable future.
