The author with his school friends at Baghdad College in Iraq. © Courtesy of Bassam Sebti In 1992, I went to Baghdad College, a former Jesuit high school in Iraq. A freshman then, I was full of ambition and interest in writing. So, I decided to create the first school newspaper since the Jesuits were expelled in 1969 ..read more

Photo: Charlotte Kesl/World Bank Supporting good governance and addressing corruption are integral to the Bank’s development work. Introduced in July 2016, the World Bank’s Procurement Framework plays an important role in this effort by emphasizing value for money (vfm) and fair competition and the highest level of integrity to encourage the participation of the best-performing suppliers. VfM means the optimal combination of quality, whole-life costs and sustainability. This approach also enables selection of innovative technologies to address complex development challenges ..read more

Rapid technological change and growing expectations of citizens are elevating the importance of digital innovation for governments around the world. The World Bank Group, working together with other stakeholders, has a role to play in ensuring client countries have access to knowledge, the solutions, and the expertise required to bring about digital transformation of government services. On April 13, the World Bank Group hosted a Spring Meetings event, GovTech: Putting People First with Simple, Efficient and Transparent Government ..read more

Photo: World Bank As a practitioner with several years of government experience, and later as a public debt management advisor at the World Bank Treasury, I am often faced with these questions from our client countries: “Which Public Debt Management IT System is best for our needs?”, “Shall we build a software from scratch, or purchase an off-the-shelf system?”. With the increased focus on public debt transparency[1], having accurate and reliable debt data has a critical role in ensuring effective risk assessment to support sustainable borrowing and lending practices ..read more