鈥淟ooking back on what we fought for in my days at the World Bank [鈥 there were no Environment Ministries in our Client Countries. There was no social assessment process. Initially, there were no environmental impact assessments. But over time, in a span of some 20 years, we saw emergence of a world of protected areas on Earth. [鈥 Tremendous achievements which are rolled back in parts of the World today. Those achievements must be maintained. 鈥淜eep it, preserve it鈥 I would say to today鈥檚 young generation of sociologists and anthropologists. Because unless the people on the ground really keep it, or go to court to fight for it, all these achievements can be rolled back.鈥 *
- Dr. Maritta Koch-Weser, Social Scientist
Koch-Weser discusses the changes she witnessed during her time at the Bank and the environmental and social impact assessments that became the norm. The Bank she joined in the 1980s had already come a long way and was growing and adapting to the realities of a changing world. Koch-Weser mentions that, when she first started at the Bank, the social dimension of development 鈥渨as not center stage.鈥 That contrasts to today, where the importance of the social dimension in the Bank鈥檚 work is something that is seen and felt.
鈥淚t was one of my riskiest missions in life. A tribe in Rond么nia had been contacted for the first time, face to face, by the Indigenous Protection service. After 10 years of attempted contacts. Only one week after this first contact, I came there. It was really very moving. These were people from a completely different era in our human history. And now, at COP 26 [2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference], two weeks ago, in the opening ceremony, you saw a beautiful indigenous lady, Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau Surui lady, exactly from that tribe, speaking to the COP in Glasgow. Imagine, what change in just 40 years.鈥 *
- Dr. Maritta Koch-Weser, Social Scientist
In this episode, the importance of storytelling and knowledge-sharing is apparent. It is through Koch-Weser鈥檚 personal stories and experiences that social development professionals can learn and apply lessons to their current work. In the spirit of knowledge-sharing, Maritta, along with several other social scientists at the Bank, recently put together a publication titled , honoring the vision and achievements of their leading pioneer, the rural sociologist and longtime Bank staff member, now retired, , and the experiences of the early days of social development.
This is the goal of the Development Reflections series 鈥 to make these kinds of personal reflections and stories available, allowing us a better grasp of the past, the steps taken, and a better understanding of our current realities.
Interested in sharing your own Development Reflections? We鈥檇 love to hear from former World Bank Group staff who are interested in participating in our Development Reflections series. Please reach out to wbglibrary@worldbank.org.
* Text lightly edited for clarity.
