Human Capital Umbrella Program: a multi-donor trust fund supporting impacts at scale

The Human Capital Umbrella Trust Fund Program, launched in 2019 with support from the Gates Foundation and the Government of Canada, catalyzes investments in people through a comprehensive, evidence-based approach.

The Umbrella Program shapes World Bank operations to deliver impacts at scale. Since its inception, activities funded by the Umbrella Program have informed 29 World Bank-financed operations, totaling more than $8.5 billion in lending. Aligned with the objectives of the Human Capital Project - a global program that comprises 95 member economies committed to  building, protecting, and utilizing human capital - it operates through three pillars: knowledge, evidence, and measurement; country engagement; and global engagement. 

The Trust Fund will continue to support investments in human capital that allow countries to navigate volatility and uncertainty driven by simultaneous large trends reshaping society. These include climate change, demographic shifts, and the advent of emerging technologies like AI.

The Human Capital Umbrella Program provides critical support to governments through data-driven insights, technical assistance, and advocacy efforts aimed at optimizing human capital outcomes. At its core, the Umbrella Program is committed to leveraging data and evidence to inform policies and shape interventions that optimize human capital outcomes. 

By providing governments with access to tools and methodologies, the program empowers decision-makers to track progress, identify areas for improvement, and target interventions effectively.

• In Bangladesh, The Umbrella Program supported a comprehensive phone survey with 1,500 women and girls who are Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEETs) and non-NEETs to understand the most binding barriers to enter education, skills training, and employment. This work is closely aligned with ongoing World Bank operations.
• In Ethiopia, the Trust Fund supported the expansion of the Unified Nutrition Information System (UNISE) to enhance the country's nutrition monitoring and evaluation capabilities. UNISE considerably improves the collection and analysis of data crucial for informed decision-making and policy in the health sector.

The Human Capital Umbrella Program places a strong emphasis on building government capacity to implement multi-sectoral interventions that address complex challenges and improve service delivery. For example:

• In Nigeria, the Umbrella Program supported the identification of key institutional, governance, and financial constraints hindering service delivery in education and healthcare. Active engagement with stakeholders builds consensus on the proposed reforms.

• In Ethiopia, the Umbrella Program supported close collaboration with the Ethiopian government to assess health and education policy implementation. The technical assistance provided includes capacity building for local officials, tailored strategies, and the provision of resources and expertise to support policy implementation.

A cornerstone of the Umbrella Program's mission is its commitment to promoting gender equality and women's empowerment. Aligned with the World Bank's Sahel Women's Empowerment and Demographic Dividend (SWEDD) project (now closed) and, the Sub-Saharan Women's Empowerment and Demographic Dividend Plus (SWEDD+) project, the Gender Innovation and Regional Learning (GIRL) initiative generates evidence and supports regional activities to identify interventions that best address gender disparities and empowers women and girls across various sectors (education, health, social protection). 

The Umbrella Program supports legal and policy reforms with a focus on gender inclusion in Togo, Cameroon, and The Gambia. These reforms address the systemic barriers that prevent women and girls from fully participating in society.

In Cote d'Ivoire, the Umbrella program supported a study to understand the influence of religious and community leaders on social norms to develop insights that can inform gender-based violence prevention strategies.

The Human Capital Umbrella Program also serves as a catalyst for policy dialogue and advocacy, convening stakeholders and fostering thought leadership to mobilize resources and drive innovation. 

• The GIRL initiative supports regional level initiatives, by providing inputs into the development of the African Union's new Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and close collaboration with ECOWAS-WAHO on its Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights regional directive.
• While not directly funded by the Umbrella Program, Ministerial Conclaves organized by the Human Capital Project around the World Bank-IMF Annual Meetings serve as catalysts for meaningful dialogue among Ministers of Finance. Previous gatherings, for instance, tackled issues around climate change, boosting jobs and entrepreneurship, and harnessing AI and digital technology for human capital. These high-level convenings ensure that lessons emerging from global, regional, and country programs are captured and made available to stakeholders to help build capacity, influence policy, and improve investment decisions and operations.