The case for Gender Equality has never been stronger.

At the current rate, I will take us 131 years to close the gender gap. 131 years.

At our public event on Engaging Women as Leaders, where I was joined by United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed and Minister Rania A. Al-Mashat , I opened with a few figures that really stayed with me, and speak to the urgency of achieving gender equality:

• GDP per capita could be 20% higher if women employment were at the same rate as men's
• Economic gains could be 5 to 6 trillion more if women started and scaled businesses at the same rate as men
• Only 14 countries grant the same legal rights to women as men.

The cost of not closing this gap is not just economic. It's also a social, and fundamentally moral one.

We know that we have better results when we empower women. Better resource management. Better environmental stewardship. Better decisions for the next generation. And I could go on.

On the other hand, we know that women are disproportionately affected by crises, and still under represented in leadership roles.

How to change that?

As part of 世界银行 's Evolution Roadmap, we are trying to get to scale and work differently by:?

1. Taking advantage of evidence on how to reach women?

1. Linking research on gender to operations?

1. Influencing high-level reforms & policy dialogues

Gender equality is a non-negotiable for a world free of poverty on a livable planet. We need everyone to stand behind women and take action.