Ideas for Action Hosts First Global Young Leaders' IdeaLab

Ideas for Action, a joint initiative created by the World Bank Group and the Wharton School to foster youth engagement in international development, hosted its first Global Young Leaders' IdeaLab. The one-day program was exclusively dedicated to providing young leaders from around the world with a unique opportunity to interact with industry professionals and receive expert support in developing pioneering ideas for financing the UN's newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals.

Ideas for Action (I4A) is a global competition in which students and young professionals from around the world develop ideas for financing sustainable development. Dr. Mahmoud Mohieldin, then the World Bank's Senior Vice President for the 2030 Development Agenda, described Ideas for Action as "one of the World Bank's most successful partnerships, because the program receives powerful interest and positive support from those who will be owning the outcomes of the SDGs in 2030."

Contributions from the Office of Mr. Mohieldin, the World Bank's Youth to Youth Community (Y2Y), the IFC, the Global Partnership Forum, the Young American Business Trust (YABT), bestselling author Tom Oliver, and corporate partners such as the Swiss perfume and flavor company Firmenich, allowed IdeaLab participants to gain a broad range of perspectives as well as individual support in preparation for the competition.

Haleh Bridi, the World Bank's Director for External Relations and Partnerships, Africa Region, encouraged participants to develop ideas that take advantage of the unique opportunities that Africa offers today: "Famine. War. Poverty. No vision. No hope. Stagnation. That was the Africa of 30 years ago. Today's Africa is the new land of opportunity — you should pack your bags and leave."

Participants left with a unique platform for developing their ideas further, with the aim of reaching policymakers, ministers of development and finance, private-sector leaders, think tanks, universities, and development practitioners from around the world.