Roughly 1 billion children worldwide are out of school due to school closures related to COVID-19. Children in humanitarian settings face a double crisis as the health emergency disrupts their opportunities to learn, develop and thrive. Ensuring children can continue to learn during the pandemic, no matter their access to technology, must be central to the COVID-19 response in fragile contexts.

As the World Bank undergoes an Evolution Process this year to reform its global approach, its ability to deliver on its core mandate will hinge in large part on its effectiveness in fragile and conflict-affected settings. The World Bank should seize the opportunity of the Evolution Process to commit to a people-first, rather than government-first, operating model to meet its ambitions.