| To ensure delivery to your inbox, please add info@devex.com to your address book. |  QUOTABLE | | "The best way to build a state is putting it to work." |  - Erik Solheim, chair of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's Development Assistance Committee
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| | | DEVELOPMENT BUZZ |
 At a time when nearly all other aid donors are looking for ways to give partner countries a greater voice in determining development priorities, the World Bank is building a powerful framework to consolidate its own technical expertise that some fear could have the effect of isolating the bank from the needs of its client countries.
Earlier this week, the World Bank's management reached out to staff for more input into the design of its "global practices," the organizational restructuring of the bank's technical offices. A memo from the "global practices solutions vice president," which was posted on the bank's intranet, called for ideas on how best to "promote a collaborative culture" within the structure to "ensure success for our clients."
Reorganizing the bank's technical staff into global practices is a central pillar of President Jim Kim's ambitious reform efforts. The global practices are meant to help the bank better create and manage its practical development knowledge and disseminate it around the world. But as the plan enters its implementation stage, a central debate on decision-making that was at the heart of the design of the practices has yet to be resolved, at least publicly.
Last week, after a talk at the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced and International Studies, Pamela Cox, the bank's former vice president for change management, was asked by a current bank staffer about the global practices plan. Cox instead talked about then-president Jim Wolfensohn's reform efforts at the bank in the 1990s. During that reorganization, she said, there were two clear goals: to better curate knowledge across the bank's regions, but also to get closer to the bank's clients.
"One of the value propositions of the bank is actually having the country presence, but linked to the global network, so any system ... has to satisfy both of those things," she said. "If you go too global, you lose all that embedded knowledge that you have on how you get your hands down and dirty and into development."
Cox, whose abrupt retirement mid-reform was announced without explanation by Kim last summer, said she didn't know the best way to strike that balance. But reading between the lines, the message seemed to be: This time around, half the plan is missing.
| |  Tomorrow, the world celebrates Valentine's Day. But three years ago, it proved to be a day of heartbreak for one French aid group. Do you know which one?
Click this slideshow to find out and look back at some other notable global development events that took place on Feb. 14.
| | | PHOTO OF THE WEEK | Relentless in Senegal
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Steep mountain slopes have not stopped this man from carrying out his mission, one that began more than two decades ago. Who is he and what drives him to scale such heights?
Check out the photo here and share your own with us on Facebook.
| | | #INNOV8AID |
 The World Bank has organized a series of events in several Asian cities to develop effective technological solutions for mitigating the risks and impacts of disasters. Those coders with the best "hacks" get the chance to pitch their ideas at a global conference scheduled for July in London.
| | | VUVUZELA |  How do you cram all your credentials onto one page? Fortunately, you don't need to think about that when applying for a job in global development. In fact, recruiters in this industry are keen to see details about your experience, and that could mean a resume that runs for two pages or more (don't overdo it, though — aim for no more than five pages). "Rather than focusing on page length, focus on taking the amount of space you need to succinctly convey your relevant experience in an easy-to-read format," said Kate Warren, director of global recruiting services at Devex, in a recent Career Matters post. Aside from the one-page resume rule, Warren debunked other myths surrounding foreign aid job applications, including the view that working in the aid sector means living the life of a pauper and that gaining overseas work experience serves as your passport to starting a career in development. Devex readers shared their experiences — and frustrations — about applying for relief and development jobs. Read more and join the conversation! | | | | | | |
{UAH} Its that Time of the year - UAH Awards - Nominations.
{UAH} A Lango chief with elaborate headdress. Photo published in 1902. Wikipedia
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