By: Gyeongmin Park, KGGTF 2025 Youth Intern
As one of the World Bank lectures during the KGGTF 2nd Youth Internship Program Kickoff & Orientation on December 20th, 2024, the KGGTF staff provided a comprehensive overview of their operations and engaged in an informative career talk.
In the first half of the session, KGGTF Analyst Inhye Bak initiated with a lecture, giving an overview of KGGTF’s values, projects, and future operation plans. She began by explaining the histories of the department’s focus and affiliation, saying that it originally focused on climate change, the department evolved to address broader sustainability issues, adopting the "Planet" designation to encompass diverse infrastructure sectors such as urban development, water, transportation, and energy. This structure reflects a holistic approach to sustainability within the World Bank’s operational structure.
Analyst Bak then discussed the KGGTF’s operations centering around grant allocation and management, fostering partnerships, and knowledge sharing. Grants are offered to seven key World Bank departments through an annual proposal process, allowing relevant teams to submit project ideas with a global scope. Grant management involves coordinating with stakeholders and ensuring projects align with KGGTF’s mission. Knowledge-sharing initiatives include producing resources such as the portfolio book, annual reports, and newsletters, as well as organizing five-day visits to Korea for World Bank task team leaders (TTLs) to engage with local institutions. She also noted that many KGGTF-supported grants are directly tied to larger World Bank operations. These synergies have facilitated the creation of larger scale projects, demonstrating the fund’s significant impact and cooperation.
Finally, she offered insight of the Korea Green Innovation Days (KGID) conference, an annual three-day event that brings together World Bank staff, project leaders, and Korean organizations, such as the Korea Water Resources Corporation(K-Water) and the Korea Environmental Industry and Technology Institute(KEITI). Facilitating meaningful exchanges and collaboration, KGID conferences were previously held in Seoul, Egypt, and this year, Jeju.
Additionally, the KGGTF has recently mandated all interns in online courses in the Open Learning Campus to ensure they have a fundamental understanding of World Bank operations. These courses offer certification opportunities and serve as valuable resources for professional development.
In the latter part of the lecture, the career talk panel featured four KGGTF professionals who shared their diverse career trajectories, offering inspiration and practical advice for aspiring development professionals. Their stories highlighted the varied paths to success within international organizations and emphasized the importance of academic and professional specialization.