Emmanuel Jimenez, Director of Human Development in the WB's East Asia and the Pacific Department, announced the WB’s plan at a launching workshop of the World Development Report 2007, saying that the plan aims to raise Vietnamese students' competitiveness in the economic globalisation.

The report titled "Development and the Next Generation" says that developing countries which invest in better education, healthcare, and job training for their record numbers of young people aged between 12 and 24 years, could produce a surge in economic growth and sharply reduce poverty.

According to the report, with 1.3 billion young people now living in the developing world - the largest ever youth group in history, there has never been a better time to invest in youth because they are healthier and better educated than previous generations, and will join the workforce with fewer dependents because of changing demographics.

Most developing countries have a short window of opportunity to get this right before their record numbers of youth become middle-aged, and they lose their demographic dividend. This may be one of the most profound decisions a developing country will ever make to banish poverty and galvanise its economy, said Director Jimenez, who is the lead author of the report.

The workshop attracted the interest of concerned agencies in Vietnam, its students and young people, as well as foreign organisations, including Plan International, and UNICEF.