Tokyo LEADS [Learn. Adapt. Scale.]

January 27, 2026 - January 29, 2026
Tokyo, Japan

The Institute for Economic Development Tokyo Center is organizing, Tokyo LEADS, the next regional workshop under the World Bank’s LEADS [Learn. Adapt. Scale.] initiative. The workshop will be delivered in partnership with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Tokyo LEADS will bring together representatives from the governments in the region, World Bank teams, JICA Ogata Research Institute, JADE, academia, and research institutions to conduct an in-depth review of selected research projects. This creates an opportunity to see how LEADS tools, methods, and evidence approaches are being extended to partner institutions and to strengthen a community of like-minded agencies working to embed evidence and adaptive learning across development programs.

A One World Bank Initiative to Drive Development Impact.

The future of development holds immense promise—powered by science, driven by data, and grounded in evidence. As we face new opportunities to accelerate progress, the need for smarter, more adaptive approaches has never been stronger.

LEADS — Learn. Adapt. Scale. — is a One World Bank Group initiative that brings this vision to life. Created by the Development Economics Vice Presidency (DEC) and implemented in close collaboration with Regional Vice Presidencies, Verticals, IFC, and other global partners, LEADS equips project teams and government counterparts with the tools, methods, and mindsets to learn in real time, adapt course, and scale what works.

LEADS is the World Bank Group’s approach to placing science, learning, and adaptive delivery at the center of development operations. Through structured collaboration with government teams, the workshops refine project designs using the best available scientific evidence and set the foundation for real-time implementation support and scaling of what works.

At its heart, LEADS is about closing the gap between intention and impact.

See the workshop agenda here.