The initial idea for this compendium came out in 2016 of a collaboration between the Legal Vice Presidency and the Education Global Practice at the World Bank on the role of law to end child marriage. The discussions took place within the context of a global study being conducted by the World Bank and the International Center for Research on Women on the economic and social costs of child marriage with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Children Investment Fund Foundation, as well as additional support from the Global Partnership for Education under a grant for work on out of school children. In 2022, the Empowering Women by Balancing the Law (EWBL) initiative of the Legal Vice Presidency of the World Bank decided to update and upgrade the first edition of the Compendium. The EWBL aims to advance gender equality through substantive legal contributions to promote gender inclusivity in the law. It is rooted in the conviction that gender equality and equity under the law are preconditions for enabling women's full participation in society and for countries to achieve tangible development outcomes. However, to date, billions of women and girls worldwide face systemic barriers due to outdated and discriminatory laws that hinder their rights and opportunities. This Compendium can participate in the protection of women and girls' fundamental rights and the promotion of strong, peaceful, and just societies, as well as to the achievement of mission to end poverty and promote shared prosperity. This Compendium is limited to 194 countries (54 countries in Africa
44 countries in Asia
14 countries in Oceania
23 countries in North and Central America
12 countries in South America
and 47 countries in Europe).