As we mark International Women’s Day this month, we spotlight the main hurdles to women’s labor force participation in Iraq to shape future programs and policies for enhanced equality in the labor…

Soraya El-Khalil, Tala Ismail |

While MENA has made strides in improving women and girls’ health, much more needs to be done. Understanding the impact of conflict on women and girls is critical for designing both preventive…

Fadia Saadah, Sameera Al Tuwaijri |

When conflicts end, the tragic impact of lives lost, damages, and the countless needs of people left in its wake are overwhelmingly visible. There are also other long-lasting and damaging…

A.S. Harinath, Ahmed Ali |

Community-driven development (CDD) is a global development approach that emphasizes the active involvement and participation of local communities in decision-making. Its participatory processes…

Varalakshmi Vemuru, Ozan Sevimli, Sana Zia, Audrey Sacks |

Since COP27 in Egypt last year, the World Bank has been working hard to implement recommendations in our flagship Country Climate and Development Reports (CCDR).

Meskerem Brhane |

Road crashes happen in a moment but can leave lasting damage. This is a global problem with a high human and financial cost. Every year, approximately 1.35 million people are killed and 50 million…

Shomik Mehndiratta, Sudeshna Mitra |

That refugees want to return is sometimes taken as a given, and their motivation for repatriating is assumed. Repatriation is often discussed in terms of a return “home” even a generation or more…

Xavier Devictor |

As we marked World Poverty Day on October 17th, a blog published recently by World Bank staff highlights that poverty has finally receded to pre-COVID pandemic levels, which in essence means we…

Nadir Mohammed, Laura Moreno Herrera, Salman Zaidi |

Children in Lebanese public schools have experienced four consecutive disrupted academic years (2019-20 to 2022-23), receiving approximately 270 days of in-person teaching compared with the 600…

Adelle Pushparatnam, Igor Kheyfets, Hana El-Ghali, Nadine El Franji |

The populations of MENA countries affected by fragility, conflict and violence (FCV) also face a double burden as they are exposed to compound climate-security risks. As emphasized in the World…

Elise Doumergue, Phoebe Spencer |