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 |

An estimated 1 in 6 people experience significant disability, making it essential to consider accessibility when planning, financing and building infrastructure. Japan and the World Bank are…

Yohei Takahashi, Imad N. Fakhoury, Charlotte McClain-Nhlapo |

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 |

The World Bank supports cybersecurity skills development initiatives in developing countries to help close the cybersecurity skills gap and enhance cyber resilience as a catalyst for socio-…

Ghislain de Salins, Anat Lewin |

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 |