Less than half of EU member states that operate passenger railways offer services with commercial speeds over 200km/h. Nearly a third of passenger railway routes in the EU between medium or large…

Shomik Mehndiratta, Daniel Pulido, Luis C. Blancas, Victor Aragones, Mercedes Gutierrez |

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 |

Twenty percent of women in Eastern Europe and 18 percent in Central Asia have experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. The multilayered crises of climate, conflict, and the COVID…

Carolina Sánchez-Páramo, Varalakshmi Vemuru, Sanan Isaba Zaman |

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 |

Cities combatting climate change: Dive into a collaborative exploration between Sarajevo and Hiroshima as they tackle the challenges of urban development in hilly terrains. Discover how these…

Hiromi Akiyama, Masatsugu Takamatsu, Mustafa Copelj, Megha Mukim |

To protect vulnerable populations and promote economic growth, policymakers in the Western Balkans should take into account the heterogeneity of inflation rates experienced by different households…

Anna Fruttero, Leonardo Lucchetti, Carlos Ospino, Zurab Sajaia |

For the Western Balkan countries, aspirations to join the EU mean urgency to align with the bloc’s climate and environmental policy acquis. All six countries—Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina,…

Anita Hafner, Marissa Santikarn |

The Balkans often evoke images of conflict and fragmentation. But on the digital front, countries across Southeast Europe are working together to build robust broadband network connecting millions…

Natalija Gelvanovska-Garcia |

Blog about how the global crises and uncertainty are testing the economic resilience of the Western Balkans. And what the governments across the region should consider in order to build greater…

Sanja Madzarevic-Sujster, Richard Record, Natasha Rovo |

The World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) is the largest and most effective platform for fighting extreme poverty in the world’s lowest-income countries. As new IDA donors,…

Antonella Bassani, Akihiko Nishio |