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 |

Heading into COP28, the World Bank Group’s vision for a livable planet supported by climate-resilient infrastructure takes on urgency. PPPs accelerate sustainable infrastructure by allowing…

Emmanuel Nyirinkindi |

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 |

Imagine a world where every girl and woman and can manage her periods with dignity and without hindering her education, health, sense of self-esteem, social mobility, and economic opportunities.…

Saroj Kumar Jha, Hana Brixi, Jaime Saavedra, Thorsten Kiefer |

Women of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have outperformed many other regions in terms of life expectancy, infant mortality, and tertiary education. Their performance in education has, in…

Ferid Belhaj, Paul Noumba Um, Muneeza Mehmood Alam |

As we commemorate the International Day of Education this month, the 2023 theme “to invest in people, prioritize education” – it is all the more crucial for the countries of the Middle East and…

Ferid Belhaj |

This blog highlights two studies from past World Bank's Knowledge for Change Program (KCP)-supported research that demonstrate the importance of a data-driven and evidence-based approach to…

Kerina Wang, Lauren Nicole Core, KCP Program Management Unit (KCP PMU) |

Despite accessibility of remote learning during closures, MENA students this year are academically behind cohorts of the same grades in previous years. To help with recovery, the World Bank and…

Kaliope Azzi-Huck, Andreas Blom, Keiko Miwa, Aarya Shinde |

In fast-growing metropolitan regions in developing countries, more people are owning and using private motorized vehicles.  As a result, urban transport is a growing contributor to air pollution.…

Vivien Foster, Fan Zhang, Shanjun Li, Lin Yang, Jianwei Xing |

While China's vehicle fleet is growing rapidly, there is hope that the rise of electric mobility might help limit the environmental impact. But will that be enough?

Jung Eun “Jen” Oh |