Urgent reforms on broadband policy would hasten the digital transformation the Philippines needs to achieve its goal of becoming a prosperous middle-class society by 2040.

Naoto Kanehira, Mitch Abdon, Mary Grace Mirandilla-Santos |

A new World Bank report, Unlivable: What the Urban Heat Island Effect Means for East Asia’s Cities, sheds light on three important questions to help city leaders rise to the extreme urban heat…

Anna Wellenstein, Mark Roberts, Chandan Deuskar, Nick Jones, Jane Park |

Gender-based violence (GBV) — the various forms of violence directed at an individual or a group based on their gender, both in public places and within the home — is a phenomenon deeply rooted in…

Marina Wes, Chifundo Chilera |

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 |

To manage its flood risks, Romania, with the support of the World Bank, has developed new Flood Risk Management Plans for its 11 river basins and for the Danube River, in line with the…

Chris Fischer |

Discover how Central Asian countries are using regional data and knowledge to enhance their disaster preparedness.

Chyi-Yun Huang, Stephan Zimmermann, Stuart Fraser |

Drylands in Central Asia are among the most rapidly degrading and climate-vulnerable areas worldwide. Desertification caused by climate change and human activities has led to land degradation,…

Banu Setlur, Paola Agostini, Brenden Jongman |

While green IT initiatives in private and public sectors differ in reach, focus, and organizational approach, we can identify several green IT solutions that have already been developed, tested,…

Achim Blume |

Catastrophe bonds, also known as #catbonds, brings diversification to investment portfolios and provides robust performance in good and bad times. What could a cat bond for a Central Asian country…

Naomi Cooney, Daniel McGree, Martin Melecky, Tatiana Skalon |

Getting the balance right at the water-energy nexus is already a challenge, and the climate crisis is only expected to exacerbate this, especially in Central Asia.

Tatiana Proskuryakova, Winston Yu |