The COVID-19 pandemic is devastating lives and livelihoods globally. Before the pandemic, the World Bank projected that 35 million people in East Asia and the Pacific would escape poverty in 2020…

Victoria Kwakwa |

The 2017 Hurricane season was the most devastating season on record in terms of cost. For many, it was a stark reminder of how the entire economy of a small nation can be wiped out in a few hours…

Christelle Chapoy, Mariana Ceratti, Brune Andre |

A student leader in her school's anti-violence and coexistence project entering the school's courtyard     © Charlotte Kesl / World Bank We live in a world where [[tweetable]]one in…

Paula Tavares |

For many Pacific Island countries, natural disasters such as cyclones and tsunamis, are an all-too common occurrence. Out of the top 15 most at-risk countries for natural disasters globally, four…

Michael Bonte-Grapentin, Patrick Meier, Keiko Saito |

This blog post was co-authored by Franz Drees-Gross, Director, Transport and ICT Global Practice, and Ede Ijjasz-Vasquez, Senior Director, Social, Urban, Rural and Resilience Global Practice.…

Franz Drees-Gross, Ede Ijjasz-Vasquez |

[[tweetable]]When it comes to responding to disasters, time is of the essence.[[/tweetable]] Help needs to come immediately to save lives; recovery and reconstruction have to start swiftly to…

Zuzana Stanton-Geddes, Jolanta Kryspin-Watson |

Photo: Christopher R. Bennett/World Bank Few things are more depressing than seeing the damage caused by cyclones on transport infrastructure. Especially when it is a causeway that was only…

Chris Bennett, Theuns Henning |

What kind of leader can bring people together for the common good, even amid clashing opinions or real conflict? That question was at the heart of the 2017 Global Leadership Forum March 6 on the…

Donna Barne |

Most of us are familiar with Benjamin Franklin’s observation that “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”  For many of us, we could also add physical disability…

Chris Bennett |

El Niño is back and may be stronger than ever.   A wooden boat is seen stranded on the dry cracked riverbed of the Dawuhan Dam during drought season in Madiun, Indonesia's East Java province…

Axel van Trotsenburg |