"The average length of time that refugees spend in camps is 17 years." This cruel statistic has been quoted many times, influencing our perception of refugee crises as never-ending…

Xavier Devictor, Quy-Toan Do |

Is it hot outside? Should I bring an umbrella?   Most of us don’t think much beyond these questions when we check the weather report on a typical day. But weather information plays a much more…

Lisa Finneran |

About this series More blog posts Poverty and isolation create a host of development challenges for Myanmar's rural communities, from poor road connections to lack of clean water and…

Ede Ijjasz-Vasquez, Nikolas Myint |

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, state counselor of Myanmar and Nobel Peace Prize winner, told representatives from governments rich and poor at a meeting this week in Myanmar that reducing poverty and…

Axel van Trotsenburg |

This week, more than fifty donor governments and representatives of borrowing member countries are gathering in Nay Pyi Taw to discuss how the World Bank’s International Development Association (…

Victoria Kwakwa, Axel van Trotsenburg |

Photo © :  Hong Sar/ World Bank. Kyaw San has trouble studying at night. The student from Yangon Division’s Buu Tar Suu village finds it especially difficult during the rainy season when his old…

Alan David Lee, Heather Worley, Xiaoping Wang |

For the first time in history, the proportion of people living in extreme poverty has fallen below 10%. The world has never been as ambitious about development as it is today. After adopting the…

Sri Mulyani Indrawati |

Workers at a garment factory Myanmar’s reintegration into the global economy presents it with a unique opportunity to leverage private sector growth to reduce poverty, share prosperity and sustain…

Sjamsu Rahardja, Charles Schneider |

Myanmar’s unusually fertile soils and abundant water source are legendary in Southeast Asia. It is even said that Myanmar has the most favorable agricultural conditions in all of Asia. Almost…

Sergiy Zorya |