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 |

As we marked World Poverty Day on October 17th, a blog published recently by World Bank staff highlights that poverty has finally receded to pre-COVID pandemic levels, which in essence means we…

Nadir Mohammed, Laura Moreno Herrera, Salman Zaidi |

Many Caribbean countries simply do not collect data to measure and monitor poverty and inequality.

Lilia Burunciuc, Marla Dukharan, Anna Luisa Paffhausen |

Like many parents globally, Djiboutian families are preparing their children for the start of the new school year. An increasing number of five-year-old girls and boys will have the chance to go…

Bridget Crumpton, Nevine Elnahass |

Across the MENA region, state-owned enterprises (SOEs) play a major role in countries’ economies and in the delivery of essential services to the public. As a result of a comprehensive desk review…

Nazaneen Ismail Ali, Jocelyne Jabbour, Simeon Sahaydachny |

Most workers in developing countries are in informal employment-- that is, a job that does not come with social security benefits and leaving them with limited means to manage risks to their…

Nadir Mohammed, Roberta Gatti, Marco Ranzani, Gladys Lopez-Acevedo, Nistha Sinha, Adam Elsheikhi |

Gender equality and fair treatment of women and girls is a moral imperative, but global data analytics, evidence and experience clearly demonstrate that including women also fosters economic…

Christopher Stephens |

To capture the immediate and ongoing effects of the eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai submarine volcano, the World Bank carried out phone surveys in partnership with the Governments of…

Shohei Nakamura, Utz Pape |

Focusing on Kiribati, Tonga and Vanuatu, in late 2020 the World Bank conducted roughly 450 interviews with temporary migrant workers, their families and communities, and their employers. We…

Kirstie Petrou, Dung Doan, Ursula Casabonne |

Some of the Horn’s countries are among Africa’s poorest. The problems are daunting, but the region’s governments are taking bold steps to tackle them. They have launched the Horn of Africa…

Fatima Anjum Quraishi |