In South Asia’s poorest countries, empowering women is essential to reducing poverty

There are millions of such inspiring, independent women across South Asia—especially in the poorest countries, which are served by the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA).

Hartwig Schafer |
Digital Development, Education, Gender, Jobs & Development, Poverty, Social Protection

A Lesson from Malala: Girls’ Education Pays Off

When I heard the news last autumn that 15-year-old Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan had been shot simply for standing up for her right as a girl to get an education, I was horrified. It also reminded…

Sri Mulyani Indrawati |
Education, Gender

Longreads: Can Graphene Drive the Green Economy?, Women and Mobile Financial Services, With River Blindness ‘You Never Sleep’

Find a good longread on development? Tweet it to @worldbank with the hashtag #longreads.  A video about a “scientific accident that may change the world (or at least your battery life)” went “…

Donna Barne |
Health, Financial Inclusion, Financial Sector, Gender