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 |

Government data—such as data from censuses, surveys, civil registration, and administrative systems—continue to provide the foundation for critical disaster-related statistics. At the same time,…

Haishan Fu |

As we commemorate the International Day of Education this month, the 2023 theme “to invest in people, prioritize education” – it is all the more crucial for the countries of the Middle East and…

Ferid Belhaj |

The number of people forcibly displaced is set to increase and, if they are to become self-reliant, then they need employment opportunities. Yet labor market programs for displaced populations are…

Björn Gillsäter |

Lessons from integrating Syrian refugees in the Greek labor market

Gael Moraes, Ioanna Pantelaiou, Mauro Testaverde |

This blog is a biweekly feature highlighting recent working papers from around the World Bank Group. It introduces six papers published from April 16 to April 30 on various topics, including…

Marcelo Buitron, Policy Research Working Paper team |

The rapid evolution of the war in Ukraine and its horrendous humanitarian consequences caught many of us by surprise. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is unfortunately prone to such…

Ferid Belhaj |

The challenges of digital inclusion faced in MENA region are intertwined with social issues like poverty, conflict, gender inequality, forced migration and lack of access to basic services.…

Bertha Mwakapenda, Hamdi Karakal, Jemilehin Funmilayo, Narissa Jeffrey |

Public sectors in MENA have struggled to reform for decades. Public sector employees account for 25% of total employment across the region and public sector salaries represent 32% of total…

Izzah Akram Malik, Jens Kromann Kristensen |

A new research paper examines gender norms, domestic work, and school enrollment for Syrian refugee adolescent girls in Jordan, comparing girls and boys, adults and adolescents, Jordanians and…

Caroline Krafft, Ragui Assaad, Isabel Pastoor |