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 |

In early 2020, Cameroon had a well-established safety net. The Social Safety Net Project had reached almost 10% of the poor (140,000 households) with either cash transfers or, mainly for youth,…

Ioana Botea, Omar Ndiaye |

Following the regional trend, migration flows from the North of Central America -El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua-, have also intensified in the past ten years. Around 3.8 million…

Carolina Mejia-Mantilla, Stephanie González Rubio |

Africa is not on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of eradicating extreme poverty. While many countries were successful in reducing poverty during the years before the pandemic,…

Camilla Holmemo, Christian Bodewig, Robert S. Chase, Suleiman Namara |

Despite progress toward more comprehensive SPL systems, many Central Americans had limited pre-pandemic access to vital programs to help them cope with crises, find jobs, invest in the health and…

Aylin Isik Dikmelik, Ana Sofia Martinez Cordova |

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 |

In 2020, 48.7% of the 16.2 million emigrants from Central America and Mexico were women. The migration phenomenon in Central America particularly affects women and girls, who face challenges at…

Michel Kerf, Manuel Contreras-Urbina, Ana I. Aguilera, Erika Padron, Carlos Xavier Muñoz Burgos |

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 |

What leads thousands of people to travel almost 4,000 kilometers to risk their lives in uncertain conditions? Are there alternatives? What initiatives can help make this migration successful and…

Ana I. Aguilera, Carolina Mejia-Mantilla, Aylin Isik Dikmelik |

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 |