Our Mission

As countries around the world contend with the health emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic effects of mitigation measures have immediately impacted the world’s commodity markets and are likely to continue to affect them in the longer term. 

The global economic shock of the pandemic has driven most commodity prices down and is expected to result in substantially lower prices over 2020, the April Commodity Markets Outlook reports. Here is a look at the outlook for commodity markets in six charts. View Charts

Over a decade, the share of the world’s population living in close proximity to conflict has nearly doubled to 3%. A new World Bank report highlights a sharp increase in the exposure to conflict in the Middle East and North Africa, from 6% in 2007 to almost 20% in 2017, with a steep increase in 2011.Read More.

At the turn of the millennium, 1 in 5 of the world's extreme poor lived in fragile and conflict-affected situations (FCS). Since then, poverty has fallen steadily in economies not in FCS, but the number of poor people in FCS continues to grow. As a result, about half the world’s poor reside in FCS today. If current trends continue, by 2030, FCS will account for just 10% of the global population but as many as two-thirds of the world’s poor. Read More. 

With the current flu season predicted to be especially severe, as well the recent coronavirus outbreak, people are rightfully concerned about their health. From flu shots to face masks, many are taking extra measures to protect themselves from infection. But there is also a simple and effective way to help prevent the spread of infection diseases –handwashing. However, a lot of homes in low- and lower middle-income countries still lack basic handwashing facilities. Read More.