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In Gaza, increasing access to electricity by laying a new 161 KV line, constructing a natural gas pipeline, and repairing and upgrading the electricity grid could, in the short-run, alleviate the acute electricity shortage. Small-scale desalination plants, like the one UNICEF build in Khan Younes, and expansion of piping infrastructure could ...

The Digital West Bank and Gaza Project. On March 26, following a year of analytical work and discussions with the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology (MTIT), the World Bank approved a $20 million grant to support the Palestinian territories’ transition to the digital economy. The “Digital West Bank and Gaza” project ...

STORY HIGHLIGHTS. The protracted political crisis in Madagascar has taken a heavy toll on its economy and its people, especially the most vulnerable. More than 92 percent of the population lives under $2 a day and poverty has sharply increased. Only a sustainable end to the stalemate will enable the country to focus on fostering economic growth.

1. Today on Global Waste Picker Day, we explore the problem of solid waste management in the Gaza Strip and how it is compounded by poverty, unemployment, and severe restrictions imposed on residents. With a high unemployment rate in Gaza (53.7 percent), and every second person in Gaza living below the poverty line, residents of the Gaza Strip ...

WASHINGTON, December 14, 2020 — While nearly every country in the world saw advancements in sustainable energy policy between 2017 and 2019, the most rapid improvements were in sub-Saharan Africa, according to RISE 2020, a new World Bank report charting global progress on energy policies. But globally policy progress overall is slower than in ...

In Gaza, the drinking water tastes like seawater. Years of neglect and poor management, due in large part to recurring conflicts, has led to the steady depletion of Gaza’s natural aquifer. The empty aquifer has been invaded by seawater and, alarming for public health, untreated sewage. A series of droughts that ...

WASHINGTON, July 1, 2021 – The Boards of Directors of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) have approved a new policy for the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO), the independent accountability mechanism of IFC and MIGA. The Independent Accountability Mechanism (CAO) Policy, which ...

The dramatic flood events of the past four years are a stark reminder of the water-related threats faced by South Sudan. The May-November 2021 floods, reportedly the most devastating since the early 1960s, affected 9 out of 10 states, impacting around one million people and displacing more than 300,000. South Sudan is already a global hotspot of flood risk, ranking 7th in the world for share ...

The global economy’s “speed limit”—the maximum long-term rate at which it can grow without sparking inflation—is set to slump to a three-decade low by 2030. A World Bank report—Falling Long-Term Growth Prospects: Trends, Expectations, and Policies—shows that an ambitious policy push can boost productivity, ramp up investment, and harness the potential of the services sector.

This will require significant investment. According to World Bank estimates, China needs an additional $14-17 trillion — or 1.1 percent of GDP annually on average from now until 2060 — for green investment in the transport and electricity sectors. However, investment alone will not be sufficient. Reforms will play a crucial role.