Author Archives: NL4WorldBank

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The World Bank Team at the Royal Netherlands Embassy tweets about news related to Dutch organizations interested in working with the #WorldBank. #NL4WorldBank

International Debt Report 2025

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The International Debt Report (IDR) is a longstanding annual publication of the World Bank featuring external debt statistics and analysis for the low- and middle-income countries that report to the World Bank Debtor Reporting System (DRS).

For five decades the IDR, along with the associated International Debt Statistics (IDS) database, has helped shape policies in development finance by sharing timely and comprehensive external debt data and analysis with the international community. Drawing on data collected through the World Bank’s Debtor Reporting System, the IDR has tracked evolving borrowing patterns and new lending instruments over the years, measured the impact of initiatives to relieve debt burdens, and promoted best practices in debt recording and reporting.

The newly published IDR 2025 includes an analysis of end-2024 external debt flows and debt stock positions as well as the macroeconomic and debt outlook for 2025 and beyond, and updates on the debt transparency agenda.

In addition, the IDS-DSSI database includes the actual debt service deferred from by each bilateral creditor and the projected monthly debt-service payments owed to all bilateral creditors.

Report

“Credit: World Bank Group. All rights reserved”

Innovation in development: Lessons from World Bank experience

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Think of this: In a small, rural community a mother receives a mobile alert that her monthly cash transfer has arrived just in time to buy school supplies and food. Down the road, the local council approves a small grant to build a footbridge that will connect the community to markets, schools, and a clinic. 

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World Bank Group and the Global Fund Join Forces to Strengthen Health Systems and Expand Sustainable Health Financing

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World Bank Group and Global Fund sign a new Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen primary healthcare and the fight against HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria

Washington, D.C. / Geneva, 6 December 2025 – The World Bank Group and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to help developing countries build stronger, more resilient health systems and secure sustainable financing for primary health care and the fight against HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria.

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Brazil’s Northeast can be a Catalyst for Jobs, Growth, Clean Energy, and Economic Opportunity

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Brazil’s Northeast is poised to play a pivotal role in the country’s progress and prosperity, according to a new World Bank report, “Routes to the Northeast: Productivity, Jobs, and Inclusion,” which outlines how the region can unlock its potential and create jobs by pivoting to a more dynamic growth model. Home to 54 million residents—80 percent of them of working age—, the region offers one of Brazil’s largest and most dynamic labor pools.

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Introducing Senior Advisor Alain Ancion

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I’ve traded field boots for Board papers, but I still keep the map handy. Since last September, I’ve been Senior Advisor and (the most magical job title ever) temporary permanent alternate ED, in the Dutch Executive Director’s Office at the World Bank, where my portfolio spans the Committee on Development Effectiveness (CODE), trade, procurement, and a mix of regional and thematic files.

Before the Boardroom, my compass pointed firmly toward the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I built extensive field experience in the Western Balkans as regional security coordinator on counter‑terrorism issues, and in Kenya as Deputy Ambassador for Somalia, leading a cross‑ministerial team drawn from four ministries.

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Economic growth in 2025 has defied the gloomy expectations

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2025 has been a year of steep ups and downs for the global economy—at least where growth forecasts have been concerned. The consensus forecasts of economists have swung from optimism to pessimism and back again. Yet actual economic activity has remained remarkably resilient. Forecasters now expect global growth of about 2.7 percent—broadly in line with expectations at the start of the year (figure 1A).

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Indonesia’s Ministry of Health and Philips to deliver nationwide coverage of advanced image-guided therapy systems in Indonesia, expanding access to cardiac, stroke and cancer care in all 38 provinces

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The following article is from the Philips Global website

  • Long-term multiyear agreements will see Philips installing its advanced Azurion image-guided therapy systems nationwide across all provinces, including rural and remote areas
  • Initiative brings minimally invasive care to millions of cardiac, stroke and cancer patients in Indonesia
  • Combines cutting-edge treatment technology, services and training to strengthen Indonesia’s health infrastructure
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Dialogue Session visit Gallina Vincelette (Vice President of Operations & Country Services) and Hiba Tahboub (Chief Procurement Officer)

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On Wednesday, November 19th, Gallina Vincelette, Vice President of Operations Policy & Country Services, and Hiba Tahboub, Chief Procurement Officer at the World Bank, visited the Netherlands as part of a three-day tour of Europe, which also included stops in Brussels and Berlin. During their visit to The Hague, TIO at the Netherlands Enterprise Agency hosted a Dialogue Session with 16 representatives from Dutch companies and organizations to discuss recent World Bank procurement reforms, as well as the challenges and opportunities encountered by practitioners. In a lively and open exchange, participants shared their experiences with the Bank’s procurement system and offered practical suggestions for further improvement.

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IFC, EU, and the Netherlands Back Ukraine’s Astarta to Boost Jobs, Agriculture, and the Economy

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  • New $40 million financing package to establish Ukraine’s first soy protein concentrate plant
  • Funds de-risked with guarantees from the EC’s Ukraine Investment Framework and the government of the Netherlands in support of IFC’s Economic Resilience Action (ERA) Program
  • Investment to create jobs, enhance agri-competitiveness, and diversify exports

Kyiv, Ukraine, May 14, 2025—IFC today announced a $40 million investment in Astarta, a leading Ukrainian agricultural group, to support the construction of the country’s first soy protein concentrate plant. The investment is in line with an up to $80 million financing package approved by IFC’s Board of Directors on April 1, 2025. The project is expected to boost employment, enhance agricultural productivity, and drive economic growth.

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Global Suspension & Debarment Directory

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The World Bank Office of Suspension and Debarment (OSD), in collaboration with the Working Group—including partners from the Office of the Sanctions Officer for the Inter-American Development Bank Group, the Government Procurement Law Program at The George Washington University Law School and members of the International Bar Association’s Anti-Corruption Committee—has led the Global Suspension & Debarment Survey and Directory project since 2020. The Directory consolidates comparative, standardized information on how jurisdictions worldwide design and implement suspension, debarment, and other exclusion mechanisms to safeguard public funds and strengthen integrity in public procurement and development finance.

To deepen understanding of the structures and principles underpinning exclusion systems, we invite local experts to participate in the Survey questionnaire. Drawing on data collected through the Suspension & Debarment Survey, the Directory compiles robust, consultative information accessible to a wide range of stakeholders. By presenting comparable profiles of legal frameworks, institutional arrangements, procedures, and outcomes, the Directory serves policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and integrity professionals as a practical reference to inform reform, enhance implementation, and support cross-jurisdictional learning.

Global Suspension & Debarment Directory

“Credit: World Bank Group. All rights reserved”