This is one of 38 winning blogs from the 2021 Blog4Dev competition, the World Bank Africa 
annual writing contest, inviting young people to weigh in on a topic critical to their country’s economic development. Blog4Dev winners responded to the question: How can young people work with their governments and civil society organizations to respond to the impact of COVID-19 and build a stronger post-pandemic economic and social system?
Category Archives: WBG News & Reports
Tackling biodiversity loss to achieve green, resilient, and inclusive development
Mari Pangestu represented the World Bank at the International Union for Conservation of 
Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress in September 2021, speaking at a high-level dialogue on Unlocking a Nature-Smart Recovery from the pandemic and also an event recognizing the progress made on climate and nature through the One Planet Summit. This blog was originally published as an open letter to the IUCN Congress on September 4.
How Can Cities Tackle Climate Change & Biodiversity Loss in Nature-Smart Ways?
- There is renewed urgency to tackle biodiversity loss and climate change, both of which can wreak havoc on cities.
- Despite the obstacles, tremendous opportunities exist if we act together, now, to integrate biodiversity measures into urban development plans and policies.
- Our new webinar series, “Bringing Nature to Cities: Integrated Urban Solutions to Biodiversity Loss and Climate Change,” convenes decision-makers, experts, and practitioners from around the world to exchange knowledge and hasten collaboration.
COVID-19 highlights unfinished business of ensuring equality for women entrepreneurs
The pandemic has been anything but business as usual for women entrepreneurs. Women 
entrepreneurs have sacrificed more time than men to undertake unpaid care during COVID-19, and their businesses have received less public support than those run by men. Unsurprisingly, this uneven support and uneven share of care have gone hand in hand with a greater risk of women-led businesses closing down, a review of new data by World Bank economists shows. This has raised concerns that COVID-19 could undo years of progress for women entrepreneurs. Setbacks from COVID-19 for women entrepreneurs in low- and middle-income countries have been severe.
COVID-19 vaccines: from rejection to shortage, how Côte d’Ivoire became a model for managing vaccine hesitancy
STORY HIGHLIGHTS 
- In February 2021, Côte d’Ivoire’s efforts to vaccinate its population in order to save lives and stem the spread of the coronavirus were being stymied by a wave of misinformation and a low level of public acceptance of the vaccine
- The government embarked on a nationwide awareness-raising campaign, deploying mobile clinics and enlisting the support of influencers and religious and community leaders
- This strategy paid off for the country, which succeeded in increasing the number of people vaccinated by tenfold, from just 2,000 to over 20,000 per day in the following weeks
We need healthier air for a healthier planet
Air pollution is a multifaceted problem – representing the world’s leading environmental risk to 
health and costing the globe an estimated $8.1 trillion in 2019 , 6.1 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP).
Air pollution is also deadly, causing or contributing to heart attacks, strokes, lung cancer, and respiratory diseases and killing an estimated seven million people every year – with about 95 percent of these deaths occurring in low- and middle- income countries. COVID-19 is only making matters worse, with research finding links between air pollution and COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths.
WBG Vendor Forum for Women-Owned and Minority-Owned Businesses in North America and Europe
September 14, 2021 | 8:00 am EDT (12:00 pm GMT) | Zoom 
The World Bank Group (WBG) Corporate Procurement unit will be holding an engaging virtual presentation to help women- and minority-owned businesses in North America and Europe learn how to do business with the WBG, what we purchase, and what we are doing to include women-owned and minority-owned businesses in our own supply chain. Speaker and registration link below.
WBG Vendor Forum for Women-Owned and Minority-Owned Businesses in North America and Europe
WBG Vendor Forum for Women-Owned and Minority-Owned Businesses in North America and Europe
September 14, 2021 | 8:00 am EDT (12:00 pm GMT) | Zoom 
The World Bank Group (WBG) Corporate Procurement unit will be holding an engaging virtual presentation to help women- and minority-owned businesses in North America and Europe learn how to do business with the WBG, what we purchase, and what we are doing to include women-owned and minority-owned businesses in our own supply chain. Speaker and registration link below.
Netherlands for the World Bank 
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