A few weeks ago, the international community agreed to a record $93 billion financing package for the world’s poorest countries. This support will be delivered through the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) over the next three years, starting in July.
Tag Archives: Business
How the World Bank Delivered COVID Vaccines in East Asia and the Pacific
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- The World Bank has provided US$1.44 billion to support the purchase and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, tests, and treatments in the East Asia and the Pacific (EAP) region, especially for the poor and vulnerable.
- Strong partnerships and flexible financing approaches have helped countries ramp up their vaccination programs while investing in health, education, and social protection to ensure a more resilient future.
- Based on the current pace of vaccination and availability of vaccines to EAP countries, most will achieve at least 70% coverage by mid-2022.
Taking the pulse of business: COVID recovery and policy implications
As the global economy gradually finds its way out of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are 
reminded each day of the fragility of recovery – threatened by new variants, outbreaks, and case spikes. It’s also a recovery that is uneven and unequal. Many low- and middle-income countries continue to face high levels of transmission as well as bottlenecks to vaccination, which contribute to business activity remaining below pre-pandemic levels.
Economic inclusion programs: A springboard out of extreme poverty
As the world grapples with the pandemic, the new State of Economic Inclusion
report points to paths out of poverty for the poorest and most vulnerable.
The World Bank estimates that the economic fallout from the pandemic may add as many as 150 million extreme poor by 2021. Women, children, displaced populations, and people with disabilities have been particularly hard hit.
The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced gender inequalities around the world
COVID-19 has seriously impacted the global progress towards gender equality, with women around the world continuing to face laws and restrictions that hinder their economic opportunity, according to the latest Women, Business and the Law 2021. Reforming laws toward gender equality must be a priority as governments look to recover from COVID-19.
Tracking an Unprecedented Year for Businesses, Everywhere
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Woman worker in leather goods factory in Bogota, Colombia
- Nearly every business in the world has been affected by COVID-19—in different ways. While one-fourth of companies saw sales falling 50 percent in October-January from pre-pandemic levels, a third said their sales increased or stayed the same.
- To capture the impact of the pandemic on firms’ performance, the World Bank launched ongoing surveys with more than 120,000 firms in over 60 countries. The assessment is expected to help inform recovery efforts.
- Developing countries have introduced multiple support programs, but businesses most affected by the shock—small firms and those in poorer countries—were the least likely to receive government support.
How have women’s legal rights evolved over the last 50 years?
Today, women have just three-quarters of the legal rights of men. In 1970, it was less 
than half. The Women, Business and the Law 2020 report presented results from our recent effort to document how laws have changed since 1970. This exceptional dataset has already facilitated ground-breaking research that shows that a country’s performance on the Women, Business and the Law index is associated with more women in the labor force, a smaller wage gap between men and women, and greater investments in health and education. We hope that sharing the data and reform descriptions on our website will lead to more evidence that will inspire policymakers to change their laws so that more women can contribute to economic growth and development.
eC2: Women Startup/Acceleration Program in High-tech Sector
Deadline: 16-Mar-2020 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.)
WBGs Advisory Project aims to design and deliver startup/acceleration program for 
competitively selected women-owned SMEs in high-tech sector in three regions. It will consist of a mix of individual and group mentoring, coaching and technical advisory aimed to improve business skills, investment readiness, and soft skills (negotiation, confidence, pitching, and so on) of beneficiaries as well as access to larger business networks and funding. The program will also include a series of networking events, aimed at expanding women-owned SMEs linkages to financial institutions and new business networks. Particular focus will be placed on creating links between women-owned SMEs and (1) financial institutions to address accessing to finance constraints; and (2) large firms/corporates to facilitate women integration in supply chains and access to business networks. The expected impact is the improved performance of women entrepreneurs in terms of revenue, funding obtained, jobs created.
Save the Date:Climate-Smart Energy Solutions Business Opportunities Fair
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Save the Date: Climate-Smart Energy Solutions Business Opportunities Fair
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Netherlands for the World Bank 
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