Imagine landing your dream engineering role at one of Silicon Valley’s top technology companies – from your apartment in Riyadh, Cairo, or Beirut. This dream is now within reach for thousands in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), provided they have the right skills.
Continue reading
Jobs are the surest path out of poverty, but not all jobs are the same. “Good jobs” provide not only income but also stability, security, and benefits that enhance well-being and strengthen communities.
These distinctions became evident in the latest Life in Transition Survey (LiTS) conducted by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in collaboration with the World Bank. More than half (54%) of respondents identified sufficient income as the most important characteristic of a good job, followed by job stability (23%), good working conditions (11%), and benefits (5%). Yet these features are often missing in the widespread informal employment found across Europe and Central Asia (ECA), and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
Continue reading
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has a large reservoir of untapped human resources, with the world’s highest unemployment rate among youth and the lowest participation of females in the labor force. Desirable jobs, defined as high-paying or formal jobs, are few, and private employment is overwhelmingly of low added value.
Continue readingSaudi Arabia took a big leap forward in transforming its pension system with the recent 
announcement of comprehensive reforms, designed with support from the World Bank, aimed at enhancing income protection during old-age, but also promoting gender equality. Aging populations, caused by increasing life expectancy and falling fertility rates, combined with the changing nature of work and the erosion of informal and traditional family support systems, have created considerable challenges for pension systems worldwide. Many are facing fiscal sustainability pressures and adequacy concerns, including in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Pension reform is always difficult due to the political economy challenges, which is why this comprehensive pension reform in Saudi Arabia is such a breakthrough. It truly sets a new benchmark for the MENA region, addressing critical issues such as retirement age, maternity leave, and social insurance coverage.
Our oceans are experiencing a range of problems caused by climate change and human
activity: rising temperatures, acidification, sea-level rise, habitat destruction, overfishing, marine pollution, and the introduction of invasive species. These impacts are damaging ocean health and threatening the livelihoods of billions of people. They also point to a critical lack of governance globally of this precious resource.
The war in Ukraine could not have come at a worse time, eroding global economic
prospects as much of the world struggles to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the immediate impacts of the war has been the surge in commodity prices, raising concerns over food and energy security.
What is the best path to building better and greener after the pandemic? Leaders around the 
globe ask this question and come up with different answers. For example, the European Union puts the spotlight on nature as the strongest ally in green recovery after COVID-19. South Korea plans to invest in green cities and support new green industries and businesses, among others. The best recipe for success differs across countries and regions, but as made clear in this previous op-ed, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region will need to include green and sustainable practices for a more resilient and inclusive recovery.
WASHINGTON DC, APRIL 11th, 2019.- Senior representatives of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the World Bank today signed an agreement for USD 7,000,000 to 
support developing countries’ efforts in mobilizing much-needed public domestic resources to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in Africa and the Middle East.
The four-year agreement aims at boosting domestic resource mobilization while strengthening tax policy and administrative capacity in selected countries in North, Western, and Central Africa, as well as in the Middle-East. Some countries that may benefit from this agreement include: Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Côte D’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Ethiopia, Kenya, Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon.
The start-up scene in the Middle East and North Africa region is booming. The growing number of incubators and accelerators that can be found from Beirut, Ramallah, Gaza to Cairo and Casablanca have gained recognition beyond the region. Our team at the MENA Youth Platform has been studying the emerging trends, and one thing is clear: the next revolution will look very different, and young women are at the forefront of innovation such as artificial intelligence. Impressively, a new startup-ecosystem index shows how Tunis and Amman lead the MENA crowd based on an assessment of available human capital, access to finance, the vibrancy of the startup scene, available ICT infrastructure, an enabling macro-context, and global market access.
Deadline: 14-Aug-2017 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.)
The IFC Advisory Services MENA Microfinance Team is seeking a consulting firm to support a Yemeni MFI in assessing institutional readiness to expand its cash transfers line of business. The firm will be expected to use their previous experience in the cash transfers space and surveying clients and staff to review the current set up and cash transfer/agent banking mechanism, to identify gaps and areas for improvement as well as to develop a six-month action plan and overall strategy in these areas that covers crisis and post-crisis operations.
Continue reading
Netherlands for the World Bank 
You must be logged in to post a comment.