Helping countries transition to clean energy systems while meeting growing energy demand is 
one of the greatest development challenges of our time.
Tag Archives: Pandemic
Growth in a Time of Crisis: What’s Ahead for Developing Economies
The opening public event of this year’s Annual Meetings – Growth in a Time of Crisis: What’s Next for Developing Economies – delved into questions like these:
- How can countries build back to a sustainable, resilient, and inclusive economic recovery while also investing in their people?
- What are the fundamental barriers to sustainable and inclusive growth in low and middle-income countries and fragile and conflict-affected settings, and what does the future of growth look like?
- What types of policies are important to support inclusive growth for vulnerable populations? How can digital technology help ensure inclusion?
- What’s needed to support private investment, especially small and medium enterprises, and create jobs in developing countries?
- What role can central banks play to help spur job creation and investment?
Making Climate Action Count: Turning Ambition Into Reality
Two weeks ahead of a pivotal meeting on climate change (COP26), the Annual Meetings event Making Climate Action Count: Turning Ambition Into Reality brought together global leaders, prominent climate advocates and climate champions from several countries to discuss what the world needs to do to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. Followed on social media with the hashtag #Voices4Climate, the event also took the audience on a virtual journey around the globe, showing how countries from Vietnam to Brazil are working towards a more sustainable and resilient future.
Trade to the Rescue: Unleashing Global Trade to Support Economic Growth
Expanding trade flows can be part of the solutions to global challenges, when accompanied by the right policies. World Bank President David Malpass and WTO Director General Ngozi Onkonjo-Iweala discussed how global trade has limited the extend of the current global recession and laid out the practical steps countries could take to spread the benefits of trade more widely. Trade costs, on average, are equal to a 114 percent tariff on imported goods in developing countries. Much of that burden on consumers is the result of inefficient border procedures and poor transportation infrastructure. Trade facilitation reforms and investment in infrastructure could give a big boost to trade within regions. Betty Maina, Kenya’s Minister of Industrialization, Trade and Enterprise Development, spoke of how trade liberalization is a central part of her country’s aspirations for incomes and development.
“Trade can be a powerful catalyst for growth and social economic development and poverty reduction, particularly if we implement it with the poor in mind,” Maina said.
Leaders from the public and private sectors discussed the importance of investments in logistics and expanding trade finance that could strengthen the contribution of trade to economic recovery, and noted the ways that trade could help developing countries mitigate and adapt to climate change.
Ensuring a Strong Recovery for Developing Countries
The global economy is experiencing an uneven recovery, with the risk that it will worsen 
inequality and leave low- and middle-income countries behind. The path of the COVID-19 pandemic remains uncertain, with obstacles to vaccination in many countries. Developing economies face challenges that could slow their recovery for years to come. To help, the World Bank Group has mounted the largest crisis response in its history, and it is uniquely positioned to help ensure that all countries can participate in a green, resilient, and inclusive return to stability and growth.
Ending the Pandemic: The Road to an Inclusive Recovery
Join us for the remainder of the week for more live events, including discussions on Making Climate Action Count and Trade to the Rescue. Join His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales, Janet Yellen, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and many other experts as we continue with our 2021 World Bank Group/IMF Annual Meetings. Visit World Bank Live to join in the conversation or watch our previous sessions – where you can see discussions on ending the pandemic and promoting growth in a time of crisis, watch the Civil Society Town Hall or take advantage of a host of other resources available on demand.
The global recovery is bypassing the poorest countries
The global economy is booming—or so it might seem. 
This year is likely to mark the strongest post-recession rebound in 80 years: global GDP is expected to expand 5.6 percent. Almost all advanced economies will go back to their pre-pandemic per-capita income levels in 2022. In some parts of the world, clearly, the pandemic’s damage is being repaired quickly.
COVID-19 and women-led businesses: More innovation but greater financial risk
Over a year into the pandemic, we have witnessed how a sweeping infectious disease and 
lockdown measures quickly deepened inequalities, hindering the progress that many have fought for years to achieve. One of the most striking examples is the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on women.
Optimizing vaccine delivery by teaching healthcare workers digital skills
This blog is part of a series on digital safeguards and enablers for COVID-19 vaccine delivery.
Countries around the world are developing and executing national plans for COVID-19 vaccine delivery, balancing short-term goals — accelerated mass vaccination to reach herd immunity — with efforts to strengthen long-term health systems. Many, if not all, will be using digital technologies to face the scale and complexity of accelerated mass vaccination administration. Their intended users will need to be equipped with the right digital skills if these digital tools and platforms are to be successful. Likewise, the public health ecosystem needs to acquire the capabilities to develop, operate, maintain, and sustain the underlying databases, services, systems, and infrastructure necessary for the tools to work correctly.
Making trade work for everyone
Protectionism is on the rise in many parts of the world, and the COVID-19 pandemic is only 
partly to blame. This is hardly a new phenomenon. When I was Indonesia’s trade minister a decade ago, trade liberalization certainly did not have broad popular support.
Netherlands for the World Bank 
You must be logged in to post a comment.