In 2020, swarms of desert locusts descended on northern Kenya in the country’s worst locust 
infestation in 70 years. They ate crops and threatened the food security of 3 million people. Locusts brought similar devastation to some of the poorest countries in Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia, as governments and communities braced for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tag Archives: Poorest Countries
A call to action: Debt relief for the poorest countries
The World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund urge official bilateral creditors to provide immediate debt relief to the poorest countries facing COVID-19. Read the statement.
Go deeper: Learn how the World Bank Group is responding to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. Explore our multilingual portal. Click, bookmark and come back for update.
Global Community Renews Commitment to the World’s Poorest Countries with $82 Billion
PRESS RELEASE NO: 2020/083/DFI
STOCKHOLM, December 13, 2019 — A global coalition of development partners announced today their commitment to maintain momentum in the fight against extreme poverty, with $82 billion for the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank’s fund for the poorest. The financing, which includes more than $53 billion for Africa, will help countries invest in the needs of their people, boost economic growth, and bolster resilience to climate shocks and natural disasters.
The jobs challenge is bigger than ever in the poorest countries
Over the next decade, close to 600 million people will be looking for jobs, mostly in the 
world’s poorest countries.
The South Asia region alone will need to create more than 13 million jobs every year to keep pace with its demographics. In Sub-Saharan Africa, despite a smaller population, the challenge will be even greater—15 million jobs will need to be created each year.
Netherlands for the World Bank 
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