Data are everywhere. But what is the data revolution doing for the 700 million people who live in extreme poverty? When data are turned into valuable information, they have the potential to improve lives, transform economies, and help end poverty. Now more than ever, the world is facing new demands for data as our principal weapon in the war against COVID-19. The latest edition of the World Development Report from the World Bank provides a blueprint on how to harness the power of data for development, to ensure no one is left behind.

"Nowadays, advocates of protectionism increasingly base their arguments on trade’s adverse distributional consequences. But governments must remember that the potential benefits of trade are far greater, provided they can put in place policies that deliver them more equitably."

The International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group, World Health Organization and World Trade Organization have joined forces to accelerate access to COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics by leveraging multilateral finance and trade solutions, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

The aim is to vaccinate at least 40 percent of people in every country by the end of 2021, and at least 60 percent by mid-2022.  The effort will track, coordinate, and advance delivery of COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics, working with governments and partners at the global and local levels to address finance and trade barriers to ensure that vulnerable populations have access to these life-saving tools. It supports the goals of the ACT-Accelerator and complementary initiatives.

The Task Force members are mobilizing critical financing, with a focus on grants and concessional lending; helping to remove barriers to...

As the world tackles the COVID-19 crisis, our support focuses on helping countries address the crisis and transition to recovery through a combination of saving lives; protecting the poor; securing foundations of the economy; and strengthening policies and institutions for resilience.

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because a large part of the world remains unvaccinated and this is a danger for all of us," so warns Mamta Murthi, the World Bank's Vice President for Human Development.

  And what's being done to help?  In the latest edition of The Development Podcast, we're examining these questions and more.  

From Addis Ababa, Dr. Ahmed Ogwell, Deputy Director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control, details how the COVID-19 pandemic has unfolded across the African continent, and the steps being taken to increase vaccination rates.

Back in Washington, Murthi joins Raka Banerjee and Paul Blake to talk about global trends and the support that the World Bank Group is giving to countries and partners in the race to vaccinate the world...

The rise of international trade has transformed the global economy and coincided with a dramatic reduction in global poverty. While overall trade is seen positively in many parts of the world, protectionism and economic nationalism are on the rise. A new World Bank report addresses the reality of trade: The benefits are shared by many, while the adjustment costs tend to be concentrated.

Trade is more?important than ever due to its role in production and provision of food, medicines, and vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic and in supporting economic recovery. It is vital to better understand and more clearly communicate how trade impacts welfare across all segments of the population, as well as how policy can help reduce disparities. 

Join us for the launch of World Bank's report “The Distributional Impacts of Trade: Empirical Innovations, Analytical Tools and Policy Responses”, which provides knowledge, data, tools, and a policy...

The shock of the second wave caused the economy to contract by -2.6 percent in the first quarter of 2021, following a 6.1 percent drop in GDP in 2020—one of the steepest contractions among Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states.A third wave of infections emerged in April 2021 has proven especially severe with strict containment measures reducing mobility and negatively affecting consumption and business sentiment.Exports of goods have provided substantial support to the Thai economy, driven by recovering global demand for automotive parts, electronics, machinery, and agricultural products.

The International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group, World Health Organization and World Trade Organization have joined forces to accelerate access to COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics by leveraging multilateral finance and trade solutions, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

The aim is to vaccinate at least 40 percent of people in every country by the end of 2021, and at least 60 percent by mid-2022.  The effort will track, coordinate, and advance delivery of COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics, working with governments and partners at the global and local levels to address finance and trade barriers to ensure that vulnerable populations have access to these life-saving tools. It supports the goals of the ACT-Accelerator and complementary initiatives.

The Task Force members are mobilizing critical financing, with a focus on grants and concessional lending; helping to remove barriers to...

The International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group, World Health Organization and World Trade Organization have joined forces to accelerate access to COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics by leveraging multilateral finance and trade solutions, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

The aim is to vaccinate at least 40 percent of people in every country by the end of 2021, and at least 60 percent by mid-2022.  The effort will track, coordinate, and advance delivery of COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics, working with governments and partners at the global and local levels to address finance and trade barriers to ensure that vulnerable populations have access to these life-saving tools. It supports the goals of the ACT-Accelerator and complementary initiatives.

The Task Force members are mobilizing critical financing, with a focus on grants and concessional lending; helping to remove barriers to...

The World Bank’s focus on foundational skills requires that issues of language and Language of Instruction be brought to the forefront of education policy discussions. Poor Language of Instruction policies harm learning, access, equity, cost-effectiveness, and inclusion. Yet, inappropriate Language of Instruction policies affect too many students in low- and middle-income countries. Given the large numbers of students being taught in languages that they do not understand globally, massive learning improvements are feasible by teaching in a small number of additional languages.

This discussion will present the World Bank’s first Policy Approach Paper on Language of Instruction, “Loud and Clear: Effective Language of Instruction Policies for Learning”, to outline its position and recommendations. The paper also offers an indication of the work that will be undertaken to support countries in introducing reforms that will result in more resilient, equitable,...

Recovery from COVID-19 will be an opportunity for countries to build resilience, improve inclusion and ensure economic growth. In this series on World Bank Live we focus on the ideas and actions that will help countries as they look beyond the pandemic. Do not miss in-depth interviews with the World Bank’s leading experts focused on health, social, and economic responses, as well as policies, institutions, and investments that will be critical to resilient, inclusive, and sustainable recovery.  

The mountain ranges of the Himalayas, the Hindu Kush, and the Karakoram span 2,400 kilometers across six nations and contain 60,000 km² of ice – storing more water than anywhere besides the Arctic and Antarctic. Climate change and air pollution are speeding up the melting of the Himalayan glaciers, jeopardizing the lives and livelihoods of 750 million people who rely on the water?from these glaciers and snows.

Melting glaciers and loss of seasonal snow pose significant risks not just to the people who live at their foot but to the stability of water resources in the South Asia region more broadly. The impacts will only get worse unless greater efforts are made to curb black carbon deposits from factories, fires, and vehicles that are accelerating melting. Our expert panel will discuss challenges and solutions to address glacier melt, improve water and energy security, and air quality, and thus...

The global economy is set to expand 5.6 percent in 2021—its strongest post-recession pace in 80 years. This recovery is uneven and largely reflects sharp rebounds in some major economies. In many emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs), obstacles to vaccination continue to weigh on activity. By 2022, last year’s per capita income losses will not be fully unwound in about two-thirds of EMDEs. The global outlook remains subject to significant downside risks, including the possibility of additional COVID-19 waves and financial stress amid high EMDE debt levels. Policy makers will need to balance the need to support the recovery while safeguarding price stability and fiscal sustainability and to continue efforts toward promoting growth-enhancing reforms.

Economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa is estimated to have contracted by 2.0% in 2020, closer to the lower bound of the forecast in April 2020, and prospects for recovery are strengthening amid actions to contain new waves of the pandemic and speed up vaccine rollouts, according to the World Bank’s biannual economic analysis for the region.

We hope that with the evidence presented in the report, countries will place these tremendous natural assets proactively into their development plans and strategies and harness the potential of protected areas to promote a green and inclusive recovery.