Subscribe for free to The Development Podcast and listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

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...

Climate change is one of the defining challenges of our time, but today we have an historic opportunity to change course. For every country, being more ambitious on climate can also build a better future.  Our Climate Stories series highlights the World Bank Group's support for investments, solutions and innovations that have made a real difference in the lives of people, communities, and economies. 

Today, the world is at a moment of inflection where questions of building back societies that are more inclusive and sustainable are highly prevalent. Beyond the pandemic, Indigenous and other vulnerable groups are facing devastating impacts from climate change. To understand what has driven resilience for Indigenous Peoples during the pandemic and recent extreme climate events, the World Bank has leveraged its ongoing dialogue with Indigenous leaders and recently carried out a pilot study in Central America where 15 Indigenous communities were surveyed in six countries. The findings of the survey will be published in the next few months. Three critical factors emerged: natural capital, cultural capital, and social capital.

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Report provides new knowledge, data, tools to make trade work better for more people

WASHINGTON, May 19, 2021—Global trade has contributed to growth and poverty reduction in the past three decades, but gains from trade can be more inclusive, the World Bank said today. Spreading the benefits of trade more widely, within and between countries, can play a key role as the world seeks to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, which has reversed years of poverty reduction.

New data and tools developed by the World Bank can allow policy makers to ensure trade delivers more for the poor, according to The Distributional Impacts of Trade: Empirical Innovations, Analytical Tools and Policy Responses report. By identifying in advance those sectors and regions that are most affected by changes in trade patterns, policies can be designed to maximize the gains and mitigate potential losses.  

“There is no question that the rise in trade over the past...

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 COVID-19 pandemic has hit all countries hard. In countries like India, it also exposed the need for reliable health care and infrastructure to deliver lifesaving refrigerated vaccines. As the country also contends with seasonal heat waves and power shortages, the role of renewable energy – particularly solar energy – in meeting those challenges has come into sharp focus. For many, especially in India’s rural communities where the pandemic is wreaking havoc, reliable electricity can mean access to hospitals and medicines: quite literally, the difference between life and death.

Well before COVID-19 struck, India was determined to reap the benefits of solar power. The country set itself an ambitious target: 100 gigawatts (GW) of solar generation capacity by 2022. That would be a boon for its commercial and industrial consumers, who account for 74% of installed energy capacity, compared with 13% of installed capacity for residential customers and public sector...

Subscribe for free to The Development Podcast and listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

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