Bhutan has made tremendous progress in reducing poverty. But it needs to do a better job at diversifying its economy by improving its physical and human capital by using resource rents from hydropower. Will diversifying its economy help Bhutan address its youth unemployment, let alone its macroeconomic volatility and vulnerability? With the right approach, yes. And to that end, the ...
Sushumlata, the head of the gram panchayat of Dawan village, Bhojpur District, Bihar, conducts a meeting at the newly furbished panchayat office. In a remote village in Bihar’s Bhojpur district, Sushumlata sits behind a spanking new desk in a newly-refurbished government building. From the time she came to the village as a new bride, this young woman has chosen ...
For low-lying island states, the impacts of global warming and climate change can be a matter of survival. The irony is that while these states have not contributed much to greenhouse emissions, as they produce very little, they may face some of the worst consequences. The Maldives is no stranger to the risks from climate change. It is ...
Recently on mission in Pakistan to unveil a new tool to help the Punjab government better manage its public debt, the blog author, Andrew Lee, interacted and shared a few selfies with youth in the Shalimar Gardens in Lahore. “Sí, sabes que ya llevo un rato mirándote Tengo que bailar contigo hoy” The Despacito tune blared in the ...
The World Bank Group (WBG) and Maldives have had a trusted partnership for the past 40 years, which has seen tremendous growth and development in the country. Over this period, Maldives has transformed from being among the poorest countries in the world to having a per capita GDP of over $10,000 and boasts impressive human development achievements, with a ...
Across South Asia, four known species of indigenous, fully mature, small food-fish – now dubbed ‘NutriFish’ have nutritional and health benefits for pregnant and lactating women and young children when consumed over the first one thousand days. Here, children from Kothi, Odisha in India show their curiosity and share their excitement with a new kind of harvest happening in their village. Credit: Arun Padiyar Kale, Kefir, and Quinoa have now joined the ...
Nearly 50 million Pakistanis still lack access to grid electricity. Power distortions cost Pakistan’s economy much more than previously estimated: $18 billion in fiscal year 2015—that is 6.5 percent of the country’s economy. From 1990 to 2010, 91 million people In Pakistan received electricity for the first time. And power outages across the country have gone down drastically ...
Although Bangladesh has achieved much in the way of poverty reduction and human development, progress has been slower in some urban areas. Issues such as slow-down of quality job growth, low levels of educational attainment (notably among the youth), and lack of social protection measures have taken the wind out of the proverbial urban reduction “sail.” As the country ...
As the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence is marked worldwide, we present to you stories of 16 inspiring heroes from Nepal. They are crusaders and pioneers, leaders and visionaries who share one common trait – a remarkable journey in their path towards equality and empowerment. The women belong to diverse backgrounds, cultures, castes and groups. Yet all of them have stood ...
In India alone, 185 million people don’t get enough nutrients. This hidden hunger is especially pervasive among children. as more than 70 percent of India’s children under five are deficient in Vitamin D, and 57 percent of all children in the country lack adequate levels of Vitamin A. Credit: NDDBGlobally, more than two billion people are deficient in key micronutrients, ...
Toward a Liveable Dhaka The Dhaka Metropolitan Area is the economic and political center of Bangladesh and has been the country’s engine of economic growth and job creation. Dhaka’s role as a commercial hub has led to rapid population growth, with the population increasing 10 times in 40 years to about 18 million in 2015. This has contributed to ...
Accelerating the reform momentum after the 2018 elections is key to consolidating and furthering Bhutan’s development. Credit: World Bank Bhutan is one of the smallest, but fastest-growing economies in the world. Its annual average economic growth of 7.6 percent between 2007 and 2017 far exceeds the average global growth rate of 3.2 percent. This high growth has ...
With a stunting rate of 38 percent, Pakistan is still among the group of countries with the highest rates of stunting globally and the pace of decline remains slow and uneven. In Sindh, for example, things have worsened over time, with one in two children now stunted. Credit: UNICEF More than one in every three children born in Pakistan today ...
Heritage is an extremely important aspect of Bhutan. Culture defines the sovereignty and identity of Bhutan and its people. And the intricate beauty and uniqueness of its traditional architecture are known around the world. As such, cultural heritage preservation is one of the four pillars of Gross National Happiness, the guiding philosophy of Bhutan’s development, and is embedded in ...
حضور محصلین پوهنتون طبی کابل در صنف درسی. عکس: شرکت مشورتی رومی/ بانک جهانی برای من منحیث یک فعال حقوق زن، که شش سال اخیر عمر خود را صرف توانمند سازی زنان کرده ام، خیلی مهم است، تا از دسترسی دختران و زنان به تحصیلات عالی مطمین شوم. کار با پروژه انکشاف تحصیلات عالی در چوکات وزارت تحصیلات ...
Students attending class at Kabul Medical University. Photo Credit: Rumi Consultancy/ World Bank As a women’s rights activist who has dedicated the past six years of her life to empowering women, ensuring that women can access education is crucial to me. This is what motivates me in my work with the Higher Education Development Program (HEDP) at the Ministry ...
چگونگه انجام تجارت در افغانستان بهبود یافته است [tweetable]]علی الرغم دشواری های موجود برای پیشبرد تجارت و کسب و کار، دولت افغانستان اقدامات لازم را غرض تسهیل و بهبود شرایط برای سرمایه گذاران رویدست گرفته است[[/tweetable]]. براساس اخرین گزارش سالانه انجام تجارت، که توسط بانک جهانی به منظور مطالعه مقررات تجارتی در ۱۹۰ کشور تهیه میگردد، امسال ...
Doing Business Better in Afghanistan Despite a volatile business environment, Afghanistan has made gains to improve the ease of doing business in the country. These gains resulted in Afghanistan’s ranking in Doing Business—a World Bank report that measures business regulations across 190 economies—jumping from 183 in 2018 to 167 in the 2019 report, earning the country a coveted spot ...
