About 80 percent of the poor households in Timor-Leste live in rural areas and are dependent on agriculture for their livelihood. It is therefore widely acknowledged that growth in the agriculture sector is an important channel through which poverty can be reduced in the country. That...

There is clear evidence on the need for cities to rapidly scale-up their investments in climate change mitigation programs and build strong foundations for climate-resilient communities. Investing in low carbon infrastructure and climate resilience can generate competitive returns and is crucial...

Lao P.D.R.'s risks of external and overall debt distress continue to be assessed as high. Under the revised low-income country debt sustainability framework (LIC DSF), its debt carrying capacity has deteriorated and most external and total public debt indicators breach their respective...

According to the updated Low-Income Country Debt Sustainability Framework (LIC DSF), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)'s debt-carrying capacity was assessed as weak. DRC remains at a moderate risk of external and overall debt distress, with limited space to absorb shocks. The debt...

Due to its recognized benefits, most countries today regardless of their level of development compete for and dedicate significant resources to attracting foreign direct investment (FDI). Capturing the full positive spillovers of FDI is a long-term process and requires regulatory certainty and...

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) face significant financing gaps that stifle innovation and economic growth. The credit gap alone is estimated at dollar 4.5 trillion as of 2017 for emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs) only. Bank financing has been the traditional source of...

From the near twenty million metropolitan city of Karachi, in Pakistan to the 400,000 person city of Pokhara, in Nepal, mayors and decisions makers are struggling to raise financing for capital investments in their cities that could deliver improved services to their communities, with the key...

The paper will focus on the resolution frameworks of a sample of 12 countries taken from 6 regions. The review of the sample countries is used to analyze issues that may be relevant for other countries and to discuss potential challenges faced in implementing effective safeguards. The remainder...

This report analyses options to make international public climate finance more transformative. The report identifies eight sets of levers to drive climate action: project-based investments, financial sector reform, fiscal policy, sectoral policies, trade policy, innovation and technology...