The objective of this Policy Note is to provide a tool for countries in the Latin America and the Caribbean region to take stock of Early Childhood Development (ECD) programs and policies in their territory. By benchmarking against other programs and policies across the region, countries can...

The Telecommunications Sector Assessment Note in the Palestinian territories is a knowledge product prepared by the World Bank in response to a specific request from the Palestinian Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology (MTIT) to assess the performance of the...

The aim of this note is twofold: (1) summarize emerging challenges and opportunities for the water sector in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries; and (2) suggest ways to respond to these challenges where the World Bank's Water Global Practice can provide support. Following a description...

This report examines how Nepal could move away from a remittance-driven growth model by reforming its trade policies to increase competitiveness. It looks at the extent to which Nepal has been tapping into its trade potentials, the underlying obstacles that it faces, and the type of reforms that...

What is produced on farmland is critical to the agriculture sector outcomes. If other objectives, such as farm incomes, jobs, water security, were considered as important as producing more of wheat and cotton in Uzbekistan, the farmland use structure will have looked differently. This report...

This policy note was prepared in parallel to the report Pakistan at 100 - Shaping the Future. The report Pakistan at 100 discusses options to accelerate and sustain growth in Pakistan so that the country becomes an upper middle-income country when it turns hundred years old in 2047. This policy...

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a fragile, post-conflict country with high demographic growth and poor governance, all of which have devastated institutions, the economy and the social fabric. The DRC was devastated by war in the 1990s and early 2000s, which claimed millions of lives...

This note outlines some of the major gains that have been achieved in Afghanistan since the US-led intervention in 2001. The analysis is informed by comparisons to development progress and outcomes in other low-income countries over the same period. Afghanistan remains mired in conflict and...

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic arrived in Brazil while the poorest forty percent of the population was still recovering from the 2014-2016 crisis. After boosting Latin America's reduction in poverty and inequality for the previous decade, Brazil's 2014-2016 crisis and recovery are a stark...