Two phenomena are increasingly reshaping the world economy. One is the growing and well-documented importance of climate transition policies that differ across countries. The other is the stark rise of geoeconomic fragmentation (GEF) concerns. While differences in climate transition policies are...

This Discussion Paper makes the case for universality in United Nations (UN) development work. So far, the UN development pillar has largely remained wedded to a 20th-century approach to development cooperation that centres on two groups of states and a one-way relationship between them: rich...

The World Health Organization (WHO) should act as the directing and coordinating authority in global health but it has been steadily marginalized over time by design, through criticism as an inefficient organization, the reduction of assessed contributions and consequent impoverishment, and the...

This paper explores the policies of the United Nations and specialized institutions concerning the coordination of international community efforts to combat terrorist threats. Terrorism remains a significant threat to international security, despite the war in Ukraine taking priority in terms of...

The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) was born out of the need felt by newly emerging post-colonial nations not to be compelled to be part of any single political or military bloc during the Cold War. As the international community finds itself once again in the midst of heightened geo-political...

Green hydrogen – produced with renewable energy – is indispensable for the decarbonisation of economies, especially concerning “hard-to-abate” activities such as the production of steel, cement and fertilisers as well as maritime transport and aviation. The demand for green hydrogen is...

Two phenomena are increasingly reshaping the world economy. One is the growing and well-documented importance of climate transition policies that differ across countries. The other is the stark rise of geoeconomic fragmentation (GEF) concerns. While differences in climate transition policies are...

Bulgaria has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past three decades. Despite this transformation and although European Union (EU) membership in 2007 raised expectations of living standards rapidly converging to EU levels, progress on a range of development challenges has been uneven....

After decades of volatile low growth and low investment, Pakistan has fallen behind its peers in key metrics of development. It now has an opportunity to durably take another course. The economy is recovering from the recent crisis as the government has launched an ambitious program of fiscal,...

This Country Partnership Framework (CPF) sets forth the World Bank Group (WBG) strategy for supporting Namibia's goals to reduce poverty and inequality as outlined in its national development plans. Although the WBG has historically had a limited engagement in Namibia, the authorities have...

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss the potential contribution of cross-border vocational education and training (VET) exchange partnerships within the context of tandem exchanges between VET institutions in the Rhine-Waal Euregio region in the Netherlands and Germany. These tandem...

This Country Partnership Framework (CPF) presents the planned engagement of the World Bank Group (WBG) in Azerbaijan over the next five years (FY25-29). The CPF is guided by the government's strategy for socio-economic development for 2022-26 (SEDS) and the WBG's most recent strategic analysis -...

Armenia, a landlocked country in the South Caucasus with a population of three million, has registered important achievements over the past two decades. Between 2000-2023, Armenia achieved robust economic growth averaging 6.3 percent, above the average for Europe and Central Asia (excluding...

This Country Partnership Framework (CPF) sets out the World Bank Group's (WBG) priorities in helping Haiti restore governance, sustain essential public services, and resume growth. The CPF covers the period from fiscal year (FY) 2025 to 2029 and responds to priorities that the government...

The reform of the international financial and tax systems has been at the center of global debates in recent years -in the United Nations, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the OECD and the G20. The fourth United Nations Conference on Financing for Development that will take place...

Forty-five years ago, the first Regional Conference on the Integration of Women into the Economic and Social Development of Latin America was held (Havana, 1977), as an intergovernmental platform for the region following the World Conference of the International Women’s Year (Mexico City,...

This paper argues that the crisis facing the development effectiveness agenda is fundamentally derived from limited collective commitment to a singular model of development, one where a developed North serves as model and funder for a developing South. This is partly the reason for the...

This book presents a comprehensive study of the emergence, functioning and evolution of international cooperation among competition authorities. It presents an in-depth look at network cooperation taking place within international organisations, as well as networks based on binding international...

The key tools and governance approaches for international cooperation for sustainable development (hereafter, international cooperation) were set up in a markedly different time and age. International cooperation - with official development assistance (ODA) as the dominant means of...

The village of Chingalire, Malawi, is being transformed into a model of sustainability. For the formulation of a development strategy, information on the village's changes was gathered over a year, focusing on the built environment since its beginnings in 1976. This research aims to initiate the...

State fragility has remained a pressing challenge for international security and development policymakers for more than two decades. However, international engagement in fragile states has often failed, in part due to a lack of understanding about what constitutes state fragility. Established...

This Discussion Paper makes the case for universality in United Nations (UN) development work. So far, the UN development pillar has largely remained wedded to a 20th-century approach to development cooperation that centres on two groups of states and a one-way relationship between them: rich...

International law and voluntary norms have not effectively prevented state, proxy, or other criminals from malicious and harmful behaviour in cyberspace. Geopolitical confrontation and tension beyond cyberspace with major threat actors have largely exhausted sanctions. Faced with threats that...

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is considered as one of the successful regional cooperations and has played a remarkable role in regional, and potentially global, order through its principles of consensus, non-interference, and peaceful resolution of conflicts, providing platform for...

As the World Bank Group (WBG) is evolving, it remains a strategic partner for Romania in helping accelerate the pace and impact of the country's national development efforts while pursuing opportunities to contribute to the global development agenda. The Romania Country Partnership Framework...

The Japanese government's unilateral decision to discharge the nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean has caused immense nuclear safety risks. Monitoring the unclear-contaminated water is a starting point to combat these risks and seek remedies for the...

In 2023, Frontex further reinforced its strategic efforts to strengthen partnerships across the key migratory routes to the EU. The Agency actively engaged in structured dialogue and collaborative initiatives with key countries of origin and transit along key migratory routes to the EU,...

The aim of this Strategy is to provide a new impetus for Frontex in the external dimension, making full use of the Agency's mandate and available tools, and ensuring they are strategically positioned within broader EU policy objectives and available leverage. The Strategy is developed within the...

A terrorist attack, planned to take place in France on 1 July 2018, was prevented through the actions of the Belgian authorities and their partners in Germany, France and Luxembourg. Based on information from their security services, the law enforcement services initiated an investigation at the...

The brief emphasises the need to translate climate commitments into effective policies, focusing on carbon pricing mechanisms like emissions trading, carbon taxes, and crediting mechanisms led by public authorities. - Carbon pricing cooperation is essential for increasing climate ambition,...

In 2023, Frontex further reinforced its strategic efforts to strengthen partnerships across the key migratory routes to the EU. The Agency actively engaged in structured dialogue and collaborative initiatives with key countries of origin and transit along key migratory routes to the EU,...

The aim of this Strategy is to provide a new impetus for Frontex in the external dimension, making full use of the Agency's mandate and available tools, and ensuring they are strategically positioned within broader EU policy objectives and available leverage. The Strategy is developed within the...

The present collection of short papers is an experimental, explorative and introspective German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) project on international and transnational cooperation for development and sustainability. It is the product of internal brainstorming discussions at...