The Human Capital Index (HCI) Compass is a guidance note for clients' own assessment of progress towards HCI. The launch of the Human Capital Index (HCI) in October 2018 spurred an interesting conversation on the state of the world in terms of preparing the current generation to the challenges...

Iraq is at a crossroads. Almost two decades after the 2003 war, the country remains caught in a fragility trap, facing increasing political instability, growing social unrest, and a deepening state-citizen divide. Amid a multitude of crises—including an oil price shock, the COVID-19 pandemic,...

This note is a stocktaking of the first three years of the green sukuk. Given the small sample size and limited data, the analysis is limited in scope. It covers the basics of what makes a green sukuk, a brief history of the developmental work leading to the first green sukuk, followed by an...

Air pollution presents an increasingly apparent challenge to health and development across the globe. Exposure to PM2.5 is a major health risk and worldwide, an estimated 4.13-5.39 million people died prematurely in 2017 from exposure to PM2.5 pollution. The health impacts of pollution also...

Enhancing Competitiveness in the Face of Disasters presents the case to government decision-makers, tourism private sector stakeholders, and development partners that the industry must act urgently to integrate resilience as a core component of its competitiveness agenda. Its objectives are to:...

Industries create jobs, catalyze investments, and bring technological advancement to a country. However, as industries expand across borders and become increasingly complex, so do their risks, including impacts from disasters and climate change. Disasters,1 including earthquakes and extreme...

Industrial activity creates jobs, catalyzes investments and innovation, and raises standards of living in many countries. As climate change, and natural disasters intensify, so too does the risk environment for industry activity. More recently, a viral pandemic has threatened industries and...

The report focuses on the role that food loss and waste (FLW) could play in reducing the environmental footprint of food systems while attempting to meet the caloric and nutrient needs of a population expected to increase by 3 billion people in the next 30 years. The performance of the global...

Female labor force participation in the Mashreq is exceptionally low, a problem likely to be exacerbated by the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This report calls for action in the following areas: stronger economic growth, effective policy action to close legal gaps, promotion of more...

Lebanon was rocked by an explosion at the port of Beirut on August 4, 2020 causing hundreds of deaths, wounding thousands, and leading to significant destruction of livelihoods and property. The blast occurred amid political, public health, and economic crises. As part of the immediate response,...