This options paper aims to highlight select evidence-based and innovative options for potential programming that could unlock women's and girls' empowerment through the World Bank's portfolio in Somalia. It is the operational companion to the Gender Policy Note 3 which identifies key challenges...

In 2016, Pakistan adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into its national development agenda as part of its commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Universal Health Coverage (UHC). In 2018, the Government of Pakistan designed and approved a National SDGs Framework to prioritize and localize...

In Uzbekistan, the services sector accounts for more than half of all jobs and has been central to the process of structural transformation over the past three decades. In the past decade, the growth of Uzbekistan's services exports has lagged behind its manufactures' exports while FDI...

The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in the need for accelerated digitization of health care across the globe. The Government of India amply demonstrated their digital prowess in their response to the pandemic by building Digital Public Goods (DPGs) that leverage several standalone initiatives to...

Waste management is a growing challenge in Nigeria, with major environmental, health, and economic implications for its population. Several factors hinder adequate household waste management practices in Lagos. The infrastructure for waste collection and disposal is lacking, with insufficient...

Plastic pollution is a major challenge in Bangladesh, with annual per capita plastic consumption in urban areas tripling from 2005 to 2020. The increased use of plastics, especially single-use plastics (SUPs), combined with inadequate waste management, has resulted in a large amount of plastic...

Crisis preparedness requires a comprehensive and cross-sectoral approach to risk management with targeted interventions across a range of different sectors. To provide a holistic assessment of preparedness, the crisis preparedness gap analysis (CPGA) isolates five core components of crisis...

This document highlights major advancements in financial inclusion, especially with the PIX payment system. However, financial consumers are increasingly at risk from fraud, scams, over-indebtedness, and mis-sold bundled insurance products. It calls for a structured approach to reforming the...

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....

This report identifies circular economy (CE) opportunities in the tourism sector in Cabo Verde, The Gambia, and Säo Tomé & Principe. The project focuses on enhancing circularity by advocating for policy changes, phasing out single-use plastics (SUP), and promoting innovative infrastructure and...