In recent decades, women across the globe have made positive strides toward gender equality. Literacy rates for young women and girls are higher than ever before, while gender gaps in primary education have closed in almost all countries. In the last three decades, over half a billion women have...

The little data book 2011 is a pocket edition of world development indicators 2011. It is intended as a quick reference for users of the world development indicators database, book, and CD-ROM. The database, which covers more than 1,000 indicators and spans more than 50 years, is available at...

This World Bank Annual Report for FY2006 notes that the past year saw both progress and continued challenges in the global fight against poverty and inequality. The Report discusses the following topical highlights: Debt relief for the poorest countries; targeting development in Africa; addressing...

The 2008 edition of the little green data book includes a focus section, four introductory pages that focus on a specific issue related to development and the environment. This year the focus is on the damage from climate change and carbon dioxide emissions. As this focus shows, global warming...

Agricultural water management is a vital practice in ensuring reduction, and environmental protection. After decades of successfully expanding irrigation and improving productivity, farmers and managers face an emerging crisis in the form of poorly performing irrigation schemes, slow...

The purpose of this study, educations for all has led to a significant increase in the number of students completing primary education in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). It has also created tremendous demand for secondary education. This paper discusses the processes that support upward and downward...

The Little Data Book (LDB) 2006 is a pocket edition of World Development Indicators (WDI) 2006. It is intended as a quick reference for users of WDI 2006 book and CD-ROM and WDI online, electronic subscription database. Together, they cover more than 800 indicators and span 40 years. The 208...

Bolivia's trade liberalization, launched in the mid-1980s, has resulted in a relatively open trade regime; but the results have been mixed. Bolivia's export to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio and export entrepreneurship index rating are among the highest in the Latin American and Caribbean...

The broad objective of this study is to analyze areas in which the climate change agenda intersects with multilateral trade obligations. The study identifies the key issues at stake, as well as possible actions -- at the national and multilateral levels -- that could help developing countries...

The conference brought together 44 African ministers of finance and of education from 28 African countries for a structured dialogue on sustaining Africa's economic and educational progress in the current context of a global economic slowdown. African countries have achieved laudable progress...