Other ESW Reports

298 items available

Permanent URI for this collection

https://hdl.handle.net/10986/2209

This includes miscellaneous ESW types and pre-2003 ESW type reports that are subsequently completed and released.

Items in this collection

Now showing 1 - 10 of 36

Balancing Act: Political Economy and the Pursuit of Ambitious Carbon Pricing in Developing Countries
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-09-09) World Bank
This report provides practical insights into the political economy challenges and opportunities for advancing carbon pricing, drawing on the experiences of select countries, including those in the World Bank’s Partnership for Market Implementation (PMI). Such countries often face different socioeconomic, political, and institutional environments than high-income economies. The review combines findings from academic literature in economics and political science, interviews with stakeholders, and an original survey of carbon pricing experts and policymakers in developing countries, to extract meaningful insights into how policymakers navigate political economy challenges to promote carbon pricing in developing countries. The report does not deal with the adoption of the broader set of climate policies that may also support mitigation. The premise of this report is that carbon pricing can be an effective and cost-effective instrument, one that has increasingly attracted government interest as a key part of the climate policy toolkit. The target audience for this report is national and subnational policymakers and other interested stakeholders seeking practical insights on realworld approaches that have worked or failed when advancing carbon pricing. The report does not prescribe best practices or cover every possible circumstance. Instead, by examining current practices at each stage of carbon pricing development, it aims to inform and assist in efforts to implement carbon pricing.
Defueling Conflict Environment and Natural Resource Management as a Pathway to Peace: Executive Summary
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-08-20) World Bank
Fragile and conflict-affected situations (FCS), environmental degradation, and natural disasters are on the rise and threaten to reverse development gains. In the past decade, violent civil conflicts have tripled and the number of people living in proximity to conflict has nearly doubled, with forced displacement at a record high. The World Bank Group (WBG) Strategy for Fragility, Conflict and Violence (FCV) 2020–2025 marks a shift in the World Bank’s work in fragile and conflict situations, as it adopts a more holistic approach to prevention. The Strategy seeks to enhance the World Bank Group’s effectiveness in supporting countries’ efforts to address the drivers and impacts of FCV and strengthen their resilience, especially for their most vulnerable and marginalized populations. The FCV Strategy explicitly recognizes the importance of climate change as a driver of FCV and as a threat multiplier, as well as the need to address the environmental impacts and drivers of FCV. Delivering on this shift toward preventing conflict underscores the importance of understanding the role the environment and natural resources can have. This report seeks to build a strong narrative on the need for the World Bank Group to engage and invest in environment, natural resource management, and climate change resilience in FCV-affected situations. It further aims at facilitating the integration of a conflict-sensitive lens into World Bank operations and programs addressing natural resource degradation and climate change. The report is divided in six sections: Section 1 sets the Background, Context, and Approach; Section 2 describes the risks associated with the interplay between natural resources, climate change, fragility, and conflict across the conflict cycle; Section 3 connects those causal chains to the delivery of the FCV Strategy across its four pillars; Section 4 showcases a suite of options to improve conflict-sensitive project design and implementation; and Section 5 presents an annotated questionnaire that serves as a complementary tool to the report.
Bioeconomy Paraguay: Innovation and Economic Diversification
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-08-12) World Bank
This report aims to inform the Government of Paraguay about the economic potential of an innovative bioeconomy to diversify exports and create better jobs. There are a number of innovative, biobased sectors with significant growth potential globally and in Paraguay, that could contribute to Paraguay’s economic diversification. However, to build on this potential, Paraguay would need to expand its innovation capabilities to enter sectors such as bioplastics, biopharmaceuticals, forestry and wood, ecotourism and other ecosystem services, such as carbon markets for export. A wide range of products can be produced from wood, and wood pulp can serve as an alternative input material for textiles. Besides wood itself, the forests or plantations in which it grows can also provide non-wood forestry products such as cosmetics, biopharmaceuticals, or food additives. Paraguay can also expand its bioplastics production to take advantage of a global market that is expected to grow between 35–45% through 2027. In part, this is because large buyers, such as car manufacturers, have committed to purchase bioplastics. Further market opportunities are also evident in ecotourism and carbon financing, both fast-growing service industries with potential to contribute to conservation of natural capital assets.
Early Warning Systems in Fragility, Conflict, and Violence-affected Settings: Shielding Communities from Natural Hazards Amid Compounded Crises - World Bank White Paper for EWS Implementation in FCV Settings, 2024
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-07-26) World Bank; GFDRR
This study, led by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) teams working on the Disaster-FCV Nexus thematic area and the Hydromet Services and Early Warning Systems thematic area, aims to contribute to GFDRR’s overarching objective: to help low- and middle income countries understand and reduce their vulnerability to natural hazards and climate change. More specifically, the purpose of this report is to provide valuable insights into the nuances of early warning systems (EWS) implementation within fragile, conflict, and violence (FCV)-affected contexts against growing natural hazards, offering practical recommendations and identifying entry points for enhancing stakeholder coordination, optimizing resource allocation, and fostering community resilience. It is aimed at development practitioners, especially World Bank staff, who work with communities and governments to enhance the scaling-up of EWS coverage to populations living in contexts affected by FCV.
Livelihoods Lost - Findings from two rounds of the Somalia Displacement Phone Survey (2022)
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-07-19) World Bank
Displacement features prominently in Somalia and is characterized by complex and interconnected conflict, economic, and climatic factors. Millions of people have been displaced internally within the country over the past years. Somalia also hosts 38,463 refugees or asylum-seekers from a variety of countries of origin, while some 8,993 former refugees have returned between 2020 and 2004 with assistance from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (UNHCR, 2024). Among internally displaced people (IDPs), more than half were displaced from 2016 onwards following five consecutive failed rainy seasons in much of the country (UNHCR, 2023). They often live alongside refugee returnees, particularly those from Kenya, as well as refugees and asylum seekers, the majority from Yemen and Ethiopia. These populations endure precarious livelihood and food security conditions, overcrowded environments with limited access to essential services and face an increased risk of gender-based violence, loss of productive assets and strained relations with host communities.
Strengthening International Trade and Logistics through Private Sector Participation in Mongolia and Pre-feasibility Study for a Dry Port in Zamiin Uud
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-07-19) World Bank
This report, funded by the World Bank, is aimed at strengthening Mongolia’s international trade and logistics. It summarizes the material presented in the previous reports – which covered transport demand, railway operations, border management, and private sector participation. The report focuses on the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor (CMREC), as the main corridor for non-mining international trade. It addresses logistics services, government policies, and institutional capacity to establish a robust foundation for corridor development, including trade expansion, supply chain development, economic diversification, and environmental well-being.
Desktop Review: Analysis of The Pacific Islands Forum Members included in the EU List of Non-Cooperative Jurisdictions
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-06-14) World Bank
The objective of this desktop study is to enhance the overall implementation of the international standards in the region and gain a better understanding of their technical assistance needs. This independent assessment concerning the technical challenges affecting the PIF members in the EU list has been requested by the PIF and completed by the World Bank Group (WBG). The desktop review has been prepared with public sources cited throughout the report. An interview with the Secretariat of the European Commission’s Directorate General for Taxation and Customs was also conducted. Section 2 of this note contains the evaluation of Fiji, Palau, Samoa, and Vanuatu; countries listed in the February 2024 update, against the EU tax good governance criteria. This section clearly identifies the situation of each country in respect of the criteria considered not met by the EU Council. The assessment was conducted exclusively using publicly available sources. Section 3 contains the main actions that each country must undertake to strengthen its international tax system, in accordance with the challenges identified in section. Technical assistance from international organizations can facilitate the completion of these actions. The WBG has strong expertise in the implementation of the tax transparency standards and the BEPS minimum standards within the Macroeconomics, Trade, and Investment (MTI) Global Practice. In addition, WBG works closely with other international organizations that help in these topics. Lastly, section 4 outlines the potential consequences faced by PIF countries for being in the EU list. However, this impact does not include quantification of FDI losses, as it is out of scope of this desktop review.
Scaling Up Global Partnerships: The AFD Group and the World Bank Group
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-05-16) World Bank; AFD
This document recognizes and celebrates the partnership between the AFD Group and the World Bank Group (WBG), which is a model of international development cooperation. The partnership is now scaling up to tackle the most pressing challenges of our time: climate change, poverty, and inequality. By joining forces and aligning efforts, the two institutions are addressing socioeconomic progress, building stability and security in fragile settings, investing in health and education to strengthen countries’ human capital, and taking a strong and resolute stand on the climate crisis. The document summarizes the partnership between AFD Group and the World Bank Group, then highlights examples of successful collaboration at various levels of engagement from global and thematic to country and project levels. It concludes with suggestions to replicate and scale up the partnership’s success. The partnership was ahead of its time and now serves as an exemplary model. At a time when the international development community is emphasizing the importance of partnerships to maximize the use of limited official development assistance (ODA) funds and shared global knowledge, the partnership stands out with its successful record of accomplishment for more than a decade.
Gender-Responsive Procurement in the Caribbean: A Path to Inclusivity and Resilience with a Spotlight on Emergency Procurement Considerations
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-05-14) World Bank
This policy paper aims to harness the power of public procurement to promote gender equality in nine countries of the Caribbean region: Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Suriname. The paper sheds light on how gender- responsive procurement can help fill existing gender gaps and how it can support more inclusive national rehabilitation programs. Targeted procurement actions are devised for tackling gender disparities in these countries. It is expected that the paper will serve as a primary reference for capacity-building activities.
The Knowledge Compact for Action: Transforming Ideas Into Development Impact - For a World Free of Poverty on a Livable Planet
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-05-07) World Bank
Today’s global challenges are bigger, more complex, and more intertwined than ever before, from the relentless grip of poverty and stubborn persistence of inequality to the devastations caused by climate disasters, fragility, pandemics, and conflicts. Financing and investments alone cannot solve these problems in a global context of higher debt and scarce resources. Now more than ever, clients are demanding innovative ideas and successful experiences from other countries to tackle the ongoing and emerging global crises, regain the development progress of past decades and move faster towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. At the same time, recent breakthroughs in technology, including the rapid advances in artificial intelligence, offer enormous potential to revolutionize development work. Policymakers and practitioners across the globe are poised to benefit from new tools to innovate, act based on evidence and accelerate the transformation of new ideas into development outcomes that improve lives of the poor. This paper articulates the strategic direction of the Knowledge Compact for Action, which seeks to empower all WBG clients, public and private, by systematically making the latest development knowledge available to respond more effectively to increasingly complex development challenges. The Compact seizes the opportunity of the digital revolution, bringing together the wealth of data analytics, research and best practices accumulated by the WBG over decades and combining this knowledge with the WBG’s proven mix of public-private finance to power learning and innovative solutions. This includes capturing the tacit knowledge embedded in operations for policymakers and development practitioners to easily access lessons of development successes and failures in other countries. Ultimately, the Compact aims to take knowledge to a new level, placing it front and center of the WBG’s work to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity on a livable planet.