Sector/Thematic Studies

6,688 items available

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http://hdl.handle.net/10986/2110

Economic and Sectoral Work are original analytic reports authored by the World Bank and intended to influence programs and policy in client countries. They convey Bank-endorsed recommendations and represent the formal opinion of a World Bank unit on the topic. This set includes the sectoral and thematic studies which are not Core Diagnostic Studies. Other analytic and advisory activities (AAA), including technical assistance studies, are included in these sectoral/thematic collections.

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Building Code Checklist for Green Buildings

(Washington, DC, 2023-09-27) World Bank

Globally, buildings account for 37 percent of energy and process-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. With increasing urbanization and population growth, demand for energy will continue to increase faster than the supply of renewable energy. This means that increasing the efficiency of current energy use is critical to climate change mitigation efforts while also meeting the development requirement of growing economies. Regulations that can increase the energy efficiency of buildings and reduce the carbon footprint of buildings are thus vital to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and to achieving the Paris Agreement’s goal of keeping the increase in average global temperature below 2°C. This checklist aims to facilitate a robust approach to reviewing green building provisions in building regulations by providing a discussion of fundamental green building components of building regulations, and a systematic approach to review green building provisions in regulations.
Activating Alignment: Applying the G-20 Principles for Sustainable Finance Alignment with a Focus on Climate Change Mitigation

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-09-26) World Bank Group ; IMF ; OECD

The first action in the G-20 Sustainable Finance Roadmap proposes six high-level principles for the development and global coordination of approaches to align investments with sustainability goals. “Alignment approaches” are national and international frameworks for the financial sector that aim to monitor global sustainable finance flows and ensure that they are contributing to the temperature goals of the Paris Agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and other international sustainable finance objectives. These approaches increasingly leverage “alignment tools,” which include but are not limited to (a) taxonomies (or classifications) of private sector activities that can be labeled as achieving environmental and social objectives; (b) certifications and labels that confirm that products or services have met environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards; (c) disclosure frameworks that guide private sector entities to manage and report on their ESG performance; and (d) transition frameworks that help the private sector design a credible shift to low-carbon technologies and practices. The tools can then be applied in different ways—ranging from national-level regulations to voluntary private sector–led initiatives, to corporate-level practices. The tools can be applied by investors and finance providers for different purposes at different levels: at the “asset level” (as in determining whether a project or activity is compatible with a relevant sustainable finance taxonomy or due diligence framework); the “entity level” (as inwhether a corporate or financial institution has a robust low-carbon transition plan and adheres to the International Labour Organization (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work); or “portfolio level” (as in whether an index is aligned with a credible temperature objective or supports poverty reduction). The G-20 Voluntary Principles for Developing Alignment Approaches provide a common foundation for ensuring these alignment approaches are robust and consistent.
Building Code Checklist for Fire Safety

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-09-14) World Bank

Urban fire risk is a global problem - one that can be heightened during periods of rapid urban development. Inadequacies in urban planning, infrastructure and construction practices related to fire prevention and mitigation significantly increase the potential for fire ignition, fire spread, and potential conflagration. This checklist aims to facilitate a robust approach to reviewing fire safety provisions in building and/or fire regulations by providing a discussion of fundamental fire safety components of building and/or fire regulations, a systematic approach to review fire safety provisions in regulations.
Valuing Green Infrastructure: A Case Study of the Vakhsh River Basin, Tajikistan

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-09-14) World Bank

This report outlines the main results of a study conducted to assess the potential role of landscape restoration/nature-based solutions/green infrastructure in the Vakhsh River Basin, Tajikistan, to reduce the impacts of soil erosion on the hydropower cascade, increase agricultural productivity, improve livelihoods, and inform about investment opportunities. This assessment finds sediment sources and loadings in the Vakhsh River Basin, considers the potential correlation between soil erosion and sedimentation in hydropower reservoirs, proposes possible and cost-effective landscape restoration measures, and estimates the value of ecosystem services provided. The study also presents recommendations for implementing the proposed interventions for the Vakhsh River Basin and for scaling up to other degraded areas throughout the country.
Divestment Drivers and FDI Retention

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-09-13) Priyanka, Kher ; Griffin, Carlos

Affiliates of foreign multinationals offer potential growth and benefits through years of successful operation and successive expansions, including through job creation, new skills and technologies, and deeper participation in global value chains. In fact, reinvestment has become an increasingly important part of global foreign direct investment flows. This is evidenced by the share of reinvested earnings in global foreign direct investment (FDI) growing from 30 percent in 2005 to more than 40 percent since 2018. The need to address the issue of divestment is made more urgent by extraordinary crises. The COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, inflation, growing geopolitical tension, volatile energy prices, climate change, an acceleration in the emergence of disruptive technologies, resurgent protectionism and related challenges in global value chain integration, the possibility of a global minimum corporate tax, have led to disruptions in business plans of multinationals. The need to address the issue of divestment is urgent, given the extraordinary crises and trends that now present investors and policymakers with extreme economic uncertainty. The aim of this note is to fill that gap and ultimately help host country investment agencies with more timely identification of potential divestment risks. Based on a literature review and the World Bank’s operational experience, this note explores the following three questions: (1) what are the drivers of divestment decisions, including the cancellation of expansion plans; (2) are there any early warning signs of divestment likelihood that could be discernible to retention agencies (that is, agencies leading government efforts to better retain investment); and (3) how can retention agencies leverage this knowledge to enable better FDI retention This note aims to serve as a starting point, documenting available literature on the topic. It ultimately aims to support retention agencies in taking more informed steps and decisions to better retain investment.
Emerging Market Green Bonds: IFC-Amundi Joint Report

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-09-12) IFC ; Amundi

This fifth edition of the ‘Emerging Market Green Bonds Report’ reviews key green, social, sustainability, and sustainability-linked (GSSS) bond market trends in 2022 and outlines our expectations for 2023 and beyond. It also discusses the implications for the asset class of recent developments in policy, regulation, and technology. As in the previous four editions, this year’s report is also the result of joint work by Amundi, a leading European asset manager, and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group.
Enhancement of Resilient Urban Planning and Infrastructure Investments in Urban Areas in Kenya - Guidance Note on Mainstreaming Resilience into Urban Planning

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-09-01) World Bank

This ‘Guidance Note on Mainstreaming Resilience into Urban Planning’ forms one of a suite of reports developed by AECOM for the World Bank Group under the ‘Enhancement of Resilient Urban Planning and Infrastructure Investments in Urban Areas in Kenya’ assignment and constitutes Deliverable 7. Aimed at municipal-level planners in Kenya, this guidance note includes activities, considerations, and examples of good practice from within Kenya and other contexts to support municipal governments with mainstreaming resilience within the urban planning system. While the primary audience is municipal-level urban planners, this guidance note is likely to be helpful and relevant to other planning system stakeholders, including developers, local politicians, government ministries, departments and agencies, community leaders, other built environmental professionals, and the general public. Throughout, the Guidance Note focusses on mainstreaming resilience. In other words, this document is not, and should not be used as, a general ‘how-to’ guide for urban planning. While some advice is provided within it that may be more applicable beyond the topic of resilience and/or comprises basic good practice in urban planning, that text is nevertheless included as a means to build resilience as a primary outcome.
Sustainable Cities: Urban Areas and Climate Change in Sierra Leone

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-09-01) World Bank

Sierra Leone is highly vulnerable to natural hazards whose impacts are exacerbated by unplanned rapid urbanization. The main victims of climate change risks and impacts in urban Sierra Leone are the urban poor who also bear the brunt of multiple crises such as Ebola and Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19). In response to these impacts, local councils are front and center in implementing climate action activities in Sierra Leone. Therefore, this report situates local councils at the center of climate action. By focusing at the urban and community level, it has three objectives: (i) Identify the risks and impacts of climate change, (ii) Explore what local councils are already doing, and (iii) Determine what they could do more of, or better.
Integrating Resilience into Municipal Infrastructure Delivery in Kenya: Guidance Note for Municipal and County Engineer and Planners - Urban Resilient Infrastructure Guideline

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-09-01) World Bank

This Resilient Urban Infrastructure Guidelines forms one of a suite of reports developed by AECOM for the World Bank Group under the ‘Enhancement of Resilient Urban Planning and Infrastructure Investments in Urban Areas in Kenya’ assignment and constitutes Deliverable 2. This guidance note provides simple guidance for increasing the resilience of municipal infrastructure projects, and of communities, to physical risks, notably impacts of climate changes. This will increase the sustainability of investments under Second Kenya Urban Support Program (KUSP2), enabling them to perform their required function for their proposed design life, in a changing climate. It follows, roughly chronologically, the project development and design process. For the purposes of this note, resilient urban infrastructure is defined as infrastructure that is designed to deliver essential services now and in the future. It is prepared for and can withstand, adapt and recover positively from the physical (and climatic) shocks and stresses it may face over its lifetime. This is both with regards to the assets themselves, as well as the wider system that these assets are part of, which could include: the natural environment, the urban system, the operators, and the communities that interact with them.
Climate Resilient Investment in Sub-Saharan Africa Compendium Volume: A Focus on Infrastructure Project Design in Key Sectors

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-09-01) World Bank

This Compendium Volume presents a series of guidance notes and more detailed complementary technical notes that offer practical insights in support of enhancing the climate resilience of infrastructure investment projects in Sub-Saharan Africa. This first introductory chapter starts with an overview of the investment conditions and climatic context in the region, followed by a description of the scope of this Compendium Volume and individual notes, target audiences, and a roadmap for users of the contents covered in this Volume.