Nearly 65% of adults in the Arab region remain excluded from formal financial systems, according to a new report by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). The Annual SDG Review 2025 paints a sobering picture of persistent financial exclusion that is undermining the region’s ability …
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have long pursued unconventional economic development strategies, often with great success. Equally, because of their pronounced susceptibility to exogenous shocks, their progress remains fragile and can be set back suddenly and dramatically, as the Covid-19 crisis and secondary impacts have shown. Successfully exploiting new economic …
This working paper discusses how governments can use practical, flexible approaches to determine if and how finance is supporting locally led adaptation (LLA) to climate change. As national governments invest in building resilience to climate impacts, many are recognizing the importance of LLA. LLA recognizes that people closest to the …
Despite the economic disruption from COVID-19, top global debt and equity investors are continuing to drive capital into the renewable energy infrastructure sector due to its consistency in providing investment opportunities, finds a new report from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). Global investors are accelerating their …
The primary responsibility for providing on-the-ground services and for ensuring the controlled management of solid waste, on the other hand, lies with the local authorities. Often fiscally constrained with many competing priorities beyond waste, local authorities may have limited ability to deliver adequate services. Their technical and operational capacities may …
The India Just Transition Finance Roadmap (JTFR) project is part of an international collaboration with international partners including CDC Group, Harvard Kennedy School, and the London School of Economics. The goal of the JTFR is to identify the priority actions that can be taken by financial institutions to support climate …
A new report by Amazon Watch and Stand.Earth finds that most banks have failed to implement policies that would prevent the worst impacts of the oil industry in the Amazon. Of 14 banks assigned a score in the report, 11 were listed as being at “high” or “very high” risk …
The Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) approved seven high-impact projects worth $54 million in 2020, its best year in spite of challenging Covid-19 conditions, according to its recently released 2020 Annual Report. SEFA, managed by the African Development Bank, focuses on green baseload, green mini-grid, and energy efficiency investments. …
For China to meet its climate goals under the Paris Agreement and its 2060 carbon neutrality target, it is estimated that the country needs to spend US$20 trillion over the next three decades across all sectors. As cities are the primary source of China’s carbon emissions, much of this investment …
Indonesia, like its counterparts around the world, has reallocated its 2020 fiscal budget of USD 49 billion (IDR 695.2 trillion) for healthcare, social assistance, and small businesses to cushion the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. This reallocation consequentially reduced the fiscal capacity of local governments in Indonesia to finance …
Indonesia, like its counterparts around the world, has reallocated its 2020 fiscal budget of USD 49 billion (IDR 695.2 trillion) for healthcare, social assistance, and small businesses to cushion the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. This reallocation consequentially reduced the fiscal capacity of local governments in Indonesia to finance …
India’s future coal-fired power project pipeline carries a massive stranded asset risk due to the collapse in the average utilisation rate of its coal-fired power fleet leading to an underestimation of financial risk for new projects, finds a new report from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). …
The study discusses the barriers faced by women micro-entrepreneurs, who are using clean energy-powered livelihood technologies, in accessing finance and policy support. It highlights the potential opportunities for integrating women into the renewable energy ecosystem. It examines how businesses can be scaled up to ensure greater participation of women as …
This study estimates the impacts of two interventions implemented as field experiments in informal settlements by Nairobi’s water and sanitation utility to improve revenue collection efficiency and last mile connection loan repayment: (i) face-to-face engagement between utility staff and customers to encourage payment and (ii) contract enforcement for service disconnection …
This publication provides an overview of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) bonds as a mechanism to help mobilize the financing required to achieve the SDGs in developing Asia. The importance of development that provides for equitable economic growth and the sustainable use of natural resources has become increasingly apparent during the …
Bangladesh, India and Nepal have significantly improved basic sanitation services to people who do not have access. However, the safe management of toilet waste is still in its infancy. Delivering safe and inclusive sanitation services along the whole service chain requires considerable investment. Towns must be able to raise, allocate …
This study examines the thermal, financial and operational performance of the Indian coal fleet with a capacity of 194 GW over the course of 30 months (September 2017 – February 2020) leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic. It explores factors leading to under-utilisation of some of the new and efficient …
This study examines the thermal, financial and operational performance of the Indian coal fleet with a capacity of 194 GW over the course of 30 months (September 2017 – February 2020) leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic. It explores factors leading to under-utilisation of some of the new and efficient …
The study maps the costs of an early decommissioning of coal-based power plants in India. The assessment based on the availability of the data pertains to individual cost contributors for an early decommissioning for 130 plants representing a total of 45 per cent of India’s current installed 208 GW capacity. …
Greening the energy sector would directly reduce emissions, thereby supporting a sustainable and environmentally sound development pathway for the country. Increased renewable energy deployment would also have a direct contribution towards the country’s economic growth and energy sector security as well as contributing to local value creation, including employment opportunities …
The Enabling Conditions for Urban Climate Finance Part 2 is a contribution of the World Bank to the State of Cities Climate Finance Report 2021. Part 2 analyzes enabling frameworks and presents solutions for mobilizing urban climate finance at scale to transition cities to low-carbon, climate-resilient development pathways. It seeks …
