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 …
Climate change will have significant long-term impacts on people, ecosystems and the global economy. To avoid catastrophic impacts, the world must mobilise finance at scale to deliver rapid and substantial low-carbon transitions across sectors and regions. Improving sustainable finance approaches and enhancing market alignment with this transition is crucial. Evidence …
Analyzing the role companies can play in tackling climate change, this book shows how corporate values, responsibilities, and governance can affect their behaviors and investment decisions within effective environmental, social, and governance (ESG) frameworks. It assesses the issue of climate justice, considers the impact of “greenwashing”, and looks at ways …
Although risk-based approaches to disaster management are particularly effective, the rapid start-up of risk financing is hardly conceivable in the case of a drought that has been grossly underfinanced. Even if existing resources are spent more effectively, the gap far exceeds the active finance flows. Creating an enabling environment for …
Women are crucial to respond to climate change. This paper finds that investing in rural women helps achieve climate goals, while simultaneously addressing gender inequality and poverty. Climate-related projects and policies that involve women deliver better environmental outcomes. Funders and investors need to mobilize climate finance while addressing gender gaps …
African cities and local governments are under increasing pressure to provide infrastructure and services to the growing population. Yet, most remain severely under-resourced, leaving them unable to make the necessary investments. This situation has been exacerbated by the struggle of African cities and municipalities to access third-party finance, including debt. …
The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) represents an historic investment in climate resilience and equitable economic development in the United States. The GGRF, managed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), will provide $27 billion in grants to state, local, and tribal governments as well as not-for-profit financial institutions to …
As nature-related disclosures are set to become a business norm, this report assesses the readiness of financial institutions to build on their climate reporting towards holistic climate and nature disclosures. The report analyzes the current state of environmental reporting by financial institutions with a focus on climate change, forests and …
Water is a critical natural resource, a global public good, and an essential service. Water security is central for countries to achieve long-term development objectives in the current context of climate change, including protecting infrastructure assets, safeguarding agricultural production, producing sustainable energy, and protecting vulnerable populations. However, water resources are …
Around Rs 79 crore has been transferred to ineligible beneficiaries under the Ministry of Rural Development’s National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) between 2017 and 2021, an audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has revealed. Of this, Rs two crore was paid to beneficiaries even after their …
Extreme weather events impacted India on 314 of 365 days in 2022. Yet, major Indian banks have been unprepared to confront climate risks, according to a new analysis prepared by Bengaluru-based think tank Climate Risk Horizons. The report, Still Unprepared, is based on assessment of the year 2022, and finds …
This report assesses climate finance in Asia and the Pacific and analyzes how it can be harnessed by developing member countries to expand climate action and spur low-carbon, resilient growth. Designed to help governments and development partners identify and address barriers, it offers a subregional breakdown and underscores the need …
Low-carbon and resilient agrifood systems are vital to ensure the food security of a growing human population and global economic development. These systems are the processes and actors that convert natural resources and the environment into benefits and costs for humans through agricultural production and agro-industries. This report presents the …
Central Africa achieved real GDP growth of 5.0 percent in 2022, compared with 3.4 percent in 2021. The rebound in economic activity was driven by favourable prices for raw materials, in a region that is home to net exporters of crude oil, minerals and other commodities. The region’s growth rate …
Decentralised renewable energy (DRE) technologies play a critical role in enabling an equitable energy transition and ensuring energy security for many emerging and developing economies. These technologies address three of the most pressing challenges faced in developing countries: they support diverse energy needs and, thereby, the livelihoods of large populations; …
West Africa experienced slower economic growth over the past year except for Cabo Verde, The Gambia, Guinea, Mali, and Niger, according to the African Development Bank’s 2023 West Africa Economic Outlook report. The report assessed the economic performance of 15 West African countries, namely: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte …
This Report of the Standing Committee on Energy deals with actiontaken by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy on observations/ recommendations contained in the Twenty-First Report (Seventeenth Lok Sabha) of the Committee (2021-22) on the subject ‘Financial Constraints in Renewable Energy Sector. The Twenty-First Report was presented to the …
This paper discusses various ways through which Multinational Development Banks (MDBs) can mobilize private capital. The paper provides insights into innovative de-risking mechanisms and structures, to catalyze private finance for climate investments. To understand how MDBs can become 'mobilizers', it teases out the specific features from these mechanisms that could …
The 2023 Southern Africa Economic Outlook, analyses the recent economic trends and developments in Southern Africa. In line with this year’s theme for the annual outlook: mobilizing private sector financing for climate and green growth in Africa, the report also explores the potential role of the private sector in financing …
This Policy Brief explores the scale and nature of commercial opportunities from adaptation to climate change, whilst stressing that adaptation to climate change is also a public good. It samples some enterprises in the real economy in India that produce adaptation goods and non-financial services, such as flood forecasting and …
The Gambia’s economy continued to recover in 2022, albeit at a subdued pace in a sluggish global economic environment. Real GDP increased by 4.3 percent (1.8 percent in per capita terms) in 2022, unchanged from 2021, when economic growth was recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic following a sharp deceleration to …
