Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Simon Harris TD, together with Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora Neale Richmond TD, have announced over €4.6 million in grants to support Irish diaspora organisations in the US and Canada. The funding, part of the US Emigrant Support Programme, will benefit 145 Irish organisations… [Read More]
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Minister McEntee Launches National Campaign to Improve School Attendance in Ireland
The Minister for Education and Youth, Helen McEntee, in partnership with the Tusla Education Support Service (TESS), has launched a nationwide multimedia campaign aimed at promoting regular school attendance across Ireland. The campaign follows the publication of the TESS Annual Attendance Report and Student Absence Report for the 2023/2024 school year, which highlights that more… [Read More]
Minister Jim O’Callaghan Launches 2025 Campaign to Curb Illegal Fireworks Misuse
Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Jim O’Callaghan has launched a nationwide awareness campaign to highlight the serious risks associated with illegal fireworks and the strict penalties for their misuse. The campaign, launched at the Dublin Fire Brigade Training Centre in Marino, is a collaboration between An Garda Síochána, the Irish Society for Prevention… [Read More]
Deadly Mosque Strike in El Fasher: UN Fact-Finding Mission Urges Swift Response in Sudan
The UN’s Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan has strongly condemned a deadly drone strike on the Al-Safiya Mosque and nearby homes in El Fasher, North Darfur, carried out on 19 September, allegedly by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The Mission highlighted the urgent need to protect civilians, warning that El Fasher remains under siege… [Read More]
UK-Ireland Joint Framework: A Key Step in Addressing Troubles-Era Human Rights – Türk
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk highlighted that the new Joint Framework between the United Kingdom and Ireland represents a significant step toward addressing the human rights impacts of the Troubles. The Troubles, a conflict spanning three decades, ended in April 1998 with the Good Friday Agreement, after which initial measures to address… [Read More]
Riyadh Hosts New World Bank Regional Hub for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan
The World Bank has inaugurated a new regional hub in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to serve the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan (MENAAP) region. This hub is co-located with the World Bank Group’s Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) regional office, bringing the Bank’s leadership closer to country teams, clients, and regional partners. The relocation of… [Read More]
Port Performance Trends Reveal Regional Disparities Amid Global Disruptions
Port performance worldwide declined between 2020 and 2024, largely due to the Red Sea Crisis, operational challenges at the Panama Canal, and lingering pandemic-related disruptions. Despite these shocks, efficiency gains varied significantly across regions and income levels, highlighting uneven recovery patterns among global container ports. The Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) shows that East Asian… [Read More]
Tajikistan’s Poverty Decline: Job Creation and Inequality Remain Pressing Challenges
Tajikistan has made significant strides in reducing poverty over the past decade, according to a new World Bank report. The national poverty rate fell from 56% in 2010 to around 20% in 2024, while the middle class grew more than fourfold, from 8% to 33% of the population. Between 2021 and 2023, approximately 35% of… [Read More]
Container Port Performance Index 2020–2024: Key Trends and Insights
Container ports play a pivotal role in global supply chains, managing the flow of merchandise and semi-finished products. The Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) tracks the time container ships spend in port, providing stakeholders with a key benchmark for operational efficiency and sustainable port development. Efficient port operations not only reduce logistics costs but also… [Read More]
Zambia Expands Employment Opportunities with World Bank Digital Access Initiative
The World Bank Group has approved the Digital Zambia Acceleration Project (DZAP) to support the Zambian government in expanding access to the internet and digitally enabled services, with a particular focus on promoting inclusive digital participation. The project aims to empower women and girls, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable communities by enhancing their access… [Read More]
Agroforestry in the DRC: Transforming Livelihoods and Protecting Landscapes
In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Forest and Savanna Restoration Investment Program (FOREST) is reshaping both landscapes and livelihoods. Launched last year with $290 million from the International Development Association (IDA) and $10 million from the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP), FOREST builds on the decade-long success of the Improved Forested Landscape… [Read More]
World Bank Boosts Support for Argentina’s Economic Growth and Development Agenda
The World Bank Group has announced an accelerated support package for Argentina, aiming to deploy up to US$4 billion over the coming months to advance the country’s reform agenda and long-term growth strategy. This initiative combines public-sector financing with private-sector investment and mobilization to bolster key sectors that drive competitiveness. The support will focus on… [Read More]
Republic of Congo Economic Outlook 2025: Boosting Living Standards through Better Capital Management
The Congolese economy achieved modest real GDP growth of 2.6% in 2024, marking a slight increase in per capita income for the first time since 2016. Despite this progress, the World Bank’s latest Economic Update for the Republic of Congo notes that these gains have yet to translate into a meaningful reduction in poverty. The… [Read More]
Strengthening Human, Natural, and Produced Capital to Improve Congo’s Economy in 2025
Congo’s economy experienced moderate growth in 2024, with real GDP rising by 2.6%, marking the first increase in real per capita income since 2016. While agriculture expanded due to local content policies supporting domestic inputs and manufacturing benefited from higher regional exports, oil production fell because of technical issues and lower global prices. This highlighted… [Read More]
Reducing Stunting and Enhancing Health in Lesotho: A Holistic Approach
In Lesotho, childhood stunting remains a persistent challenge. In 2014, about one in three children were stunted, and a decade later the rate increased to 35.6%. Stunting is primarily caused by chronic undernutrition during the first 1,000 days of life, compounded by poor maternal nutrition, limited access to clean water and sanitation, frequent infections, and… [Read More]
Pakistan Urged to Implement Bold, People-Centered Reforms to Tackle Poverty and Protect Vulnerable Communities
The World Bank has released “Reclaiming Momentum Towards Prosperity: Pakistan’s Poverty, Equity and Resilience Assessment,” the first comprehensive evaluation of poverty and welfare trends in Pakistan since the early 2000s. The report shows that after a steady decline in poverty from 64.3% in 2001-02 to 21.9% in 2018-19, the national poverty rate began rising in… [Read More]
Türkiye’s Energy-Efficient Buildings Boost Savings and Enhance Quality of Life
Türkiye is taking decisive steps to enhance energy efficiency in response to a growing economy and rising energy demand, aiming to reduce reliance on imports and cut harmful emissions. Energy-saving measures are being implemented across public hospitals, schools, and government offices, including improved insulation, efficient heating and cooling systems, LED lighting, and solar panels. Supported… [Read More]
Morocco Sees Rapid Rise in Preschool Enrollment as Education Reforms Take Effect
In 2018, Morocco set a national goal to achieve universal preschool access for children aged 4 to 5 by 2028, prioritizing rural and disadvantaged communities with limited access to early learning. Over the six years since the initiative began, preschool enrollment surged from 45% to 80% nationally and from 33% to 91% in rural areas,… [Read More]
17 Countries Pledge Concrete Plans to Expand Electricity Access as Mission 300 Grows
Seventeen African governments have committed to reforms and actionable plans to expand electricity access as part of Mission 300, a partnership led by the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank Group aiming to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030. The pledges were made at the Bloomberg Philanthropies Global Forum, where national… [Read More]
Over 650,000 Zambians to Gain from World Bank Support for Sustainable Natural Resource Management
The World Bank is expanding its support for Zambia’s watershed management and forest conservation through the second phase of the Transforming Landscapes for Resilience and Development (TRALARD II) project. The initiative aims to sustainably manage over 680,000 hectares of land and enhance livelihood resilience for more than 650,000 people in vulnerable communities within Zambia’s Miombo… [Read More]
Afghanistan Earthquake: Babies Born in Tents as Winter Approaches
In earthquake-devastated Eastern Afghanistan, babies are being born in tents as rockfalls and boulder-strewn roads make travel to hospitals extremely dangerous for pregnant women, according to Save the Children. An estimated 11,000 women in the affected areas are currently pregnant and may give birth in makeshift shelters in the coming months, where temperatures regularly fall… [Read More]
AI and Circular Economies: Transforming the Coconut Sector for a Sustainable Future
The International Labour Organization (ILO), through its Inclusive, Competitive, and Responsible Digital Philippines (Digital-PINAS) programme, presented a transformative vision for the coconut industry at the World Coconut Congress 2025 in Manila. During a session on Environmental and Social Challenges in the Coconut Supply Chain, the ILO highlighted how artificial intelligence (AI) and circular economy principles… [Read More]
EU-Funded Project Launches ‘Lost in Transit’ Report on Filipino Fishers in the UK
The International Labour Organization (ILO), in collaboration with the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the National Maritime Polytechnic (NMP), launched the report Lost in Transit: Philippines Migrant Fishers in the United Kingdom Fishing Industry at the DMW-NMP Maritime Research, Education, and Training (MRET) Summit held on 25–26 September in Manila. Produced under the EU-funded… [Read More]
