Vera Songwe

There is growing empirical literature showing that #aspirations, if matched with opportunities, can be important correlates of human capital investment, educational choices, and labor market performance. Joint team from the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) and The World Bank explored education and work aspiration of the youth aged 15-25 in #Uganda using results from a high-frequency phone survey. Most of the Ugandan #youth aspire to achieve upper secondary or tertiary education and get high-skilled and well-paid dream jobs when they reach 30 years old. However, the current gap between aspirations and reality is large, especially for the poorest individuals. Helping individuals to achieve aspirations by addressing the structural constraints and providing the tools necessary to realizing the goals seems to be more important than raising the aspirational bar. More detailed findings and policy recommendations can be found here: https://bit.ly/3WTWJWX Authors: Aziz Atamanov, Frédéric Cochinard, John Ilukor, Audrey Kemigisha, Andrew Mupere and Giulia Ponzini, PhD

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US-Botschaft CDA Alan Meltzer, welcome to Germany, welcome to Berlin, a city in a country that both - once divided - owe their very existence and recovery after the IIWW to the sagacity and farsightedness of the leaders of your country and the human sensitiveness expressed in the founding documents on which your nation was build. We struggle these days to preserve this valuable heritage, some even to recognize it as such. We will only succeed in doing so if we maintain our trust in each other and assume our responsibilities in view of its higher cause. If we want to successfully push back those who vigorously seek to replace humanity by crime, the rule of law by force, and democracy and the power and dignity of the individual by dictatorship and coercion the transatlantic relationship will need to convincingly prouve its resilience while maintaining in a spirit of jointness its global search for a higher and brighter justness. May you quickly feel at home on the other side of the Atlantic 😊. Plenty of work out there waiting for both of us. LBBW Atlantik-Brücke e.V.

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"As long as we run on dirty energy, we’ll have a dirty economy." This latest blog from Amer Barghouth, who recently joined Chemonics International as the Sustainable Energy Transition Practice Senior Advisor, is absolutely fascinating! Drawing on nearly 20 years of development expertise, '3 Questions with Amer Barghouth: In Search of Energy Democracy' discusses how #sustainable energy security can only happen when mindsets change. Check it out now, and see how we can pursue true #energy democracy: https://ow.ly/5QeM30sBHPS

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Policy systems strengthening can be conceptual and quite frankly, confusing. At PolicyLINK Global we try to help folks understand why strong policies and systems are important one story at a time. Check out our newsroom to learn more: https://lnkd.in/g45tqd9d

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Subsidies and presidential approval ratings: What's the geopolitical connection using the ICRG data and risk methodology? In this recent IMF Working Paper, the authors consider the impact of fossil fuel subsidy removal on presidential popularity using difference-indifference approaches and a stylized theoretical model. Analyzing macro level data for two subsidy removal events in Mexico and Bolivia in the early 2010s, the found evidence of a negative impact on presidential approval. The theoretical probabilistic voting model used – and which employs our ICRG data – predicts that the decline in popularity is driven by high income groups if subsidies are regressive, and that lack of trust in the government lowers popularity of the removal in all income groups. We confirm these predictions using micro level data for the Mexican subsidy removal event. Our data drives. The PRS Group www.PRSGroup.com www.christophermckee.net (https://lnkd.in/eKW5XAPK) #lula #argentina #bolivia #mexico #ai #emergingmarkets #investmentrisk #approvalratings #president #southkorea #Unitedhealthcare #syria #datanalytics #geopoliticalrisk #geopolitics #politicalrisk

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As negotiators gather in Bonn at #SB60 to prepare for #COP29, here are some refelctions on how can we ensure that the money mobilized to address the climate crisis is not only sufficient in quantity, but also effective in quality

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I'm excited to share this blogpost as an outcome of our recent convening in Addis Ababa and COP29 on financing Africa's transition. This is a Must-Read for anyone interested in learning more about this critical topic!As we all know, Africa is facing a significant climate crisis, and it's essential that we take action to support the continent's transition to a low-carbon economy. One of the key takeaways from our convening was the need for increased climate finance for Africa. The continent currently receives only a small fraction of global climate finance, despite being one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change. We need to work together to increase climate finance for Africa and ensure that it is aligned with the continent's needs and priorities. Sadly #COP29 didn’t meet Africa’s financing needs and expectations to a low carbon economy. #COP29 #EnergyTrasition #ClimateFinance #AfricaTransition

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The Office of the United Nations Development Programme in Guinea-Bissau (UNDP), in partnership with the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Regional Integration, presented the Human Development Report 2023-2024, “Breaking the gridlock: Reimagining cooperation in a polarized world”. The Report calls for us to change course, otherwise the world may not recover from the trend. To do this we need to capitalize on our local and global connections, choosing cooperation over conflict. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/gTTdgNnH

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🌍 As COP29 negotiations pick up in Azerbaijan, at Environmental Defense Fund we have identified 6 crucial issues that must be addressed to get climate finance quality right in the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG): 1️⃣ Unlock Economic Opportunities, Don't Lock in Debt 2️⃣ Agree on What We're Talking About: Define Climate Finance 3️⃣ Cut the Red Tape 4️⃣ Remove the Roadblocks 5️⃣ Make Finance Predictable 6️⃣ Public-Private Finance: Getting the Balance Right Simply setting higher numerical targets won't solve the climate finance challenge. We need a comprehensive approach that transforms how we support developing countries in their fight against climate change. Read more about how we can build a more equitable, efficient, and impactful climate finance system #ClimateAction #ClimateFinance #COP29 #Sustainability #ClimateChange

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CALP Network and cash world! USAID is launching 2 position papers super relevant to you, one on Cost-Effectiveness, and another on Direct Monetary Transfers (often referred to as cash transfers) this Thursday at Center for Global Development In a world with tremendous need, Cost-Effectiveness helps us understand tradeoffs in program choice, design and implementation, enabling development actors to achieve the greatest impact possible with available resources. The paper on Direct Monetary Transfers paper builds on the great work by humanitarian actors that have been using it at scale (USAID's BHA allocated >$1.5B in emergency cash and voucher assistance in FY 2023), and expands on this work to discuss how transfers can be used to impact development outcomes (spoiler-- it's often very cost-effective and can impact outcomes from household resilience to microenterprise growth). Come (in person or virtually!) to learn about USAID's increased attention on these topics Register here: https://lnkd.in/efAh66rq Rory Crew Gabriele Erba Zehra Rizvi Lynn Y. Holly Welcome Radice Paula Gil Baizan Cheryl Harrison Ugo Gentilini Jean-Martin Bauer Clément Rouquette Elizabeth Tromans Kenn Crossley

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Yesterday, we launched the JOSP project in Somalia, a project which is critical for mitigating the recurrent risks of #droughts and #floods that have severely impacted local agriculture and livelihoods over the years in Hirshabelle & Southwest State. UN-HABITAT’s strategic objective in this joint project is to enhance sustainable #land management, #urban resilience, and strategic #territorial planning of Jowhar district.  Other overall areas of intervention of this project are: Climate action, Equitable resource access, Sustainable livelihoods, and strengthened local governance See more about this project in the below #PressRelease https://lnkd.in/dPxM5dgy FAOUSAIDUNIDO@UKAid, IOM - UN Migration UN-Habitat Somalia (UNITED NATIONS HUMAN SETTLEMENTS PROGRAMME), SJF

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great insights on new models for climate data sharing! Thanks Digital Impact Alliance for convening the discussions and putting these different approaches together so clearly

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  Preparing for another climate summit in Baku, and looking forward to connecting with colleagues to brainstorm how we take our work forward. While this will not be an easy COP, let me be clear: Global climate action continues to accelerate, with cities, states, civil society and businesses driving progress alongside international partners.   The transition to a climate-resilient, low-carbon economy represents one of the greatest economic opportunities of our time. We're seeing compelling evidence that early climate action delivers a significant impact through job creation, infrastructure resilience, and cost savings. Climate-resilient agriculture initiatives are creating new markets while protecting food security. Clean energy transitions are generating high-quality jobs while reducing energy costs. And climate-resilient infrastructure projects are protecting communities while creating long-term economic stability. These aren't just environmental investments – they're economic imperatives.   I will focus my efforts over the next two weeks on the following:   1. Advocating for a strong climate finance outcome that advances quantity and quality. The evidence is clear that we must look beyond scaling up numbers alone - we need more concessional financing accessible to vulnerable nations, and demonstrably impactful in driving climate action. Well-designed climate finance can break the cycle of debt and climate vulnerability that many developing nations face. You can find more of our assessment here https://lnkd.in/ew-wf2WV   2. Emphasizing the critical need for evidence-based impact in climate finance. Currently, climate adaptation and mitigation are significantly under-evaluated compared to other development areas. The evidence gap in climate finance creates a cascade of interconnected challenges that undermine global climate action. We must close this evidence gap to maximize the impact of every dollar invested in climate action. https://bit.ly/3AM4J3H   3. Strengthening existing climate finance arrangements. We see encouraging signs of the system learning and evolving - the operationalization of the Fund for responding to Loss and Damage Fund (FRLD) in under a year demonstrates how climate finance can move with urgency when needed. The multilateral funds are innovating with new approaches to improve access and impact. https://bit.ly/40JuLzd   While this will not be an easy COP, we are ready to engage constructively toward meaningful outcomes. The challenges are significant, but so are the opportunities to create lasting positive change.   EDF will be in Baku,you can find out more of our plans here https://www.edf.org/cop29

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As part of the Peer Review and Capacity Building on APEC Infrastructure Development and Investment, the APEC Policy Support Unit (PSU) has released the review on Chile, the fifth APEC member economy evaluated under this initiative https://lnkd.in/g5sMr2JC. This review, prepared by consultants of AARC Ltd and Akhmad Bayhaqi, Senior Analyst at PSU, focuses on three areas: 1) resilience and emergency and disaster management related to preventing and addressing traffic accidents within public–private partnerships (PPPs); 2) technology and intelligent road management in PPPs; and 3) public direct investment in infrastructure development, focusing on resiliency and sustainability. The report shows that a priority for Chile is to attract private investment through a combination of laws, incentives and strategic frameworks. Infrastructure development process takes into account affordability assessments and seeks to maximize value for both investors and society. There is a high standard of policy, law and institutions for social and environmental sustainability. However, the report also identifies areas for improvement. For example, while Chile has made good progress in terms of green financing, the next step is to create a market based on financing for resilience that incorporates the policy of prevention/mitigation of disasters and their impact. #apec #infrastructure #investment #qualityinfrastructure

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From Grassroots to Governance: Case Studies of Enabling Regulatory Environments for Savings Groups Regulation and standards as a mechanism to promote the growth and sustainability of #SavingsGroups CARE Margie Lauter, MPA, MA Aisha Rahamatali

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Reflecting on the @IEA Clean Cooking Summit, our policies must be people-centered, with communication campaigns tailored to each community's cultural & educational needs. Policy measures can succeed if we leverage #digital for data-driven insights. 👉🏼 https://lnkd.in/eN7Z4TSF

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A revolutionary financing approach & multi-stakeholder partnerships are needed for energy transitions in #SIDS 🏝️ Strengthening international cooperation to support #SIDS' innovations will enable each island to implement energy & recovery plans. 👉🏼 bit.ly/SIDS-Bulletin #SIDS4 #EnergyForDevelopment #RisingUpForSIDS

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Today, less than half of countries in the world have recent data on poverty. Data scarcity remains a critical challenge for advancing on poverty alleviation goals. To address this, The World Bank is supporting countries to improve their National Statistical Systems. This includes the production of a core set of economic, social, and sustainability statistics essential for monitoring and evaluating public policies and programs. With more robust and integrated data systems in place, we can innovate on how to measure multidimensional challenges and design coordinated policy solutions to tackle them. I'm grateful for the opportunity to present these efforts at the United Nations Data Forum Panel ‘From Data to Policy Action: How National and Global Actors Can Tackle Poverty in All Its Forms Using a Multidimensional Poverty Index‘. This platform is essential for sharing strategies on how better data can drive impactful policies for poverty reduction worldwide. #UNDataForum #EndPoverty

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