World Bank [to 11 April 2015]
http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/all
[We generally limit coverage to regional and global level initiatives, recognizing that a number of country-level announcements are added each week]

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World Bank Group, IDB and CAF United to Protect Social Gains in Latin America and the Caribbean
At the 7th Summit of the Americas, International Development Organizations Commit Efforts and Resources to Promote Inclusive Economic Growth
Panama City, April 10, 2015 – On the eve of the Seventh Summit of the Americas, the main international financial institutions of the region, the World Bank Group (WBG), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and CAF – Development Bank of Latin America, today reiterated their commitment to support countries in the region in their efforts to preserve and expand the economic and social gains of the last decade, at a time when the external factors that contributed to those gains have changed. “Multilateral organizations are ready to help them respond to the call coming from the main theme of this historic Summit, ‘Prosperity with Equity: The Challenge of Cooperation in the Americas,’ by contributing global knowledge, financing and convening capacity,” said Jorge Familiar, World Bank Vice President for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Date: April 10, 2015

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Global Agencies Call for Urgent Action to Avoid Irreversible Groundwater Depletion
New Vision and Global Framework for Action on Groundwater Governance
DAEGU, April 10, 2015— The FAO, UNESCO, World Bank, GEF and International Association of Hydrogeologists this week called for action by the global community to manage the increasingly urgent depletion and degradation of limited groundwater resources. Ahead of the 7th World Water Forum in Daegu and Gyeongbuk next week, the group proposed a set of principles governments can use for better groundwater management. The 2030 Vision and Global Framework for Action represents a bold call for collectively responsible action among governments and the global community to ensure sustainable use of groundwater. For too long, groundwater governance has been an area of policy neglect, resulting in its degradation and depletion. Global groundwater abstraction has tripled over the past half century. More than a fourth of current withdrawal is non-sustainable. Widespread groundwater pollution is threatening humans and the environment.
Date: April 10, 2015
Type: Press Release

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Equal Opportunities for Europe’s Roma: An Economic Imperative in an Ageing Europe
The countries of Central Europe stand out within the European Union with populations that are ageing and shrinking faster and differently compared to their neighbors. Unlike in Western Europe where ageing has been driven mainly by increases in longevity, countries in Central Europe (and the Baltics) have been ageing largely as a result of low fertility and emigration. Demographic change is significant: For example, Bulgaria has seen its population shrink by more than 15 percent since 1990, Romania and Hungary by more than 5 percent. UN population projections show that this trend is expected to continue and even accelerate. Shrinking labor forces put economic growth at risk and contribute to fiscal pressures. A recent World Bank report argues that countries in Central Europe can respond to these challenges by promoting active, healthy and productive ageing. The heart of the policy response is to invest in people to ensure that current and future cohorts are well skilled and healthy…
Date: April 9, 2015
Type: Opinion