World Bank [to 23 May 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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Gaza Economy on the Verge of Collapse, Youth Unemployment Highest in the Region at 60 Percent
JERUSALEM, May 21, 2015 – Blockades, war and poor governance have strangled Gaza’s economy and the unemployment rate is now the highest in the world according to the latest World Bank economic update. The report will be presented to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC), a forum of donors to the Palestinian Authority, at the bi-annual meeting in Brussels on May 27, 2015.The report estimates that Gaza’s GDP would have been about four times higher than it currently is if it weren’t for the conflicts and the multiple restrictions. It also states that the blockade in place since 2007 has shaved around 50 percent off Gaza’s GDP. Unemployment in Gaza is the highest in the world at 43 percent. Even more alarming is the situation of youth unemployment which soared to more than 60 percent by the end of 2014…
Date: May 21, 2015

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Guinea: World Bank Supports Improved Maternal and Child Health Services Beyond Ebola Outbreak
WASHINGTON, May 20, 2015 — The World Bank Group’s Board of Executive Directors today approved US$15.1 million for women and children to expand access to maternal, child health and nutrition services in Faranah and Labe, two of the poorest regions in Guinea. The Primary Health Services Improvement Project, funded with a grant and credit from the International Development Association* (IDA), will target women, and children under five, by making available urgently needed medicines and recruiting and training health workers for rural health centers in Faranah and Labe. These two regions are home to around 1.9 million people, or approximately one fifth of Guinea’s total population. Of those, 52 percent are female and 20 percent are children under five. The Ebola crisis, which first emerged in December 2013, has taken a major toll on families, communities and the economy in Guinea.
Date: May 20, 2015

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World Bank: The Trade Challenge for Latin America and the Caribbean
Stronger and Broader Integration Key to Revert Region’s Lag in Global Trade
LIMA, May 19th, 2015 – Back in the 1980’s, trade ties for Latin America and the Caribbean were very similar to those of East Asia — thin and focused on a single key player in the North, United States and Japan, respectively. Today, East Asia’s trade network is much denser and productive, crisscrossing among its countries and extending to the north. In contrast, Latin America’s remains narrow and dominated by the United States, followed at a very distant second by Brazil. The World Bank’s latest flagship report for the region, “Latin America and the Rising South: Changing World, Changing Priorities” launched here today, provides an in-depth look at these global connections in trade and finance, and a sober assessment of their promise and trials for the region.
Date: May 19, 2015

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New Report Finds World Progressing on Sustainable Energy Goals But Still Far From Finish Line
NEW YORK, May 18, 2015—The world is heading in the right direction to achieve universal access to sustainable energy by 2030 but must move faster, says a new report that tracks the progress of the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) initiative. The report – Progress Toward Sustainable Energy: Global Tracking Framework 2015” – finds that 1.1 billion people in the world still live without electricity and almost 3 billion still cook using polluting fuels like kerosene, wood, charcoal and dung. And, while picking up steam, renewable energy generation and energy efficiency improvements will need to accelerate dramatically, it says. The report is the second in a series that tracks the world’s progress toward SE4All’s three goals of universal energy access, doubling the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency, and doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix – all to be met by 2030.
Date: May 18, 2015