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Posted by
Kaavya Ashok Krishna, 09 October 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic caught Benedikt Signer off guard. He had to pivot from his carefully planned two-day workshop on public asset insurance to a fully virtual 10-part webinar series. Despite being an experienced trainer, Benedikt found this shift challenging; virtual interactions with his audience felt very different from the face-to-face interactions he was used to. “In-person workshops allow you to read the room, which helps the dialogue flow more naturally,” Benedikt explained. “The... Keep reading
Posted by
Evie Calcutt, 11 September 2020
COVID-19 will hit the poorest the hardest. Estimates show that by the end of the current crisis, the pandemic could push up to a 100 million people into extreme poverty . Poor and vulnerable households are often forced into negative coping strategies that have long‐term, irreversible, and intergenerational effects. This crisis and the unrepenting risk of other seasonal disasters, such as floods and droughts, once again highlight the need to build systems that strengthen resilience within the... Keep reading
Posted by
Antoine Bavandi , 13 August 2020
In a world turned upside down by the Covid-19 pandemic, the role of satellite imagery has never been so critical. At any time, more than 2,000 satellites are orbiting our planet. They help us communicate, locate, and gather data about complex, interconnected crises that require constant, comprehensive, and global monitoring. Satellite applications are particularly relevant for disaster risk management and financial preparedness, in which early and reliable information is key in ensuring a... Keep reading
Posted by
John Plevin, 06 August 2020
The world has changed. Life isn’t what it was before. Economies have been floored while businesses and governments alike are determining how to survive in this new, fragile environment. But some things haven’t changed. The private sector is still a critical growth driver and provider of essential goods, services, and employment. Governments around the world recognize this strength as they implement numerous policies to support business. Nor have disasters and crises ceased to happen. Droughts,... Keep reading
Posted by
Hang Thu Vu, 31 July 2020
Djibril’s Story: Djibril lives in Ouagadougou, Burkina and owns a workshop that purchases moringa leaves from a nearby women’s organization. His workshop then fabricates the leaves into tea bags, powder, and so forth for sale in small retail shops. Until recently, the demand for moringa was growing across the country and had a promising prospect for export. Djibril secured a five-year loan with a local bank to upgrade his equipment and to increase his workshop’s productivity. But COVID-19 has... Keep reading
Posted by
Martin Luis Alton, 24 July 2020
Policy-based financing that is focused on resilience building and on planning for the unforeseen plays an important role in strengthening a state’s capacity to deal with shocks. Political scientist, Francis Fukuyama recently argued in Foreign Affairs that it takes a state to effectively deal with the COVID-19 crisis. Unfortunately, developing countries—arguably by definition—often lack effective state institutions such as (financial) risk management and social protection systems. The importance... Keep reading
Posted by
Samuel Munzele Maimbo, 16 July 2020
The COVID-19 crisis has been a sudden, high-speed reverse gear – quickly eroding gains in economic growth and poverty reduction across the world. The pandemic is still escalating but the pain it is causing in the lives of billions of people is especially evident in the world’s 74 poorest countries supported by the International Development Association (IDA). These are countries where children, women, people living in fragile and conflict-affected situations, and those employed in the informal... Keep reading