Environmental and social responsibility
is becoming more and more important in today’s global
economy. There are thousands of environmental and social
codes and standards in the world today. The codes and
standards define the rules and the objectives. But the
challenge is in the implementation. An environmental and
social management system (ESMS) helps companies to integrate
the rules and objectives into core business operations,

This report provides an overview of the
World Bank Group’s engagement in the Middle East and North
Africa (MENA) region, highlighting the new operating model
of the World Bank Group. In particular, the report provides
insight on the key challenges and strategic engagement of
each sector (Global Practice) in MENA and details some of
the key cross-cutting challenges that countries face. This
report serves as a basis to convene international thought

A World Bank series of projects to
improve aviation operations in four Pacific island countries
is demonstrating that the concept of ‘green design’ goes
beyond energy efficiency to the wider goal of environmental
sustainability. The aviation program is reducing impacts on
a broad spectrum of concerns, including solid waste
management and water quality, by designing with the full
lifecycle of all project assets in mind.

Bolivia’s distinct characteristics and
aspirations are a key for understanding its development
trajectory. Bolivia is one of the countries with the highest
share of indigenous population, representing a tapestry of
different groups with different historical, cultural and
economic features, with a significant influence in policy
decision making. The country is landlocked and one of the
most sparsely populated in the world. As a result, long

From 2005 to 2013, a mining boom quickly
promoted Mongolia from a low-income to a middle-income
country. Although the World Bank Group strategy initially
overlooked the challenge of the mining boom, the new country
management team that came on board in 2005 decided to
prioritize mining issues in a more selective framework. This
involved taking a set of bold steps to support Bank Group
engagement in the extractive industry, including basing for

The development community is
increasingly accepting the importance of evidence, feedback,
and learning. Some of which is generated through research,
monitoring, and self-evaluation during policy-making,
program design, and implementation. Others come from
feedback from people directly affected by interventions who
have gained a greater voice, be it through third-party
feedback mechanisms, social media, beneficiary surveys, or

Kazakhstan made steady progress on
poverty reduction and social development during the review
period, driven by impressive economic growth and rising
hydrocarbon prices. Yet, the country continues to grapple
with a number of systemic challenges, including: a lack of
progress on economic diversification and anticorruption; a
dominant role of the state in the economy; a lack of skills
in the labor force; and a legacy of environmental problems

This assessment of Moldova current state
of compliance with the Basel core principles for effective
banking supervision (BCPs) was undertaken as part of a joint
International Monetary Fund (IMF) - World Bank mission in
connection with a broader financial sector assessment
program exercise. This version of the assessment has a
greater focus on risk management policies and practices
implemented by supervised institutions and their assessment

The Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) brings together ten countries with over 620
million people and a combined gross domestic product of more
than USD 2.5 trillion. These countries are well integrated
into the global economy and have benefited from this
integration. And, as evidenced by their adoption of the
ambitious goal of forming an ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)
by 2015, they are committed to even deeper regional

This aquaculture sector review (with
supply chain mapping) has been implemented within the
framework of the International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Armenia investment climate reform project implemented by the
World Bank Group trade and competitiveness global practice,
in partnership with Austria’s federal ministry of finance
and Hungarian partnership funding and Hungary Export Import
(EXIM) Bank. This project aims to contribute to improving

Can regionalism do what multilateralism
has so far failed to do—promote greater openness of services
markets? Although previous research has pointed to the wider
and deeper legal commitments under regional agreements as
proof that it can, no previous study has assessed the impact
of such agreements on applied policies. This paper focuses
on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), where
regional integration of services markets has been linked to

As the result of past investments in gas
and mining sectors and high world commodity prices, the
Bolivian economy grew considerably during the last seven
years. Prudent macroeconomic policies and high taxes on
hydrocarbon revenues led to a significant accumulation of
fiscal surplus and external reserves. Under a state-led
development model, the government led by President Morales
pursued redistributive policies and invested heavily in road