Sustaining and Scaling up Productive Safety Net Systems in Guinea A delegation of senior officials from the Government of Guinea participated in learning and knowledge activities in Rwanda, focusing on productive safety net systems. The Government of Guinea is committed to investing in safety nets as a key instrument for reducing poverty, protecting vulnerable populations from shocks and promoting resilience.…

Building a skilled workforce in Tunisia Typically, attaining high education is expected to increase one’s probability of joining the labor force. In Tunisia, people with high education face a high probability of being unemployed. More than half of the Tunisian working-age population remains outside the labor force. Reconsidering the role of TVET is critical in bridging gaps in the…

Enhancing the quality of Uzbekistan’s exports To ensure its exports are competitive on international markets, the Government of Uzbekistan sought to upgrade its national quality infrastructure (NQI), supporting standardization, accreditation, certification, and metrology (measurement). Through an exchange with Croatia, Uzbekistani officials increased their awareness of policy options and…

Study Tours to Learn Best Practices in Migrant Reintegration Migration carries economic and social importance in the Philippines. Migrant remittances accounted for 10 percent of the GDP in 2010, and the number of Filipinos residing overseas is estimated to be 10 percent of the population. The migration destinations are diverse, ranging from the Middle East to the Americas, as are migrant occupations:…

Increasing youth employment in ICTs in Jamaica To engage youth in the global market for ICT applications, senior leaders from Jamaica’s Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy, and Mining (MSTEM) and its partners sought to develop and launch a regional technology incubation hub providing seed capital, training, and networking opportunities to entrepreneurs to bring their ideas to market.…

Improving Training and Employment Program Design for Young Women in Afghanistan Afghanistan’s Female Youth Employment Initiative to transition girls from schooling to wage employment was piloted as one of five Adolescent Girls Initiative (AGI) projects in low-income, conflict-affected countries with input from the Nepali experience. The community-centric project design focused on trauma resolution and life-skills training and…

St. Lucia and the Caribbean Collaborate to Support “At-Risk” Boys St. Lucia and many of its Caribbean neighbors face a growing problem with keeping boys out of trouble. From leaving school, turning to crime, and abusing drugs and alcohol, the risky behaviors caused by unemployment and poverty contribute to social tensions and threaten tourist industry growth, which is so vital to Caribbean island economies.…

Learning to Ease “Doing Business” Regulations in Cape Verde Despite impressive economic gains over 25 years, the government of the African island nation of Cape Verde felt that unnecessary regulation was limiting job creation and private sector growth. Seeing that Mauritius---a similar island nation with a large tourism industry---had achieved successful business environment reforms and developed a strong…

Improving Livelihoods through Investment in Rural Development, Infrastructure, and Social Services Even while India is enjoying unprecedented economic growth, as one of the most populous countries in the world a vast number of its citizens still live below the poverty line, especially in rural areas. The government realized that dealing with this problem requires adopting best international practices. Very few poverty reducing models, however,…

Reviving and Improving the Diamond Industries of Armenia and Lesotho The dismantling of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s led to the near collapse of the Armenian diamond cutting industry, which after a brief period of growth in the early 2000s has again declined. To rebuild the industry using global best practices and to increase access to raw diamonds, the Armenian government contacted the World Bank. Meanwhile…