Women's contributions to poverty
reduction, economic growth, and private sector development
are increasingly recognized globally. A growing amount of
research demonstrates the link between women's
empowerment and societal well-being. Yet research also
indicates that woman's economic contributions continue
to lag behind their achievements in health and education,
and a variety of barriers still prevent women in many parts

This report profiles 52 business
women, representing countries where IFC works across the
Pacific region, in 30 case studies. Women in the report
share lessons in starting their businesses, and describe the
obstacles and opportunities they encountered in their
pursuit of growth. By revealing their future plans, the
women provide inspiration for current and future business
women of the Pacific to pursue greater entrepreneurial

This report examines the legal,
administrative, and regulatory barriers that are preventing
women in Kenya from contributing fully to the Kenyan
economy. Building on the 2004 Foreign Investment and
Advisory Service (FIAS) report, "Improving the
Commercial Legal Framework and Removing Administrative and
Regulatory Barriers to Investment," this study looks at
the bureaucratic barriers facing women in Kenya through a

This report on a key to poverty
reduction in Peru identifies a number of cost-effective
policy interventions that could be adopted in the short and
medium term to support sustainable development goals as the
Government of Peru attempts to combat the problems of
inadequate water supply, sanitation and hygiene; urban air
pollution; natural disasters; lead exposure; indoor air
pollution; land degradation; deforestation; and inadequate

This report is about how women
entrepreneurs can contribute more to the quality and
direction of economic and social development in the Middle
East and North Africa (MENA) region. Economic growth in the
Middle East has been remarkable since 2004, mainly because
of higher oil prices. Rapid job growth has followed, driven
mainly by the private sector. Yet the region still faces two
important challenges: the first is to create better jobs for

In July 2001, the extractive industries
review (EIR) was initiated with the appointment of Dr. Emil
Salim, former Minister of the Environment for Indonesia, as
eminent person to the review. The EIR was designed to engage
all stakeholders-governments, nongovernmental organizations
(NGOs), indigenous peoples' organizations, affected
communities and community-based organizations, labor unions,
industry, academia, international organizations, and the

The World Bank in November 2001
commissioned IC Net Limited of Japan to carry out a study
titled 'Integrating Gender into World Bank Financed
Transport Programs' in accord with the terms of
reference (TOR) issued in June 2001. The study was financed
by a grant from the Japanese Large Studies Trust Fund. The
contract came into effect on 15 December 2001 and covers the
period to 15 June 2004. IC Net was to work in association

The Ghazi-Barotha Hydropower Project is
a major run-of-river power project designed to meet the
acute shortage of power in Pakistan. It is being implemented
by the Water and Power Development Authority of Pakistan
(WAPDA). The project consists of a barrage located near
Ghazi village in the North West Frontier Province, a 52 km
long concrete lined power channel and a power complex
located near Barotha village in the province of Punjab. It

This paper addresses land and ways to handle it in all human settlements – urban as well as rural for several reasons: a) challenges around land and the way to handle them are not so different, b) the development of rural settlements is key to solve the problems of ever-growing urban settlements, c) rural settlements automatically increases the pressure on the cities as it leads to further rural-urban migration and d) growing and sprawling cities easily result in negative effects for the surrounding hinterland, which further stipulate rural-urban migration and the growth and sprawl of (mega

This paper addresses land and ways to handle it in all human settlements – urban as well as rural for several reasons: a) challenges around land and the way to handle them are not so different, b) the development of rural settlements is key to solve the problems of ever-growing urban settlements, c) rural settlements automatically increases the pressure on the cities as it leads to further rural-urban migration and d) growing and sprawling cities easily result in negative effects for the surrounding hinterland, which further stipulate rural-urban migration and the growth and sprawl of (mega

Regional trade bears a great potential to improve food security in West Africa. Again and again, however, efforts made in this field by organisations such as ECOWAS and UEMOA are frustrated by the policies of individual countries.

Farmer organisations that deal with policy and advocacy need a lot of specific skills. Exchange programmes with their counterparts in the North can help local farmer organisation in the Souht tap their potential.