COVID-19: Achieving containment and economic revival

PLUS: World Bank ranked among top positions in the International Aid Transparency Index (IATI). [Having trouble seeing this email?](  [COVID-19 screening center at Viet Phap hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam. Photo: © Vietnam Stock Images/Shutterstock](  [What will it take to achieve COVID-19 containment and economic revival?]( As countries grapple with the impact of COVID-19, policy makers are seeking effective, balanced solutions to address both public health and economic recovery challenges. To understand which approaches have been successful and how these might help other countries and regions, policy makers from Colombia, Ghana, South Africa, Vietnam, and Italy’s Veneto region [shared with us their stories of response and recovery.]( Debt: Transparency will make debt and investment more productive, help with accountability, and support the economic recoveries that are vital for poverty reduction, [said]( Bank Group President David Malpass at the virtual High-Level Ministerial Conference on Debt. Mr. Malpass highlighted the progress made and challenges ahead for debt and investment transparency. Related: The novel coronavirus continues to wreak havoc on lives around the world. [Bilateral debt service suspension is a powerful measure]( that can bring real benefits to people in poor countries, particularly countries that don’t have the financial resources to respond to the COVID-19 crisis. Year-end update: In a letter to the Governors of the World Bank Group, President David Malpass [provided an update on the Bank Group deliveries,]( well as other efforts over the past year. Telemedicine: Before the pandemic, the global telemedicine industry was already expected to grow at an estimated 15% a year by mid-decade, but some analysts believe it will [now accelerate to 19.3%.]( The elderly and disabled: Countries can learn lessons from this crisis on [how to build and improve the social and elderly care systems.]( Going green: The coronavirus crisis is a window of opportunity to transform the economy and especially, to make it "green." A green growth path out of the crisis is [especially important for the Middle East and North Africa region.]( Transforming business: A small engineering firm is [improving and expanding COVID-19 testing,]( starting the first sequencing of the genome of the virus in the Balkans. Go deeper: Learn how the World Bank Group is responding to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. Explore our multilingual portal. [Click, bookmark and come back for updates.]( [Facebook]( [Twitter](  [© Franz Mahr/World Bank](  [World Bank ranked among top positions in the International Aid Transparency Index (IATI)]( Aid transparency is critical today and our efforts are being recognized. The 2020 Index ranks the World Bank - IDA efforts in one of the top positions this year due to our upgraded data reporting to the newest IATI standard and more frequent publishing. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [© Lundrim Aliu/World Bank](  [What does a decarbonization of the world economy mean for fossil fuel-dependent countries?]( New data draw attention to the more vulnerable fossil fuel–dependent countries (FFDCs), such as small oil and gas producers in sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, that have not yet diversified their exports or undertaken a structural transition towards knowledge-intensive, low-carbon economic growth. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Blog --------------------------------------------------------------- [© Rumi Consultancy/World Bank]( [A lesson on the pandemic – the lesson we didn’t learn about inequality]( "School after this pandemic will be different. To a large extent this is due to many actors – parents, teachers, mass media, the government, and others – who will have changed their views and perceptions about their role in the education process. This shift of mindsets will be critical for the future of the education system." —Jaime Saavedra, July 2 [Facebook]( [Twitter]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Results That Change Lives --------------------------------------------------------------- [© World Bank Group]( Belarus has beautiful forests. [Meet some of the people responsible]( learn about a project to make these areas sustainable. Read more [#ChangingLives stories.]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Broadcast Series & Virtual Events --------------------------------------------------------------- [© Dana Smillie/World Bank]( [Replay: The Resilient Recovery Series: Climate finance for a sustainable future]( How can investing in greener economies help facilitate a global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic? We spoke with Peer Stein, a Senior Advisor for Climate Finance at the International Finance Corporation, on how to finance a sustainable recovery. Catch up on our discussion now! [Facebook]( [Twitter]( --------------------------------------------------------------- In the News --------------------------------------------------------------- - [World Bank Approves $157 Million to Protect Malawi’s Watersheds and Improve Rural Livelihoods]( - [Russian Economy Faces Deep Recession Amid Global Pandemic and Oil Crisis, Says New World Bank Report]( - [Ecuador Will Receive US$260 Million from the World Bank to Finance Loans for Microenterprises and SMEs]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Social Media --------------------------------------------------------------- [How to ensure #ResilientRecovery post #COVID19? For Valerie in #Peru, it's initiatives supporting indigenous people. #YouthOnCOVID19]( [Did you know that acute #foodinsecurity is projected to double in 2020? Josefa Sacko, Henrietta Fore and David Malpass discuss the risks for children and how countries are responding to the challenge. Watch the first of our #ResilientRecovery discussions: ( --------------------------------------------------------------- Data Chart --------------------------------------------------------------- [Chart: Country Classifications]( World Bank assigns the world’s economies to four income groups—low, lower-middle, upper-middle, and high-income countries. The classifications are updated each year on July 1 and are based on GNI per capita in current USD (using the Atlas method exchange rates) of the previous year (i.e. 2019 in this case). The table below lists the ten economies that are moving to a different category. [Read More>>]( [facebook]( [twitter]( [instagram]( [instagram]( [instagram]( Accredited journalists may obtain advance access to reports and information by registering with the Bank's [Online Media Briefing Center]( a password-protected site for working journalists. Material in this newsletter is copyrighted. Requests to reproduce it, in whole or in part, should be addressed to pubrights@worldbank.org For more information visit our website: [worldbank.org](. [Access to Information]( [Other Bank Newsletters]( | [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe from this list]( | [Update subscription preferences](