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Back to homepageWorld Bank Blogs: 2020 Year in Review – The impact of COVID-19 in 12 charts
This time last year, concepts such as “lockdowns,” “mask mandates” and “social distancing” were unknown to most of us. Today they are part of our everyday language as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact all aspects of our lives. Through the
Read MoreWTO: World trade volume rallies in third quarter after COVID-19 shock
Global merchandise trade volumes bounced back in the third quarter of 2020 from a deep second quarter slump brought on by the COVID-19 crisis according to statistics released by the WTO on 18 December. The third quarter rally helped limit
Read MoreWHO: COVAX Announces additional deals to access promising COVID-19 vaccine candidates; plans global rollout starting Q1 2021
COVAX now has agreements in place to access nearly two billion doses of several promising vaccine candidates, and laid the groundwork for further doses to be secured through contributions from donors These agreements mean that all COVAX’s 190 participating
Read MoreUN News: Two billion COVID vaccine doses secured, WHO says end of pandemic is in sight
The end of the pandemic is in sight but we must not let our guard down, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday, as he welcomed the news that the global vaccine partnership COVAX has lined
Read MoreCouncil of the European Union on Travel restrictions: Council reviews the list of third countries for which restrictions on non-essential travel should be lifted
Following a review under the recommendation on the gradual lifting of the temporary restrictions on non-essential travel into the EU, the Council updated the list of countries for which travel restrictions should be lifted. As stipulated in the Council recommendation,
Read MoreEuropean Parliament on COVID-19: deal to give go-ahead to the new Recovery and Resilience Facility
RRF is the biggest building block of the Next Generation EU €672.5 billion in grants and loans to support EU countries for three years Funds supporting key policy areas such as green transition, digital transformation, crisis preparedness as well as
Read MoreEIB on Czech Republic: EIB and CSOB Leasing join forces to support SMEs and mid-cap companies impacted by the COVID-19
EIB provides a €130 million loan to CSOB Leasing To benefit small, medium and mid-cap businesses located in Cohesion areas Supporting innovation and skills in Czech Republic The European Investment Bank (EIB) signed a €130 million loan (equivalent to CZK 3.42
Read MoreIMF Blog: What is Really New in Fintech
The financial industry is undergoing rapid technological change. Traditional banks face competition from online start-ups with no physical branches. Social media and other digital platforms are expanding into payments and credit. The increase in demand for digital services triggered by
Read MoreImpact at IFC: Getting to the Root of Africa’s Food Challenges
Senegal is home to 350,000 herding families. But in Dakar, the West African nation’s capital, grocery store shelves are piled high with powdered milk—mainly imported from Europe. The situation is a stark example of the stubborn agriculture production and supply
Read MoreEuropean Parliament News: EU regions get additional 47.5 billion EUR to tackle local effects of COVID-19
Funds will support projects as of 1 February 2020 and until the end of 2023 REACT-EU resources made available through EU Structural Funds Strong focus on those hit hardest by the crisis MEPs approved extra aid for EU regions to
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