A study released today by IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, shows that the historic global agreement on climate change adopted in Paris last year helped open up nearly $23 trillion in opportunities for climate-smart investments in emerging markets between now and 2030.

Africa’s “Growth Miracle” in the 21st century has reversed a long standing narrative of pessimism about the region. It has emboldened hope for the future. GDP growth reached around 5% annually from 2001-2014. Rates of extreme poverty fell substantially. Yet big challenges remain. Growth slumped in 2015 and 2016.

This document discusses the importance of bringing disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation to urban planning in order to create safer spaces for citizens.

Transforming Chennai analyses how urban planning and the business climate shaped micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) resilience to the effects of the December 2015 floods in Chennai, India. The core of this study is the primary research conducted with thirty-five MSMEs and two large corporations.

This report explores for the first time the scale of the challenge for 20 cities across the world to reach selected targets set out in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). More than half of the targets included will require a profound acceleration of efforts if they are to be achieved by the majority of selected cities.

Greater investment in greener, more sustainable transport systems is essential for propelling the economic and social development that is essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, according to an expert panel report delivered to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

A major independent report emphasises that the Government of Bangladesh and its partners must rally to end hunger and improve nutrition to sustain the country’s remarkable economic trajectory.

Cities in the developing world are rapidly expanding, boosting countries’ economies, reducing poverty, and fueling global prosperity. But as more people, assets, and economic activity become concentrated in cities, and infrastructure struggles to keep up with rapid growth, the risk posed by natural disasters and climate change is rising.

By 2030, over a billion people will live in approximately 100 very large cities and 60 % of the world’s population will live in urban areas.