Senior governmental representatives, World Bank specialists and United Nations officials as well as members from the civil society gathered on February 15, 2016 in Paris for a cross-regional exchange between Middle Eastern and European countries hosting refugees, on the analytical findings, and... more

Senior governmental representatives, World Bank specialists and United Nations officials as well as members from the civil society gathered on February 15, 2016 in Paris for a cross-regional exchange between Middle Eastern and European countries hosting refugees, on the analytical findings, and... more

Senior governmental representatives, World Bank specialists and United Nations officials as well as members from the civil society gathered on February 15, 2016 in Paris for a cross-regional exchange between Middle Eastern and European countries hosting refugees, on the analytical findings, and... more

Senior governmental representatives, World Bank specialists and United Nations officials as well as members from the civil society gathered on February 15, 2016 in Paris for a cross-regional exchange between Middle Eastern and European countries hosting refugees, on the analytical findings, and... more

Report from a “Moving” Mission in the Mediterranean (2) Movements of refugees and migrants have always existed. Due to the protracted conflict in Syria and increasing fragility, they are turning into an enormous challenge for the Mediterranean region. The instability which is most severely... more

Report from a “Moving” Mission in the Mediterranean (1)   Refugees, migration and mobility of persons have never been alien to the Mediterranean region; on the contrary history proves that the movement of individuals - for its different purposes - has always been an integral characteristic and... more

The needs for investment in the water sector are considerable in the Mediterranean region. Water demand - driven by urbanization, the development of tourism, irrigated agriculture and industrialization - is growing rapidly. The water sector should also be able to respond promptly to the various... more

In Turkey, as in other countries, refugees are often seen as an unmitigated burden, taking jobs from locals, straining public resources, and stoking fears of rising crime and terrorism. Clearly there are significant costs and risks shouldered by host countries, but there is another side to the... more

International community programs must not only focus on the countries which host the most Syrian refugees – Lebanon and Jordan –, but must also take Syria into account. This is the view put forward by Abdallah Al Dardari, former Minister of Planning in Syria and Deputy Executive Secretary of the... more

With the refugee crisis gaining the world’s attention since war broke out in Syria, many ideas have been raised to address forced displacement, both in the Middle East and in countries around the world. Displacement has emerged as a critical development challenge, one that affects not only the... more

Nearly 60 million persons were forcibly displaced worldwide due to conflict and persecution at the end of 2014—the highest number since World War II. Forced displacement is not only a humanitarian issue, but also has important economic, social, political, and environmental impacts on the places of... more

The World Bank Group, the United Nations and the Islamic Development Bank Group launched a new financing initiative to scale-up financing in the Middle East and North Africa to help countries hosting significant refugee populations, countries impacted by conflict, as well as countries that... more

Almost five years since the Syrian war broke out and created the largest refugees crisis since the World War II. Syria’s neighboring countries are facing an unprecedented and protracted refugee crisis. France 24 spoke to Franck Bousquet, the World Bank’s Director of Regional Programs, Partnerships... more