News from Around the World

After Taxing Rescue, France Vows to Restore Notre Dame

More than 1,000 people were celebrating Mass inside Notre Dame Cathedral on Monday evening, listening to a Gospel reading while more than 100 feet above their heads, concealed by the famed vaulted ceilings, a canopy of fire was spreading.

African Development Bank commits to coal-free financing

NAIROBI — The African Development Bank will no longer finance coal projects, bank president Akinwumi Adesina announced this week at the U.N. Climate Action Summit. It was the first public announcement by the bank committing to end financial support for coal.

“Coal is the past, renewable energy is the future,” Adesina told the audience. “For us at the African Development Bank, we are getting out of coal.”

Africa's leading private sector investment conference kicks off in Abidjan

ABIDJAN — Transforming Africa — and how to effectively do so in a digital era — shaped panel discussions and sideline debates during the opening day of the sixth annual Africa CEO Forum, the continent’s premier private sector conference, which kicked off Monday in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

Africa's 2019 economic outlook, according to AfDB

ABIDJAN — In recent years, African heads of state have frequently broadcast to the world that their continent is “open for business.” It has attracted more than $95 billion in foreign direct investment over the past two years.

A new US development finance agency takes flight

WASHINGTON — The United States will have a new development finance institution.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate passed the Better Utilization of Investment Leading to Development, or BUILD Act, which will create a new U.S. government agency — the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation. Development experts called it the biggest change in U.S. development policy in 15 years.

A new index shows how to measure gender equality in the SDGs

CANBERRA — In today’s development thinking, gender plays an key role — including in achieving the outcomes of the Sustainable Development Goals. But in progressing the SDG gender agenda, how do you create a solid set of data and monitor progress?

A Look at Digital Credit in Kenya and Why Access Alone Is not Enough

In addition to working at a hospital in Nairobi, Kenya, Grace is a clothing entrepreneur. She uses a mobile app to take out loans that help her keep the business running.

“My customers usually don’t pay for the clothes immediately, so I usually borrow to ensure I can go to the market and buy goods for sale as I wait for payment,” Grace said, who used a loan from Tala to start her clothing business which provides her with additional income outside her work at the hospital.

3 takeaways from COP24

KATOWICE, Poland — The final plenary session was postponed nine times before negotiators in Katowice, Poland, were finally — exhaustedly — able to assemble on Saturday evening and adopt a Paris Agreement “rulebook.”

3 key development finance trends to watch

PARIS — Even before the Sustainable Development Goals passed, it was clear that the private sector and private finance would be critical to achieving the ambitious objectives. But the conversation has evolved significantly since then — raising questions and creating new challenges.

'No country is untouched': Global Nutrition Report highlights compounding malnutrition

WASHINGTON — Every country in the world experiences the burden of malnutrition and many nations now see a compounding of different forms including stunting, wasting, anemia, and obesity, according to the “2018 Global Nutrition Report.”

Child stunting, anemia in women of reproductive age, and overweight in women were examined in 141 countries that had consistent data on those malnutrition indicators. Findings show 88 percent (124 countries) have high levels of at least two different types of malnutrition, while 29 percent have high levels of all three.