blogs.worldbank.org

2 weeks ago | blogs.worldbank.org | Jeremy Veillard |Daniela Romero

Mental health represents a significant public health challenge and a critical economic and social issue for countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic. Mental health and substance use disorders, along with suicide, have become leading causes of mortality, morbidity, and disability in the region. This burden disproportionately affects young people, with more than 10 adolescents losing their lives to suicide every day.

2 weeks ago | blogs.worldbank.org | Jeremy Veillard |Daniela Romero

La salud mental representa un importante desafío de salud pública y un problema económico y social crítico para los países de América Latina y el Caribe (ALC), particularmente luego de la pandemia de COVID-19. La salud mental y los trastornos por consumo de sustancias, junto con el suicidio, se han convertido en las principales causas de mortalidad, morbilidad y discapacidad en la región.

2 weeks ago | blogs.worldbank.org | Miriam Bruhn |Shawn Tan |trang tran

Governments and firms around the world are grappling with the ongoing digital transformation known as Industry 4.0, which entails firms adopting automation and interconnectivity in their manufacturing and operational processes. While these technologies may offer productivity gains and competitiveness, sustaining their use can be challenging for firms when the benefits are less immediate and tangible or slow to materialize.

2 weeks ago | blogs.worldbank.org | Ousmane Diagana |Jorge Familiar |Junaid Ahmad |Pablo Saavedra

As liquidity pressures mount for some countries, there’s renewed interest in debt-for-development, when a country exchanges its expensive debt for cheaper debt and then redirects the savings into development spending. Find out about a debt-for-development swap operation in Côte d’Ivoire, enabled by the World Bank Group, that’s taking a new approach.

3 weeks ago | blogs.worldbank.org | Monica Bennett |Will Davies |Khafi Weekes

In 2018, after 3 years of droughts, the city of Cape Town in South Africa faced severe water shortages. Dam reservoir capacity had dropped to critical levels and the city was fast approaching “Day Zero” of no water availability. Desalination, new dams, strict water usage limits – all solutions were on the table. Solving the water crisis in Cape Town required a variety of activities, including gray infrastructure, behavioral change, pricing changes, and a massive communications campaign.