Financing

January 11, 2022 - Lyonpo Loknath Sharma and Ratnakar Adhikari

What Bhutan got right about happiness - and what other countries can learn

Guided by its Gross National Happiness, Bhutan has considerably improved its economic, environmental, social and governance situation in the past four decades.

December 07, 2021 - Violeta Gonzalez Behar, Michelle Kovacevic

Amid cyclones and COVID-19, Vanuatu makes bold decision to graduate from ‘least developed country’ category

Originally published by OECD Development Matters blog on 30th April 2021

October 19, 2021 - Ratnakar Adhikari

Why foreign direct investment is key to Africa's sustainable recovery

Originally published by the World Economic Forum on 19 August 2021

July 20, 2021 - Helen Castell

How LDCs can reset policy to attract more FDI

As foreign direct investment (FDI) in developing countries tumbles to 25-year lows, Least Developed Countries (LDCs) have an opportunity to buck this trend by dismantling trade barriers and developing stable policies that incentivize and de-risk value-add investment into strategic sectors.

July 13, 2021 - Helen Castell, Violeta Gonzalez Behar

Narrowing the trade finance gap for LDCs

The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated the challenges Least Developed Countries (LDCs) face in accessing vital trade finance, as many have seen their local dollar liquidity shrink while foreign banks take a dimmer - and not always accurate - view of emerging market risk.

June 15, 2021 - Deanna Ramsay

How can the “data revolution” work for developing economies?

New World Bank report shows how data could make an impact, and offers pathways to do so

May 18, 2021 - Helen Castell

UNCTAD LDC Report: putting productive capacities first

Expanding and diversifying productive capacities will better position least developed countries (LDCs) to tap the financing and e-trade opportunities that will underpin their Covid-19 recovery. This was a recurrent theme in the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Least Developed Countries Report 2020, which cautioned however that the international community must first rally with resources, policy space and better international support measures.

April 27, 2021 - Helen Castell

Action plan for increasing LDCs’ share of blended finance

Least developed countries (LDCs) receive only 6% of the private finance mobilized globally through blended finance, and even then funds are concentrated in a handful of LDCs while ‘last mile’ countries, sectors and businesses miss out.

March 25, 2021 - Violeta Gonzalez Behar, Michelle Kovacevic

New Insight briefs reveal how COVID-19 will impact Aid for Trade - and how LDCs can take advantage of innovating financing to support trade

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted trade in the world’s least developed countries (LDCs) in a myriad of ways – from the complete collapse of tourism in some LDCs, to the rise of e-commerce opportunities in others. It’s also expected to impact donor country aid budgets for many years to come.