An estimated 500,000 more girls are at the risk of being forced into child marriage globally and as many as one million more are expected to become pregnant in 2020 as a result of the economic impacts of the COVID-19…
Tag: economy
Bangladesh overtakes India in per capita GDP, as per IMF
Bangladesh has overtaken its much-larger neighbour India in terms of per capita GDP in 2020, owing to a respectable performance on the economic front despite slowing growth coupled with a steep contraction in the India economy as a result of…
IMF predicts ‘Less severe’ but ‘still deep’ recession
October 13 – In the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic and its continuing impact, the global economy could see a “somewhat less severe, though still deep” recession through 2020, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected in its latest global…
Covid to reshape BD economic policies in medium term
Covid-19 has had a major impact on the global economy. And Bangladesh is no exception. An official document now suggests that the pandemic is going to have a massive influence on Dhaka’s economic policies in the medium term, as the…
Dhaka ranks 113 on Commitment to Reducing Inequality index
Bangladesh has ranked 113 on the Commitment to Reducing Inequality (CRII) Index 2020.
Timely stimulus packages helped economy rebound: PM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said the national economy has made a turnaround with its desired pace due to the government’s timely decision to give stimulus packages to various sectors and groups during the Covid-19 pandemic.
What Would the Buddha Do?
By David Loy Maybe every modern generation feels confronted by some crisis that will affect the fate of the world, but unless your head is buried in the sand (or some Buddhist equivalent) it’s impossible to be ignorant of the…
‘Populist’ Macroeconomic Policy
By Vladimir Popov and Jomo Kwame Sundaram BERLIN and KUALA LUMPUR, Sep 22 2020 (IPS) – ‘Ethno-populism’ has emerged and spread in recent decades in response to the mixed consequences of neoliberal globalization. It appropriates nationalist rhetoric for narrow ethnic,…
Bangladesh to pay Tk2.25 tln in debt servicing in 3 years
The government will pay an estimated Tk 2,256.7 billion as interest on loans in the next three fiscals including the current one.
Bangladesh’s debt burden set to get heavier
Dhaka, Sept 17 – Bangladesh is going to plunge into a ‘newer depth of debt’, both from internal and external sources, in the coming days as it is spending additional money to salvage the economy hit hard by the COVID-19…
COVID-19 devastating the Palestinian economy, says UNCTAD
Geneva, 9 Sep (Kanaga Raja) – The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the socioeconomic conditions in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), which were already moving from bad to worse before the onset of the pandemic, the UN Conference on Trade and…
Over 1 mln Children Could Die for COVID-19 Economic Crisis
By Stella Paul IPS senior correspondent Stella Paul interviews Nobel Laureate KAILASH SATYARTHI on the eve of Fair Share for Children Summit, a global virtual conference in which Nobel Laureates and world leaders are calling for the world’s most marginalised…
Forex reserves hit record high over $39 billion
DHAKA, Sept 1, 2020 (BSS) – The country’s foreign exchange reserves has touched a new record of US$39.04 billion amid coronavirus crisis.
‘No questions can be raised over legalising black money’
Dhaka, Aug 25 – National Board of Revenue (NBR) chairman Abu Hena Md. Rahmatul Muneem has said that no organisation can raise questions over legalisation of untaxed money, popularly known as black money, and its subsequent investment availing amnesty in…
Dhaka to focus on agriculture to speed up economic recovery
Bangladesh is going to focus on agriculture as one of its prioritised sectors under a 2020-2023 mid-term plan in an effort to bring the Covid-hit national economy back on track fast.
Debt Hawks Detract from Urgently Needed Fiscal Recovery Efforts
By Anis Chowdhury and Jomo Kwame Sundaram SYDNEY and KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 13 2020 (IPS) – Developing country debt has continued to grow rapidly since the 2008-2009 global financial crisis (GFC). Warnings against debt have been reiterated by familiar prophets…
‘BD economy to show growth’ despite global recession
Dhaka, Aug 13 – Bangladesh might be one of only two ASEAN and South Asian economies to register positive growth in 2020 when the world is almost certainly bound to a devastating recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Greening Sovereign-Debt Restructuring
By Simon Zadek BEIJING – Many developing countries have so far avoided the high COVID-19 infection and mortality rates that are being experienced elsewhere. While that may be good news, at least in the short term, the bad news is…
COVID-19 Impact on International Migration, Remittances in Asia
This brief assesses the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on migrant workers, how reduced remittances will affect households and economies in Asia and the Pacific, and what policy makers can do to soften the blow.
COVID-19: Arab region’s economy to shrink by 5.7%
Geneva, 29 Jul (Kanaga Raja) – The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for the Arab region are likely to be deep and long-lasting, with the economies in this region expected to contract by 5.7 percent, according to a United Nations…
Activation during the pandemic downturn
by Silvia Girardi, Alessio Fusco and Valeria Pulignano on 29th July 2020 @sigiraviaMandatory activation conditions for social-assistance recipients should be suspended during the pandemic.Whether activation policies can foster labour-market integration and, at the same time, protect individuals from poverty is…
Covid-19 forces change of approach to 8th Five Year Plan
Dhaka, July 24 – Amid the fast-changing scenario in Bangladesh economy due to COVID-19 crisis, the government is going to change the main macroeconomic structure of the 8th Five Year Plan to protect people.
BD economy to bounce back at year end, hopes Minister
Commerce minister Tipu Munshi on Thursday hoped that the economy of the country will bounce back at the end of the year as some export products see good demand in the global market amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
100mn people may enter extreme poverty globally in 2020: UN
UN deputy chief Amina Mohammed has said as many as 100 million people are expected to be pushed back into extreme poverty in 2020, the first rise in global poverty since 1998.
Minimum wage: A success story with scope for improvement
by Peter Bofinger on 20th July 2020 @PeterBofinger Peter Bofinger argues that regionally-differentiated minimum wages should be considered for the post-coronavirus period. In Germany, the introduction of the statutory minimum wage in January 2015 was viewed extremely sceptically by many…
‘New social contract, global deal must to tackle inequality’
Xinhua/UNB, July 19 – Noting that Covid-19 is a human tragedy, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday called for a New Social Contract and a New Global Deal to address inequality across the world.
Latin America & Caribbean to suffer worst recession in a century
Geneva, 15 Jul (Kanaga Raja) – The COVID-19 pandemic will result in the worst recession in the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region in a century, causing a 9.1% contraction in regional GDP in 2020. This is one of…
‘Transparent public finances must for resilient economy’
Dhaka, July 11 – Experts at a webinar on Saturday said Chartered Accountants (CAs) can play a vital role in economic recovery by taking particular care in their conduct and judgments as fair information, accountability, and transparent public finance are…
Courtesy of Corona
M ZAHIDUL HAQUE BY the courtesy of Corona, drastic changes have taken place in occupational, societal and human relations disciplines. COVID-19 pandemic has changed human behaviour and the pattern of human interaction. Social and organizational communications are getting more and…
Grameen Yemen launches microcredit, Social Business in Yemen
Grameen Yemen has started microcredit and social business in Yemen disbursing its first micro loans recently.