Economics & Development

In the four decades that the Facility for Investment Climate Advisory Services (FIAS) multi-donor trust fund has supported work in developing economies, one constant remains: the central role of the private sector in achieving global development goals. The FIAS 2025 Annual Review documents the achievements of IFC Advisory and Upstream projects through four years of the five-year FIAS strategy cycle. Over that time, more than 200 FIAS-supported projects have helped to generate nearly $1.4 billion in new private sector investment and financing, expand job and entrepreneurship opportunities for women, and foster resilient and green development. Founded by IFC in 1985 and now supported by 14 Development Partners, FIAS is one of IFC’s oldest and largest trust funds. For more information, visit https://thefias.info.

《2025 年世界发展报告》强调，标准虽不显眼，却是推动发展的重要催化剂，它们作为一种“无形的基础设施”，支撑着现代经济中的一致性、兼容性和质量。曾经只是边缘性的技术工具，标准如今已成为实现繁荣、促进出口增长、推动技术扩散以及高效提供公共服务的关键要素，特别是对于在全球化和快速技术变革中前行的中低收入国家而言。报告阐述了不断扩展的标准体系，其中大多数为自愿性标准，但正日益通过非关税措施嵌入法规和全球贸易体系。报告强调建设质量基础设施的重要性，包括计量、合格评定、认可和标准化，以确保标准得到可信的实施和遵守。报告的一项核心贡献是“适应 对接 制定”框架，该框架指导各国循序推进改革：根据本国能力调整国际标准，逐步与全球规范接轨，并最终参与国际标准的制定。报告主张将标准作为灵活的政策工具，结合自愿性和强制性方式，在保护公共利益的同时促进创新。总体而言，报告认为，设计良好且具有包容性的标准能够加快发展进程，而缺乏合理顺序或过于僵化的标准则可能成为发展的障碍，而非助力。

This report outlines a set of reforms aimed at positioning Zambia on an upper-middle-income growth path by mid-century in the context of climate change. Central to these recommendations is strengthening the economy’s resilience to climate variability while advancing a transition towards private sector–driven development. Integrating climate resilience into rural livelihoods, urban planning, and industrial development in the near term will set Zambia on a path to address the longer-term challenges posed by climate change. To achieve this, substantial private investment in enabling climate-resilient infrastructure—including energy, transport, and water—is necessary to drive broad-based growth in key productive sectors such as mining, agriculture, and tourism. This inclusive economic expansion in productive sectors will create the wealth and fiscal space that crowds in private investment and safeguards people in Zambia from the mounting impacts of climate change.