Economics & Development

On April 8, 2026, the Inspection Panel received a Request for Inspection related to the Western Balkans: Sava and Drina Rivers Corridors Integrated Development Program. The Request was submitted by two individuals from Serbia. The Requesters allege that they were coerced to remove facilities from their property to make way for project-related works, which has left the property unprotected. The Requesters further allege that they are not properly informed whether or how they will be compensated for their additional structures which will be affected by the Project. The Panel’s initial due diligence concluded that the Request did not meet one of the criteria for registration, as there was insufficient evidence that the concerns raised in the Request have been brought to the attention of Management, therefore the Panel is not registering this Request.

This Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is entered into between the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA) (IBRD and IDA collectively referred to as the World Bank). This MOU provides a framework within which the Participants may develop and undertake collaborative activities and is not intended to interfere with the Participants’ independent decision-making with regard to their own respective administration and operations. The Participants only participate in the activities under this MOU in accordance with their respective authorizing framework and its internal policies and procedures.

Financing Universal Health Coverage in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR): A Health Public Expenditure and Institutional Review examines how the Lao PDR finances its health sector and how public institutions translate resources into services, at a time when progress toward universal health coverage is under strain from tightening fiscal space, sharp currency depreciation, declining external assistance, and a rising burden of noncommunicable diseases. The report finds that domestic government health expenditure stood at only $11 per capita in 2023, among the lowest globally and well below the lower-middle-income country average, while out-of-pocket payments remain the single largest source of health financing and service utilization has declined. Drawing on government administrative and financial data, household surveys, national health accounts, and international benchmarks, the review offers a coherent three-pillar reform package: mobilizing more predictable domestic resources for health, including through a roadmap to raise health’s share of government spending to 9 percent by 2030 and strengthened health taxes; improving efficiency by re-centering service delivery on primary health care, strengthening strategic purchasing through the National Health Insurance system, and actively steering the public-private mix, especially for medicines; and fixing the last-mile public financial management and digital constraints that prevent approved budgets from reaching facilities on time. Implemented together, these reforms can help public funds reach frontline providers predictably, reduce financial hardship for households, and sustain equitable gains in coverage, quality, and resilience, particularly for poor and remote communities.