Beep beep beep. I look at my watch and its altitude alarm has been triggered. This indicator tells me that we have reached 5,600 meters (18,370 feet) above sea level. We are only 190 meters more to the summit. A recent adventure brought me close to climate change. Too close for comfort, in fact. “I must keep going…” “I must keep going…” The fatigue of nearly 7 hours of … [Read more...] about On World Water Day: A Story of Mountaineering, Glaciers and Water availability
Environmental and Social Safeguards
A new native plant garden in Haiti, an oasis for biodiversity and healthy natural environments
Native birds and butterflies were once abundant in Haiti. The time has come to bring these species back to new life, and showcase Haiti’s rich biodiversity. The Inter-American Development Bank, with the assistance of the Jardin Botanique de Cayes, has transformed the roughly 1,000 square meter grounds of its offices in Port au Prince, Haiti into a native plant garden. To … [Read more...] about A new native plant garden in Haiti, an oasis for biodiversity and healthy natural environments
Measuring Violence against Women to Improve Public Safety in Argentina
“They thought that the bullet would silence us. But they failed… weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage was born.” – Malala Yousafzai, speaking at the UN on her 16th birthday On International Women’s Day, we celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women. Yet there is much work to be done to improve gender parity in … [Read more...] about Measuring Violence against Women to Improve Public Safety in Argentina
Part III: Can safeguards help countries improve their sustainability performance?
In our previous blog of this 3-part blog series, we showed how earlier safeguards involvement in project cycles contributes to improved sustainability performance. In this blog, we illustrate how the use of safeguards helps countries manage environmental and social impacts, and help sponsors implement innovative best practices. Our research on The Role of IDB’s Safeguards … [Read more...] about Part III: Can safeguards help countries improve their sustainability performance?
Three environmental and social pitfalls to avoid on education programs
On the day we celebrated the World Day of Social Justice, it seemed appropriate to talk about education, as education is one of the basic pillars to achieve social justice. Regardless of whether we look at it on a global scale “as an underlying principle for peaceful and prosperous coexistence within and among nations”, or within each individual country as a way to “"improve … [Read more...] about Three environmental and social pitfalls to avoid on education programs