Harnessing Data for Just-in-Time Analytics and Action for Global Food Security
The global community is mobilizing for a comprehensive global response to the ongoing food security crisis. As part of this response, the World Bank has made up to $30 billion available in existing and new projects over a period of 15 months in areas such as agriculture, nutrition, social protection, water and irrigation. This grant contributes to the utilisation of global-scale monitoring and data to tackle the impacts of a series of crises that have severely disrupted food, fuel, and fertilizer markets.
Through continuous and global-scale monitoring, Earth Observation (EO) data can help support decision makers around the world in securing all four dimensions of food security: availability, accessibility, utilization, and stability. Currently, eight global- and regional-scale agricultural monitoring systems assist with the assessment of crop condition and crop condition anomalies around the globe. This includes CropWatch, led by the Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which analyses national and global crop production. Recent advances in EO technologies and data analytics capacities continuously offer cheaper and more rapid options to collect data and create knowledge which previously was only possible through resource-intense field activities (including new satellites under the China High-resolution Earth Observation System (CHEOS)). Added to the increased modelling and computing capacity, EO data now offers an opportunity to allow for better just-in-time assessment of production, adaptation of forecasting based on climate model, all at large scale.
Morocco Blue Economy
This grant is improving knowledge and capacity within the Government of Morocco (GoM) so that it can establish institutional frameworks, improve integrated management of natural resources, and strengthen selected sectors for a climate-resilient blue economy in targeted areas. The grant activities are supporting the GoM to tap into China’s extensive experience in Blue Economy development at the national and local level and to bring critical Chinese knowledge to Moroccan officials, scientists, and decision-makers.
Chinese institutions and experts are playing an important role in the implementation of the grant, and their contributions are instrumental in facilitating knowledge exchange with the GoM and exploring future collaboration opportunities in the blue economy sector. Representatives from China’s Ministry of Natural Resources, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and National Development and Reform Commission have shared knowledge and experience with Moroccan counterparts on national level planning and management of the Blue Economy, marine spatial planning, fishery and aquaculture sector management, marine ecosystem restoration, and the development of marine economy. Experts from Ocean University of China and other research institutes have shared their expertise on blue finance, sustainable seafood production, and marine science and technology. Potential areas of collaboration between Moroccan and Chinese institutions and experts include innovative central-local coordination mechanisms, human resources development, technology transfer, and climate resilience.
Since approval in September 2023, the World Bank task team has deployed an international team of experts to develop a comprehensive methodology for calculating the Blue Economy’s contribution to Morocco’s GDP. The results and methodology that is being developed will be integrated into an online platform (Blue Economy portal) developed by the GoM as part of the World Bank Blue Economy Program-for-Results (PFR) Project. The integrated Blue Economy index and related data will be made accessible to various stakeholders, including policymakers, academics, civil society organizations, and the private sector. The team of experts will also provide support to relevant ministries in piloting the developed methodology at the national level, including creating a methodology for regular monitoring and measuring the evolution of variables related to the Blue Economy. It is expected that the GoM will be able to generate periodic reports on the progress and impact of the Blue Economy using the methodology developed.
Sustainable Finance and Banking Network
The CWPF grants support the core costs associated with the Sustainable Finance and Banking Network (SFBN). Established in 2012, SFBN is a voluntary community of financial sector regulators, central banks, ministries of finance, ministries of environment, and industry associations from emerging markets committed to advancing sustainable finance for national development priorities, financial market deepening, and stability.
The CWPF supports IFC as SBFN’s Secretariat and knowledge partner, assisting members in sharing knowledge and building capacity to design and implement their own national sustainable finance initiatives. As of March 2022, SBFN comprised 74 member institutions, representing 62 countries, with 86 percent ($43 trillion) of the total banking assets in emerging markets.
SBFN members are committed to moving their financial sectors towards sustainability with twin goals:
Improved risk management and governance of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors by financial institutions, including management and disclosure of climate risks;
- Increased capital flows to activities with positive environmental and social impact, including climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Last Updated: Oct 17, 2024