Sri Lanka has successfully navigated its way out of the darkest days of sovereign default, rebuilding a foundation of stability. However, as the World Bank’s latest assessment makes clear, this recovery remains deeply uneven.
The durability of this grassroots ceasefire remains highly precarious. Without structured incident management, formal counterterrorism cooperation, or official endorsement from military commanders in Kabul and Islamabad, the agreement is vulnerable to the slightest provocation.
For thousands of Bangladeshi fishermen and honey collectors, setting out onto the waters of the Sundarbans to earn a daily livelihood has abruptly devolved into a deadly gamble.
Recognising that structural changes of this magnitude require immense societal backing, Shah directly appealed to the Nepali people for their trust and support.
The report envisions leveraging Nepal’s rich cultural and natural heritage for high-value tourism, advancing agricultural modernisation to curb imports, and establishing special economic zones to foster export-oriented production.
Experts tracking these trends note that sustained improvements in female LFPR could play a pivotal role in achieving broader economic goals, including higher productivity and inclusive growth.
The report’s broader poverty measure underscores how deeply structural pressures are squeezing households. The poverty rate – nearly 28 per cent – has jumped significantly in just three years.