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The strength of the recovery in the Republic of the Marshall Islands depends largely on the availability of foreign grants and job creation in the private sector. In view of rising debt-service payments and the expected decline in foreign grants, fiscal consolidation and public sector reforms are of highest priority. Sustaining economic growth over the long term will require broad-based structural reforms to promote private sector development and increase the resilience of the economy to external shocks.

The fall in oil prices and the ensuing deterioration in financial balances show that Algeria continues to face important medium-term challenges. Sustained efforts are needed to improve productivity, diversify the economy to reduce its high dependence on the hydrocarbon sector, and reduce high youth unemployment.

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission, led by Albert Jaeger and the Serbian authorities have reached agreement, subject to approval by the IMF Management and Executive Board, on the completion of the third review of the SBA. We expect the request to be considered by the IMF's Board in late March. Completion will allow Serbia to draw €350 million to support its external reserve position.

New York: Prices for information and communication technology (ICT) services are falling worldwide, and services continue to grow, propelled by mobile cellular use, but broadband Internet remains outside the reach of many in poor countries, the United Nations telecoms agency has said.

New York: Timor-Leste has made “remarkable progress” since the violence that disrupted it in 2006, but the long-term goals of recovery and development may prove even more challenging, the top United Nations envoy to the small South-East Asian country has said.

New York: An independent United Nations human rights expert has voiced concern over Albanian society's widespread acceptance of settling personal scores through deadly violence and prevalence of violence in the home.

New York: More than 7 million people in Niger, which last week saw its Government overthrown in a coup d'état, are facing food insecurity, the United Nations health agency has warned.

New York: With cross-border movement of unaccompanied minors reaching into the thousands, senior officials from 15 Eastern and Southern African countries are thrashing out ways to strengthen cooperation for the protection of children at risk, at a three-day United Nations-backed meeting in Pretoria, South Africa.

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has commended the authorities of Bangladesh for the strong performance of Bangladesh's economy, despite the global recession. Growth has been supported by buoyant domestic activity, including in agriculture and services. Resilience in exports as well as continued strong inflows of remittances also played an important role. Fiscal conservatism of the government has paid large dividends. These trends are to continue with medium-term growth in the baseline scenario projected at a respectable 6 percent. However, two policy issues remain troublesome.

New York: Nearly 58,000 farming households in Sri Lanka are expected to benefit from a United Nations-funded programme designed to improve their livelihoods, boost their incomes and enhance their participation in the marketing and selling of their products.