World Bank

RNZ reports the "Reducing Vulnerabilities" report predicts a stable growth outlook for East Asia and the Pacific up until 2018.

But it says the Pacific countries are particularly vulnerable given their small economies which are susceptible to external shocks from the global economy as well as from the high risk of natural disasters in the region.

Historically, these industrial monoliths have been functional eyesores -- often inciting resentment and "not in my backyard" protests from local residents.

But as cities generate more trash -- the World Bank predicts global rubbish disposal will triple to 4 billion tons a year by 2100 -- the need to change our attitudes to waste is becoming more urgent.

Samoa’s remoteness and small population means it is highly dependent on air transport to connect the country to larger markets, and to facilitate important industries such as tourism. In 2013, more than 20 percent of Samoa’s gross domestic product (GDP) was from the travel industry, meaning continued and sustainable investment into aviation infrastructure is vital.

World Bank president Jim Yong Kim said the new Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility (PEF) will accelerate global and national responses to disease outbreaks that threaten large populations and fragile economies.

He said the PEF, a combination of catastrophe insurance and bonds, is a direct reaction to the sluggish donor response to the outbreak of Ebola, which killed thousands and shut down economic activity for months.

"The recent Ebola crisis in West Africa was a tragedy that we were simply not prepared for. It was a wake-up call to the entire world," Dr Kim said.

It says this could create up to 15,000 jobs by 2040.

Called 'The Pacific Possible: Tuna Fisheries report' it has been released at a meeting of Forum Fisheries committee in Port Vila.

Released today, the 'Precautionary Management of Deep Sea Mining Potential' report recommends that Pacific countries supporting or considering deep sea mining activities proceed with a high degree of caution to avoid irreversible damage to their ecosystems.

It also stresses the need for strong governance arrangements to ensure that appropriate social and environmental safeguards are in place.

Many important roads lie next to the sea, barely above sea level, and are without drainage. They’re often badly maintained and governments don’t have the resources for repairs or rebuilding.

To best protect roads from the ravages of extreme weather, the World Bank supports adaptation and resilience, which is building a road, or bridge, to be somewhat resistant to climate change.

Released to coincide with World Toilet Day 2015, Unsettled: water and sanitation in urban settlement communities of the Pacific, highlights the reasons why thousands of families in Melanesia – Solomon Islands, Fiji, Vanuatu, and Papua New Guinea (PNG) – are unable to access basic water and sewage services.

The report makes a number of recommendations on how governments, utility providers, charities and donors can work together to improve access and affordability.

“This is the best story in the world today – these projections show us that we are the first generation in human history that can end extreme poverty,” said Jim Yong Kim, World Bank Group President.

The World Bank explained that it uses an updated international poverty line of US$1.90 a day, which incorporates new information on differences in the cost of living across countries and preserves the real purchasing power of the previous line of US$1.25 a day in 2005 prices in the world’s poorest countries.

In a report Tuesday in advance of the IMF-World Bank annual meetings here this week, the fund says the world economy will grow 3.1 percent this year, down from a July forecast of 3.3 percent and from 3.4 percent growth last year.

"The risks seem more tilted to the downside than they did just a few months ago," IMF chief economist Maurice Obstfeld, told reporters.

Still, Obstfeld downplayed the risk of a global recession.