Finance & Economics | WPN World People News

Marc Pecsteen de Buytswerve (2nd right), the Permanent Representative of Belgium to the UN and chair of the session, speaks at the plenary session during the ECOSOC Integration Segment. Also in the picture are Liu Zhenmin, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs (left), Kamoliddinzoda Ilyos Jamoliddin, Deputy Minister of Trade of Tajikistan (2nd left) and Emer Herity, Secretary of ECOSOC (right).

U.S. President Donald Trump is extending tariff exemptions on aluminum and steel exports from the European Union, Canada, and Mexico for at least another month.

The world is not on track to meet the global energy targets for 2030 set as part of the Sustainable Development Goals, but real progress is being made in certain areas – particularly expansion of access to electricity in least developed countries, and industrial energy efficiency, according to a new report from five international agencies.

The World Bank Group (WBG) announced the launch of the Disruptive Technologies for Development Fund in partnership with Credit Suisse to harness technologies such as blockchain, 3D printing, and the Internet of Things to pioneer innovative solutions for development challenges, on May 1.

The Internal Revenue Service issued guidance on Apr 27 that provides relief for certain small employers that wish to claim the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit for 2017 and later years.

The World Bank Board of Executive Directors, on April 26, approved a $250 million National Rural Economic Transformation Project (NRETP) to help rural households shift to a new generation of economic initiatives by developing viable enterprises for farm and non-farm products.

On 26 April 2018, the Council adopted revised rules on the funding of European political parties and foundations.

The new rules target certain abusive practices such as the creation of spurious entities for the purpose of receiving EU funding. Some of the changes will facilitate access to EU funds; others will help tackle fraud. Transparency will be increased.

On April 6, 2018, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation with Vanuatu, and considered and endorsed the staff appraisal without a meeting.

A team from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), led by Boriana Yontcheva, held discussions with the Malian authorities in Washington DC from April 18–24 2018 on the ninth review of Mali’s economic and financial program supported by the IMF under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF).

More than 140,000 people will benefit from efforts to make rice, maize, and produce farming more productive and profitable, through the Lao PDR Agriculture Competitiveness Project, approved by the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors, on April 26.