East Asia and Pacific | World Bank

Indonesia - Western Indonesia National Roads Improvement Project : P090990 - Implementation Status Results Report : Sequence 03

2013-05-24T04:00:00.000Z

Kiribati - Pacific Aviation Investment - Kiribati : P128938 - Implementation Status Results Report : Sequence 03

2013-05-24T04:00:00.000Z

Project Information Document (Appraisal Stage) - Concentrated Solar Power Project - P129657

2013-05-24T04:00:00.000Z

Timor-Leste - GPE Management Strengthening Project : P125443 - Implementation Status Results Report : Sequence 01

2013-05-24T04:00:00.000Z

A changing China : implications for developing countries

2013-05-23T04:00:00.000Z

Three decades of rapid growth and structural change have transformed China into an upper-middle-income country and global economic powerhouse. China's transformations over this period wielded increasing influence over the development path of other countries, either directly through bilateral trade and financial flows or indirectly through growth spillovers and terms of trade effects. Looking ahead, as China embarks on a new phase in its development journey, a phase characterized by slower but higher-quality growth, the economic landscape facing the developing world is expected to be redefined yet again. As China changes, so will its interactions with the outside world. China is expected to remain both a market and a competitor, but its changes are likely to lead to new opportunities for many and new challenges for some. Key questions in this respect are: (i) how will the level and composition of China's import demand evolve as its economy slows and rebalances; (ii) to what extent will the presumed out-migration of labor-intensive manufacturing materialize and create new opportunities elsewhere; and (iii) how quickly will China move up the value chain and redefine its competitive advantage in the global marketplace? How these uncertain long-term developments affect individual countries will depend on differences in total supply chain costs, resource availability, and innovation capability. As in the past, China's transformations are expected to put formidable pressure on countries to adapt and reform, requiring both political will and entrepreneurial capacity, in a collective race where success will be measured against a rapidly moving frontier.

China - Shanxi Coal Bed Methane Development and Utilization Project : procurement plan

2013-05-23T04:00:00.000Z

Official Documents- Amendment No. 9 to Administration Agreement with Australia for TF055181

2013-05-23T04:00:00.000Z

Official Documents- Amendment to Administration Agreement with AusAID for TF071366

2013-05-23T04:00:00.000Z

Official Documents- Disbursement Letter for TF012493

2013-05-23T04:00:00.000Z

Environmental and social management framework

2013-05-23T04:00:00.000Z

The development objective of the National Community Driven Development Project for Philippines is to this investment operation would be to: improve community participation in the management and governance of public sector resources and enhance access to and utilization of basic barangay-level infrastructure and services. Negative impacts are primarily from the cutting of trees, transportation of construction materials, soil runoff, generation of construction wastes, noise nuisance to nearby residential areas, and other health and safety concerns for workers and the community. Mitigation measures include: 1) avoidance of adverse impacts of projects on environment and affected people, where possible; 2) potential environmental impacts will be minimized by avoiding sensitive areas. Relocation, realignment or selection of alternative sites to minimize impacts may be required; 3) new equipment/facilities and materials shall follow international standards and best practices to avoid use of chemicals using Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions; 4) provide adequate protection from pollution around communal wells and faucets; 5) ensure that efficient drains are provided on both sides of the road, leading to a natural outfall; 6) ensure provision of adequate and clean toilets with septic tanks or other low-cost sanitation measures for the facilities; and 7) ensure measures for odor and vermin control for solid waste management sub-projects.

China - Global Environment Facility (GEF) Technology Needs Assessment (TNA) Project : procurement plan

2013-05-22T04:00:00.000Z

Indonesia - Second Water Resources and Irrigation Sector Management Project : procurement plan

2013-05-22T04:00:00.000Z

Indonesia - Second phase of Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative Project : procurement plan

2013-05-22T04:00:00.000Z

Indonesia - Sustainable Management of Agricultural Research and Technology Dissemination Project (SMARTD) : procurement plan

2013-05-22T04:00:00.000Z

Indonesia - Upper Cisokan Pumped Storage Power Project : procurement plan

2013-05-22T04:00:00.000Z

Lao People's Democratic Republic - Lao PDR Second Trade Development Facility Project : P130512 - Implementation Status Results Report : Sequence 01

2013-05-22T04:00:00.000Z

Project Information Document (Appraisal Stage) - LAOSTAT-STRENGTHENING THE NATIONAL STATISTICAL SYSTEM PROJECT - P129825

2013-05-22T04:00:00.000Z

China - Guangdong Social Security Integration and Migrant Training Project : resettlement plan

2013-05-21T04:00:00.000Z

The objectives of the Guangdong Social Security Integration and Migrant Training Project for China are to support rural-urban integration through: (i) supporting a social security system that promotes social equity and labor mobility by enhancing coverage, integration and portability; and (ii) piloting interventions to improve labor transfer through: (a) enhancing the quality and relevance of skills training offered by competent training institutions; and (b) empowering rural labor to choose among training institutions and skill areas. Negative measures include: loss of asset, loss of land acquisition, loss of income, and loss of livelihood. Mitigation measures include: a) land acquisition compensation fees in all regions shall not be lower than the standards. The people's government at county (city or district) or higher level may formulate land acquisition standards in accordance with the standards and the classification table and according to the local actual situation and submit the same to the provincial land and resources department for filing; b) settlement security has been provided from compensation of land losses by a lump sum and long-term sustainable growth. With proper facilities for production, living and family development, the living standards will be recovered to at least not lower than those before this project. It is in line with the total target of the World Bank in terms of land acquisition and resettlement; and c) on both beginning of planning and completion of construction of this project, it shall be enhanced to negotiate with Mache Village Committee and the affected persons and plan and design commercial street and the related commercial supporting facilities; such systems shall be designed as the affected persons is invited to participate in the equity by the acquired land or the affected villagers enjoy preferential operation right to make this project contain employment and profits creation by 20,000 students and teachers and better benefit the affected area and persons.

China - Hunan Forest Restoration and Development Project : P125021 - Implementation Status Results Report : Sequence 01

2013-05-21T04:00:00.000Z

Environmental assessment executive summary

2013-05-21T04:00:00.000Z

The development objective of the Nanchang Urban Rail Project for China is to provide an effective urban mass rapid transit system of appropriate quality along the line two Corridor from ZhanQianNanDaDao Station to XinJiaAn Station. Negative impacts include: noise pollution, air pollution, traffic evacuation, solid waste, solid erosion, human health issue, and water pollution. Mitigation measures include: 1) the construction unit shall formulate construction organizational plan for the earth and stone project according to the climatic features and characteristics of rainfall in the area. The construction unit will avoid the rainy season to carry out large-scaled earth and stone project, and it will make out water and soil conservation measures during construction of earth and soil project; 2) the construction unit will sign construction rubbish transport contract with the company engaged in transport of construction rubbish, and apply for approval certification for disposal of construction rubbish; 3) strengthen traffic management during construction period and rationally arrange construction program to carry out construction with less road occupied and speed up construction progress; 4) the workers shall wear masks during tunnel construction. The ventilation system in the tunnel shall be kept in normal working state to guarantee sufficient amount of ventilation; 5) adjust the location of the air kiosks and cooling tower to keep the distance between them and the sensitive points larger than 15 meters; 6) strengthen monitoring of the domestic sewage and production sewage during operational period of the stations and depots along the project line to discharge such sewage after reaching the standard; 7) the machinery with high noise such as power generator and air compressor etc. in the secluded place or inside the tunnel if possible, and keep them far away from sensitive points in sound environment such as residential area, school and hospital; and 8) the operational routes of the construction vehicles, especially heavy transport vehicles shall avoid areas sensitive to vibration if possible.

The project Third Ulaanbaatar Urban Services Improvement Project has changed to Dropped

2013-05-21T04:00:00.000Z

The project Third Ulaanbaatar Urban Services Improvement Project has changed to Dropped. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project Add. Fin. - Third Water Supply and Sanitation for Low Income Communities (Community Based Water Supply/PAMSIMAS II) is now in the pipeline.

2013-05-20T04:00:00.000Z

The project Add. Fin. - Third Water Supply and Sanitation for Low Income Communities (Community Based Water Supply/PAMSIMAS II) is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The development objective of the Additional Financing to the Third Water Supply and Sanitation for Low Income Communities Project (PAMSIMAS) for Indonesia is to increase the number of low-income rural and peri-urban populations accessing improved water and sanitation facilities and practicing improved hygiene behaviors as part of the Borrowers efforts to achieve Water Supply and Sanitation - Millennium Development Goals (WSS-MDGs), through programmatic main streaming and scaling-up of a nationwide community-driven approach. The additional financing (AF) will help Government of Indonesia (GoI) to achieve MDG targets as well as national coverage goals of 85 percent by 2020 and 100 percent by 2025. Successful implementation of PAMSIMAS will encourage the government to use it as a national platform for the provision of rural water supply and sanitation supporting delivery of two national programs, namely water for all program and Sanitasi Total Berbasis Masyarakat (STBM). AF will support government efforts to meet financial and capacity gaps to expand the program nationally. The changes include a better align with the GoI national program objectives and to increase the focus on sustained services.

The project Cambodia PFM Modernization Project (Sodeth Ly co-TTL) is now in the pipeline.

2013-05-20T04:00:00.000Z

The project Cambodia PFM Modernization Project (Sodeth Ly co-TTL) is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project COMMUNITY-BASED SETTLEMENT REHABILITATION AND RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT has changed to Closed

2013-05-20T04:00:00.000Z

The project COMMUNITY-BASED SETTLEMENT REHABILITATION AND RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT has changed to Closed. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project China: Yan'an Water Supply Project has changed to Dropped

2013-05-17T04:00:00.000Z

The project China: Yan'an Water Supply Project has changed to Dropped. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project MARINE ELECTRONIC HIGHWAY DEMONSTRATION PROJECT has changed to Closed

2013-05-17T04:00:00.000Z

The project MARINE ELECTRONIC HIGHWAY DEMONSTRATION PROJECT has changed to Closed. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The Marine Electronic Highway (MEH) Demonstration Project assists the Republic o f Indonesia, Malaysia, the Republic of Singapore, and representatives of some of the large commercial ship owners that use the Strait of Malacca and the Strait of Singapore, to collectively decide whether to establish a marine electronic highway for the entire length of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. The project's global environment objective is to improve maritime safety and reduce environmental damage to the globally-significant shared natural resources o f the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. The project has five components: Component 1 provides project management by the International Maritime Organization on behalf of the participating countries, coordination of the design, and development and operation of the MEH demonstration system and also provides for key technical inputs to the project. Component 2 supports the production o f the navigational information on which the MEH system will be based, and its incorporation into real-time electronic charts that ship operators will be able to use. Component 3 carries out testing of the demonstration MEH system by about 160 ships fitted with type-approved electronic chart display and information systems, including internet connectivity. Component 4 will consist of oil spill and sand wave models; sensitive area mapping and emergency response systems. Component 5 will consist of website and publicity, evaluation of the MEH system, and system development.

The project Vietnam Inclusive Innovation Project has changed to Active

2013-05-17T04:00:00.000Z

The project Vietnam Inclusive Innovation Project has changed to Active. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The development objective of the Inclusive Innovation Project for Vietnam is to adopt, upgrade and develop inclusive innovations for the benefit of the Base of Pyramid population.(BoP). The project has four components. The first component is development of inclusive technologies. This component will provide support: (i) developing technological solutions to address a few National Development Challenges (NDCs) that are specific to Vietnam; and (ii) developing, acquiring, adapting and upgrading inclusive technologies by Research and Development (R&D) institutions, enterprises and grassroots innovators. The second component is scale up and commercialization of inclusive technologies. This component will provide loans and matching grants to private enterprises for upgrading, scaling up and commercialization of inclusive technologies. This will include: (i) support enterprises for scaling up, commercialization and sustainable production of inclusive technologies dealing with manufacturing of products and delivery of services for the BoP; and (ii) funding to private sector Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) for the acquisition, adoption and use of technology and innovations in priority areas with significant potential for technological upgrading and growth. The third component is capacity building and global knowledge transfer. The project will support capacity building of key Vietnamese national institutions such as the National Institute of Medicine Materials (NIMM), the National Hospital of Traditional Medicine (NHTM), National Foundation for Science and Technology Development (NAFOSTED), Vietnam Academy of Sciences and Technology (VAST), Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST) for the sustainable development and delivery of inclusive technologies in the priority areas supported under the project: a) enhancing technology, quality and clinical trials of traditional herbal medicine products; b) enhancing innovation grant management capacity; and c) enhancing capacity in technology transfer and commercialization, and intellectual property rights protection. The fourth component is project management, monitoring and evaluation. The project will provide support to Enterprise Development Agency (EDA) Project Management Unit (PMU) and Project Implementation Unit (PIUs) in NAFOSTED and Participating Financial Intermediaries (PFIs) for project management, coordination, capacity building, oversight, monitoring and evaluation, reporting and audits to enable them to perform their responsibility for project coordination and management.

The project China: Jiangxi Shangrao Sanqingshan Airport Project has changed to Active

2013-05-15T04:00:00.000Z

The project China: Jiangxi Shangrao Sanqingshan Airport Project has changed to Active. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The development objective of the Jiangxi Shangrao Sanqingshan Airport Project for China is to improve airline connectivity in northeastern Jiangxi province and demonstrate the environmental sustainability of the development and operation of the Shangrao Sanqingshan Airport. The project has two components. The first component is the airport infrastructure development component. This component will include the construction and installation of the following activities: (a) airfield construction of runway, taxiway, etc;(b) terminal building; (c) air traffic control; (d) freight facility; (e) supporting infrastructure facility (fuel storage farm, water supply, power supply, fire stations, heating, storm/water management, parking, fence, etc); (f) environmental management plan; (g) land acquisition and resettlement and rehabilitation of project affected families; (h) auxiliary facility; (i) service vehicles; and (j) storm water reuse system and ground aircraft auxiliary power unit. The second component is the institutional development and capacity building. This component will finance the following consultant services, studies and training: (i) project management consultant to provide advisory services to support the Project Management Office (PMO) and Shangrao Sanqingshan Airport Company Limited (SSAC) on project coordination and monitoring; (ii) management consultant services to develop airport operation model for SSAC, prepare and implement human resource development plan, assist SSAC to comply with Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) regulations and international practices, and assist SSAC to develop marketing plan; (iii) technical assistance to support the PMO; and (iv) training and study tours covering several aspects of airport construction and operations.

The project ID-TF PNPM Disabled Persons Organisations Program is now in the pipeline.

2013-05-14T04:00:00.000Z

The project ID-TF PNPM Disabled Persons Organisations Program is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project Forest Investment Program: Forest Management Unit Development is now in the pipeline.

2013-05-12T04:00:00.000Z

The project Forest Investment Program: Forest Management Unit Development is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project Improving Governance for Sustainable Indigenous Community Livelihoods in Forested Areas is now in the pipeline.

2013-05-09T04:00:00.000Z

The project Improving Governance for Sustainable Indigenous Community Livelihoods in Forested Areas is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project LAOSTAT-STRENGTHENING THE NATIONAL STATISTICAL SYSTEM PROJECT is now in the pipeline.

2013-05-09T04:00:00.000Z

The project LAOSTAT-STRENGTHENING THE NATIONAL STATISTICAL SYSTEM PROJECT is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project Electric Power Project is now in the pipeline.

2013-05-07T04:00:00.000Z

The project Electric Power Project is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project Pacific Aviation Investment Program is now in the pipeline.

2013-05-03T04:00:00.000Z

The project Pacific Aviation Investment Program is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project Urban Scale Building Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy has changed to Active

2013-05-03T04:00:00.000Z

The project Urban Scale Building Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy has changed to Active. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The development objective of the Urban Scale Building Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Project for China is to improve selected national and city-level policies for (1) the promotion of low-carbon, adaptive and livable urban forms; (2) an increase in energy efficiency in public and commercial buildings; and (3) the scale-up of commercially viable rooftop solar PV deployment. The global environment objective of the proposed project is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from buildings in selected Chinese cities by supporting improved policy making and implementation in promoting low-carbon, adaptive and livable urban forms, increasing energy efficiency in public and commercial buildings, and scaling up commercially viable rooftop solar Photovoltaic (PV) deployment. There are four components to the project, the first component of the project is promoting the development of low-carbon, adaptive and livable urban forms; the second component is improving energy efficiency in public and commercial buildings; the third component is scaling-up commercially viable rooftop solar PV deployment; and final fourth component is project management.

The project Developing A Knowledge Management and Exchange System for City Managers has changed to Closed

2013-05-02T04:00:00.000Z

The project Developing A Knowledge Management and Exchange System for City Managers has changed to Closed. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project Encouraging More Resilient Communities in Conflict-affected Areas of the Philippines has changed to Closed

2013-05-02T04:00:00.000Z

The project Encouraging More Resilient Communities in Conflict-affected Areas of the Philippines has changed to Closed. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project TH-Community Approaches in S Thailand has changed to Closed

2013-05-02T04:00:00.000Z

The project TH-Community Approaches in S Thailand has changed to Closed. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

World Bank - IMF Chorus Concert

2013-05-01T17:00:00.000Z

The World Bank-IMF Chorus is presenting it's spring concerts of favourite choruses from around the world on:

- Tuesday, May 7 at 1pm in IMF HQ2 Conference Hall
- Wednesday, May 8 at 1pm in the WB MC Atrium

Admission is free - guest passes needed for non-Bank & IMF badge holders.

http://www.wbimfchorus.org/

The project Indonesia Water and Sanitation Investment Facility Project is now in the pipeline.

2013-04-23T04:00:00.000Z

The project Indonesia Water and Sanitation Investment Facility Project is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project Lombok Regional Economic Development Project is now in the pipeline.

2013-04-18T04:00:00.000Z

The project Lombok Regional Economic Development Project is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

Leveraging Technology for Disaster Risk Management

2013-04-10T16:06:54.000Z

The 2011 earthquake shook the Japan Meteorological Agency operations center. Junko Narimatsu/World Bank

April 10, 2013

Japan shares lessons on ways information and communication technologies can help strengthen countries’ disaster risk management plans and empower communities facing disasters.

Otsuchi Town in Japan’s Iwate Prefecture was struck hard by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. More than 800 people lost their lives, including the mayor, and 500 people remain missing. Vital information and communication technology (ICT) services were also interrupted, making it hard for citizens to carry on their daily business.

Two years later, Otsuchi Town is still recovering – and restoring ICT services is a priority. The municipality is trying to build resilience against future disasters, for instance by cooperating with the private sector to restore interrupted e-government services, leveraging cloud computing technologies.

This is just one example of Japan’s experience in using ICT for disaster risk management. On March 25, ministers and high-level policy makers from nine disaster-prone countries – Bangladesh, Chile, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey, and Vietnam – and more than 150 participants from the Japanese government, disaster-related agencies, embassies, the private sector, academia, and civil society gathered in Tokyo to learn from Japan’s rich experience and discuss how it could be applied to disaster risk management in developing countries.

The symposium was hosted by the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the World Bank, and the Global Facility for Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR).

Impact of disasters

While the Japanese experience is a reminder that no country is immune from the impacts of disasters, the statistics show that poor and vulnerable countries suffer the most. Since 1980, the economic costs of disasters in developing countries amounted to $1.2 trillion, equivalent to about a third of all official development aid. Over that same period, low-income countries accounted for only 9 percent of the total number of disasters, but 48 percent of the fatalities.

Japan State Secretary for Internal Affairs and Communications Masahiko Shibayama emphasized the critical role ICT plays in disaster management and the need to stimulate wider use of these tools in the developing world.

Opening the symposium, Japan State Secretary for Internal Affairs and Communications Masahiko Shibayama emphasized the critical role ICT plays in disaster management and the need to stimulate wider use of these tools in the developing world.

Chris Vein, World Bank Chief Innovation Officer for Global ICT Development, said, “The World Bank’s support is evolving to reflect new development challenges, and disaster risk management is becoming one of the key areas in which ICTs can make an exceptional impact.”

Myanmar’s Union Minister of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, Dr. Daw Myat Myat Ohn Khin, emphasized that lessons from Japan will contribute to strengthening disaster preparedness in other nations, including in Myanmar, where the recent Thabeikkyin earthquake claimed 18 lives and affected more than 10,000 people. She identified geo-spatial and remote sensing technologies, along with modern ICT systems, as ways to strengthen disaster management planning.

Technologies for disaster risk management

Since the January 2010 earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where tools such as Ushahidi, Twitter, and Open Street Map proved their efficacy, the power of technology for disaster risk management has been widely recognized. The Tokyo event highlighted technologies Japan leveraged in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, for instance:

A real-time traffic map was generated and made available to the public (including via Google) using data gathered from moving vehicles;
Observation data from flood sensors was distributed to car navigation systems and smartphones; and
GPS data from mobile phones was used to reproduce and analyze the flow of people at the time of the earthquake.

“The World Bank’s support is evolving to reflect new development challenges, and disaster risk management is becoming one of the key areas in which ICTs can make an exceptional impact.”
– Chris Vein, World Bank Chief Innovation Officer for Global ICT Development

The Japanese presented other advanced technologies for disaster risk management, including for early warning (such as J-alert - a nationwide automated early warning system); emergency response, data analysis and decision making (such as tsunami arrival time, flood level and risk analysis); and information sharing (such as mobile TV and satellite mobile phones).

Participants discussed how low-income countries with limited resources and skills capacity could take advantage of Japanese technologies. Some have been leveraged in countries like Indonesia, where an interesting example of local customization was presented: use of mosques’ speaker systems to disseminate early warnings information.

Other participants underlined the need to build awareness in communities through regular training and school education so that people can make informed decisions.

Building resilient societies

Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Vice Minister Eiichi Tanaka and World Bank Special Representative in Tokyo Kazushige Taniguchi affirmed the Japanese government’s and World Bank’s readiness to help build the capacity needed to meet these challenges in developing countries.

“Japan’s experience of the Great East Japan Earthquake and the lessons it learned can be beneficial in establishing a resilient society for all countries that suffer from natural disasters. And I think these experiences and knowledge should be shared with all,” Tanaka said.

Taniguchi emphasized the importance of not only hardware installation but also applications and services, starting with basic systems such as emergency drills. He also stressed the need for governments, the private sector, and civil society to work in partnership to effectively leverage the technologies and make the appropriate investments.

The meeting provided positive perspectives on how technologies can help strengthen countries’ disaster management plans and empower communities and individuals in disaster situations.

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As prepared for delivery

Friday, September 7, 2012

World Conservation Congress

Jeju, Korea

Rachel Kyte, Vice President, Sustainable Development

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen - I am honored to have been asked to make the keynote address at this vital gathering of conservation thinking, leadership and action. I am particularly delighted to be here as I had the privilege and honor to work at IUCN a number of years ago. It feels good to be back again!

This Congress brings together some of the world’s smartest thinkers on the policy and practice of conservation and environmental protection. If anyone is going to guide the world in new ways of thinking and acting, it is this group of 7,000 or more which traverses all spheres - private, public, civil society, multilateral, large, small, left, right.

You, as a group, are not at the fringes of decision-making - you are at the very heart of it. Your scientific research, dedication, pursuit of better policies and connections to community all go towards much better, more informed decision-making.

Over the last few years I have had the opportunity to cross some of the boundaries that very often define our perceptions and determine the work in our institutions. My perspectives changed as I moved from IUCN to working with private companies during my time at the World Bank’s private sector arm - the IFC - and they’re changing again now as Vice President for Sustainable Development at the World Bank.

Today, I am convinced that we will have to make a bigger effort to cross boundaries – between our organizations, across public and private sectors and within civil society - so that we reach a better future for our planet.

Let’s take a look at just some of the evidence of environmental decline before us. Evidence is one of the many things that the World Bank and IUCN share.

· The number and size of populations of the world’s species have decreased by almost a third over the last 100 years and this is projected to continue decreasing

· Over 60 percent of ecosystems are in worse shape now than 50 years ago

· 85 percent of ocean fisheries are fully exploited or over-exploited or depleted

· The condition of coral reefs has deteriorated by 38 percent since 1980

· 80 percent of people live in areas where the quality of rivers is threatened

· Climate change is worsening everything. Flood disasters increased by 230 percent and drought disasters by 38 per cent in the 20 years to the early 2000s.

At the same time that this assault on nature has been occurring, we have enjoyed an unrivalled period of economic growth which has seen 660 million people lifted out of poverty in the past 20 years. Don’t get me wrong - we are not saying we need to stop growth to protect nature. Rather, we are calling for a different kind of growth - a greener and more inclusive growth.

An indispensable part of this will be realizing the potential of ecosystems within our economies and to put nature at the foundation of economic strategies. Nature needs to be firmly on the agendas of finance ministers and discussed in board rooms with the focus on building the public-private partnerships to invest in our natural wealth.

Are we ready to do this? Increasingly the World Bank Group is. Now let me share with you three reasons for my cautious optimism that others are ready too.

Firstly, governments are increasingly stepping up - whether by increasing the number and extent of areas under protection or by better recognizing the value of nature and ecosystem services.

Governments, however, are facing daily trade-offs - for example - building a road through a park so that farmers can have better access to markets and/or conserving a road-less national park. Or, they’re weighing up a marina in a mangrove area to boost tourism versus protecting it for its fish breeding, storm protection and carbon storage values.

Effective conservation cannot and will not be driven just by conservation for conservation’s sake. Fortunately, governments increasingly recognize that maintaining and, eventually, accounting for their natural capital comes down to a question of social and economic development. There may not be simple win-wins all the time; but there may be approaches that can come close enough.

We are seeing more and more good examples. In the State of Acre in the northwestern corner of Brazil, the State Government has been making a concerted effort to bring services to its dispersed rural population and to move away from a growth model based on extraction of forest products and expansive agriculture. Where previously 90 percent of Acre’s timber extraction was illegal, now the majority comes from approved forest management plans. Real GDP has increased by over 44 percent and deforestation rates have declined by 70 percent. Acre is showing that safeguarding a state’s natural wealth will also help lift its people out of poverty.

In Liberia, the government has installed a chain of custody system for exporting logs that is helping reduce illegal logging and bringing in much-needed funding for conservation. The Government is also enforcing fishing regulations and arresting vessels found to be fishing illegally.

To manage trade-offs, governments need better information on the economic and social effects of their decisions. More and more governments are embracing the need to use natural capital accounts alongside GDP. At the World Bank Group, we are working with countries from Botswana to the Philippines to put the value of natural capital into the center of their economic decision making. After the 50:50 Campaign at Rio, 62 countries have signed on to support natural capital accounting along with the heads of close to 90 companies. These companies are doing this for competitive reasons - they need to be able to value their assets over the long term.

That brings me to the second reason for my optimism -- the growing leadership coming from parts of the private sector, be they small businesses and local entrepreneurs or Fortune 500 companies.

I see real traction emerging from the advent of rigorous performance standards and principles for corporate behavior. For example, we are beginning to see evidence that the revised IFC Performance Standard on Biodiversity is driving major change both at corporate headquarters and, more importantly, on the ground.

Companies working in developing countries are increasingly investing in biodiversity expertise, in community development, environmental restoration and long-term conservation capacity building. The big shift is that companies are beginning to see this as more than reputational risk management and rather as a way to improve their operations and manage business risk, a key part of creating value. Mainstreaming nature conservation across their operations makes good business sense. Why? Because many companies depend on freshwater, genetic resources, climate regulation, and natural hazard protection to run their businesses successfully and to see their profits grow.

As well as making good business sense, conserving nature and maintaining the resilience of ecosystems upon which people and business depend, allows companies to build trust in the communities in which they operate and among stakeholders abroad. This creates something many call a “social license to operate”.

We are beginning to see more and more companies engage with conservation organizations and external experts to better understand the environment in which they are working. This has inspired some companies to go beyond the minimization of project impacts but also to consider how they might contribute to conservation more broadly.

One example is Rio Tinto which launched its biodiversity strategy at this Congress in 2004. That strategy committed the company to making a Net Positive Impact on biodiversity through its operations. For the past seven years, the company has been piloting the strategy - working alongside government, conservation groups and civil society in Madagascar to build public sector capacity, develop livelihood alternatives, and establish offsets to conserve high biodiversity value areas.

Other examples include Shell in Gabon and Peru LNG which have been working together with the Smithsonian Institution to develop science-based assessment and monitoring of project impacts.

I also see the first few encouraging examples from the finance sector in integrating nature and ecosystem services protection into their investments.

That takes me to my third reason for optimism - that the need for action is overcoming global political sclerosis.

Rio+20 confirmed for me that while at the global level we lack political leadership today to gain consensus, global inaction is being overwhelmed by the ideas, the innovation and the real commitment to action from smart policymakers, city mayors, community leaders and CEOs.

Like-minded coalitions across sectors emerged on almost all issues. People gravitated to ideas and approaches that promised action - whether that was about ocean health, natural capital accounting, access to sustainable energy or reducing short-term climate pollutants.

For the more than 1000 business executives who attended Rio, the message was that action on sustainability is all about future markets, future products, future employees, future investors, and competitiveness linked to sustainability as shared value.

There was an almost overwhelming sense that while we need global governance for ultimate speed and scale, we cannot afford to wait for international agreements to do what everyone knows needs to be done. For every square bracket negotiated, a species is lost and that window of opportunity gets smaller and smaller.

…………………

So, while I have these reasons for cautious optimism --- I am also speaking from a place of urgency. To address the challenges ahead, each and every one of us will have to cross boundaries and we in the conservation community will need to move collectively outside our comfort zones. To this end, I have three appeals.

First to governments: Governments have responsibilities to their citizens that are measured in units of finance – jobs, tax receipts, GDP. We are not naïve: There can be and will be tensions between conservation and development; that’s why public servants need to be armed with the tools and information they need to make fully informed decisions. And that’s why those of you here who work in government should unpack the economic benefits of conservation and translate them into real numbers through natural capital accounting to transform conservation from a discrete sector to an engine of inclusive green growth.

Second to the Private Sector: To be part of the solution, companies need to raise the profile of nature conservation in their boardrooms and recognize the value of nature to their bottom lines. On the ground, companies need to commit to best management practices which will sometimes mean working beyond their immediate project areas to offset impacts and to secure supply chains. This raises technical, political and governance challenges which is why companies need to reach out and offer a hand in partnership to governments, to conservation organizations and even to each other. We hear from the private sector the need for a level playing field when it comes to best practice in biodiversity management. A coordinated and loud voice from industry groups towards government regulators might be part of the solution.

We also need to find ways to bring to scale financial instruments like green bonds, conservation banking, subsidy reform, license to operate agreements for generating new potential sources of support so that good practice can be rewarded with access to capital.

Third to Civil Society: Very often, civil society, conservation organizations and academic institutions are the backbone of any commitment to conserving nature.

But it is important to remember that it’s governments that have the main responsibility for the stewardship of natural assets. These are their citizen’s natural assets; governments must manage them. The rest of us – civil society, donors and philanthropists – must work together, provide them support while demanding transparency and holding them to account, so that they can do more and do it better.

We in the conservation community need to see the private sector as full partners for solutions and not just a threat or a fundraising opportunity. For example, in public private partnerships - if we were able to develop aggregated offsets, is the conservation community collectively ready to provide the means for verification?

Across all these areas of engagement, the World Bank Group stands ready to do its part and to do more:

We entered the debate on green growth in May 2012 through our report ‘Inclusive Green Growth: The Pathway to Sustainable Development’. We want to contribute, in particular by focusing on the inclusiveness of green growth, on the importance of sound fiscal policies - like the removal of inefficient fuel subsidies - and on ensuring that nature considerations are taken into account in economic decision-making. Our work on green growth is, importantly, supported by the Korean Government.

With new energy and emphasis around Natural Capital Accounting stemming from Rio, it is crucial to keep up the political support and momentum, attract key new country partners, and visibly demonstrate action - including through our global partnership called WAVES.

We also want to do more to streamline nature considerations into our own operations by coordinating the implementation of the IFC’s Performance Standards and the World Bank’s operational policies. And I expect that the Bank Group will work more on aggregated offsets as a means of bringing public and private interests together to conserve at scale within a transparent framework.

We are also working on enhancing environmental law enforcement to ensure that the benefits of nature accrue to national economies and local communities - not thugs and organized crime.

Conclusion

Ladies and Gentlemen, as we begin this Congress:

· Let’s agree that we need to do more, better and with more far-reaching consequences

· Let’s together move away from our ardent attachment to old ideologies, old attitudes that stop us from finding solutions together. What we need today is innovation, communication and partnerships between governments, communities, financial institutions, companies and conservation organizations.

· The type and range of solutions will be as diverse as species and ecosystems. Just as nature is not just a set of charismatic species, we will need more than a set of boutique projects and anecdotes to show large-scale impact. We will need to prioritize without devaluing any one community’s chance of life. We will need brave thinkers at the table, all types of partnerships, people with the humility and patience to make them work. Who better than those of us already humbled by the glory of nature and the complexity of its life support?

· Let’s cross our boundaries together.

· I look forward to being with you every step of the way.

World Bank Vice President Calls on Global Conservation Community to Get Out of Their Comfort Zones

2012-09-06T14:30:00.000Z

JEJU, KOREA, September 6, 2012 – Addressing the opening of the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Jeju Korea, the World Bank’s Vice President for Sustainable Development - Rachel Kyte - has called for a shift away from old ideologies and old attitudes to make nature an engine of inclusive green growth.

In a keynote address, Ms Kyte - who oversees the World Bank’s sustainable development network and portfolio of infrastructure, agriculture, environment and energy projects - said governments, companies and civil society needed to “cross the boundaries” between each other to help ease the tensions between conservation and development.

“To address the challenges ahead, each and every one of us will have to cross boundaries and we in the conservation community will need to move collectively outside our comfort zones,” Kyte said.

She appealed to governments, private companies and civil society to move beyond their ardent attachment to old attitudes towards more effective working partnerships. She called on governments to put the value of nature into the heart of their social and economic decision-making. She called on private companies to raise the profile of nature considerations in boardrooms and recognize the value of nature to business bottom lines. And she challenged civil society to see the private sector as full partners for solutions - rather than just a threat or a fundraising opportunity.

Kyte said she was optimistic that the world could move at scale and speed because countries, companies and civil society organizations were no longer waiting for global political consensus around environmental challenges.

“The need for action is overcoming global political sclerosis,” she said - pointing to growing levels of commitment from countries and companies for natural capital accounting.

“Companies working in developing countries are increasingly investing in biodiversity expertise, in community development, environmental restoration and long-term conservation capacity building,” Kyte said.

“The big shift is that companies are beginning to see this as more than reputational risk management and rather as a way to improve their operations and manage business risk, a key part of creating value.”

The full speech can be found here: http://go.worldbank.org/1UA1QE6DD0.

"Putting Nature at the Heart of Economic Decisions" - blog by Rachel Kyte http://blogs.worldbank.org/voices/putting-nature-at-the-heart-of-economic-decisions

World Bank’s work on biodiversity: http://www.worldbank.org/biodiversity/

Contact:

Jeju, Korea: Elisabeth Mealey, emealey@worldbank.org

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World Bank Welcomes Oceans Focus at 43rd Pacific Islands Forum

2012-08-22T07:14:14.000Z

SYDNEY, 22 AUGUST 2012 --- The World Bank today welcomed the high priority that the upcoming Pacific Islands Forum is placing on oceans, a critical issue for the region and the world. Focusing on 'Large Ocean Island States - the Pacific Challenge', next week the 43rd Pacific Islands Forum will explore how best to manage the world’s largest ocean to deliver the greatest benefits to the region.

The Pacific Ocean is home to the world’s biggest remaining tuna stocks and its most pristine coral reefs, and is an essential source of economic growth for Pacific Island countries. Fisheries support food and livelihoods for millions of people across the Asia-Pacific region and in some Pacific Island countries provide more than half of gross national product.

However, the ocean faces threats from over-fishing, pollution and climate change. Annually more than 786,000 tonnes of fish are illegally taken from the Pacific and its tuna fisheries are in danger of being over exploited.

“The Pacific Ocean unites all the countries in the region,” said Marea Hatziolos, Senior Coastal and Marine Specialist for the World Bank. “Tremendous progress has been achieved regionally in fisheries agreements and conservation, but the battle is not yet won. This is a timely focus, at a critical juncture for Pacific Island populations.”

“The challenge facing the region today is ensuring Pacific Island countries can capture maximum benefits from this vital resource while ensuring it remains healthy and productive,” said Hatziolos. “We wish to congratulate Pacific Islands Governments in recognizing this as a regional priority for action, and hope to be able to support these ocean commitments moving forward.”

Ocean health is a global as well as a regional priority, with important initiatives like the Pacific Oceanscape Framework having gathered major momentum. In addition, the Global Partnership for Oceans (GPO), of which the World Bank is a member along with over 100 other partners, will also be focusing on improving the health of the Pacific Ocean.

The GPO was formally launched at Rio +20 in June this year. It seeks to help implement global commitments to reduce pollution, restore and protect critical ocean habitats, and support sustainable and productive fisheries. It presents a unique opportunity to bring additional finance, knowledge and innovation to address major threats to ocean health and help capture the benefits of ocean stewardship in partnership with Pacific Island nations and other stakeholders in the region.

For more information about the World Bank in the Pacific, please visit www.worldbank.org/pi
For more information about the Global Partnership for Oceans, visit http://www.globalpartnershipforoceans.org

Contacts
In Sydney: Aleta Moriarty, + 61 2 9235 6545, +682 74935 amoriarty@worldbank.org
Laura Keenan, +61 2 9235 6547, lkeenan@worldbank.org

World Bank and Australia to Work with Government of Tonga to Improve Energy and Electricity for 104,000 People

2012-08-22T04:03:43.000Z

New Ten Year Plan Announced to Reduce Electricity Costs in Tonga

NUKU'ALOFA, AUGUST 22 2012 -- The World Bank and the Government of Tonga today signed a US$2.9 million grant agreement to implement the Tonga Energy Road Map, which will improve the access, efficiency and cost of energy for Tonga’s 104,000 people. The Government of Australia, through the Pacific Region Infrastructure Facility, is contributing US$2.5 million of the total grant.

Fuel imports in Tonga account for one quarter of the country’s total imports and one tenth of its GDP. This heavy dependency on imported fuel has taken its toll on the country, exposing it to extreme volatility and shocks that have seen fuel prices increase by 60 percent in recent years. These shocks have passed on high costs that place a heavy burden on poor households, affect livelihood opportunities, and raise the cost of running businesses and services, like hospitals and schools.

The grant will be used to support the implementation of the Tonga Energy Road Map (TERM) - a ten year plan to help reduce Tonga’s vulnerability to oil price shocks, and achieve an increase in quality access to modern energy services in an environmentally sustainable manner.

Activities that will be implemented under this project include: electricity and petroleum sector policy advice aimed at improving energy supply and efficiency; legal and regulatory reform; and technical assistance towards developing renewable sources for electricity generation, and a petroleum price management framework. Upgrades to electricity networks and systems operations procedures will be undertaken on Tongatapu, Vava’u and Ha’apai.

These activities will lead to more efficient use of energy resources, resulting in lower, more predictable energy bills, improved quality of electricity services and improved access to affordable electricity for households, businesses and service providers.

“Providing effective, accessible and affordable energy to Tonga is a fundamental building block in the country’s development and will transform livelihoods, and reduce the cost of living for the Tongan people,” said Ferid Belhaj, Country Director for the Pacific Islands at the World Bank. “We are committed to working with the Government to bring affordable energy solutions to homes, businesses, hospitals, schools and beyond, and are committed to doing so in cooperation with our strategic partners in the Pacific, Australia in particular.”

“Investment in clean and affordable energy and energy conservation, to reduce vulnerability of Pacific countries to high oil prices is a key priority for the region. Australia is pleased to support the Tongan people to diversify the sources of energy available to them and reduce their vulnerability to increasing energy costs,” said HE Thomas Roth, the Australian High Commissioner to Tonga.

“I would like to thank the World Bank for their continual support not only through the Grant for the TERM but also support to the State Owned Enterprise Utility, Tonga Power Limited,” said Lord Tui’vakano, Honourable Prime Minister. “The World Bank was there at the beginning of the creation of the TERM and has played an essential role as Lead Development Partner Coordinator, which has ensured continual engagement and support by Tonga’s development partners.”

The TERM is the result of a year of intensive dialogue between Government, and other energy sector development partners. The project will be implemented by the Tonga Roadmap Implementation Unit and Tonga Power Limited. The Asia Sustainable and Alternative Energy Program Multi-Donor Trust Fund (ASTAE) is providing US$0.4 million towards the total grant.

For more information about the World Bank in the Pacific, please visit www.worldbank.org/pi.

Contacts
In Sydney: Aleta Moriarty, 02 9235 6545, amoriarty@worldbank.org
Laura Keenan, 02 9235 6547, lkeenan@worldbank.org

Improving Health And Education Outcomes In The Pacific

2012-08-16T03:30:29.000Z

Contacts:
Sydney: Aleta Moriarty, amoriarty@worldbank.org

Making Every Dollar Count - New World Bank Report Suggests Better Ways to Coordinate Support for Essential Services

SYDNEY, AUGUST 15 2012 - The World Bank today launched a new report aimed at improving health and education outcomes for the nine million citizens of the Pacific region.
Region-wide health remains a critical challenge, with non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, heart failure and cancer now accounting for three out of every four deaths in the region, combined with an unfinished agenda on infectious disease and maternal and child health. A million school-aged children around the Pacific do not go to school at all and around 40 percent do not complete even basic primary education.

Improving health and education services is a priority for governments and donors across the region. A new World Bank report, “In Sweet Harmony? A Review of Health and Education Sectorwide Approaches (SWAps) in the South Pacific” suggests that development aid to national health and education programs has tended to be short term and fragmented, creating inefficiencies and calling for greater coordination between donors and governments.

Sectorwide Approaches (SWAps) aim to align resources under one common program in support of national priorities. The report suggests that this approach – which focuses on results, shared funds and the use of existing systems and capacity -- has the potential to boost efficiency and deliver better health and education services to more people.

Experience to date points to specific ways of meeting this potential, through: an even stronger focus on results; intensified efforts to strengthen and use national systems and capacities; and improvements in donor systems to better meet the needs and demands of countries in the Pacific.

“Given the vast challenges in health and education, it’s important to ensure that every dollar spent counts,” said Ferid Belhaj, World Bank Country Director for Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and the Pacific Islands. “We all know that health and education are absolutely critical priorities for the region and we look forward to working closely with governments and donor partners to improve management and impact of these services.”

The report indicates that, while obstacles remain, there is room for optimism. In Vanuatu, improvements have occurred in education through SWAps and in Solomon Islands, progress has been made towards greater harmonization of development assistance in the health sector.

The report is currently being discussed widely with Pacific Island governments, donors, and other people and groups working in health and education.

Kiribati telecommunications and ICT development project

2012-08-02T09:43:09.000Z

Overview

Made up of 33 coral atolls spread over approximately 3.5 million km2 of ocean, the Republic of Kiribati is one of the least “connected” countries in the world. The majority of the population either has no access to information and communication technologies (ICT) or, even if they live within range of the existing, often unreliable networks, are unable to afford the service. Mobile phone penetration was 14 percent as of end-2011, and broadband Internet penetration less than 0.5 percent of the population. The sole service provider, Telecommunication Services Kiribati Ltd (TSKL) offers services on South Tarawa, Kirimati and is planning mobile network expansion to some Outer Islands close to the capital, South Tarawa. However, current projections indicate that fixed and mobile phone coverage in Kiribati will not exceed 20 percent by end of 2012 which is still very low by global and regional standards. The ICT sector in Kiribati requires new investment for services to expand.. The project aims to strengthen the legal, regulatory and institutional environment to stimulate such investment, and thereby enabling transition to a market-driven telecommunications sector. The project also seeks to facilitate improved connectivity for the Outer Islands.

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Challenges

The cost of ICT services is high in Kiribati, both in absolute terms and in comparison to prices charged for services is similar to countries in the region. A recent benchmarking survey showed that international calls are the highest in the Pacific region. The main reasons for the limited and costly service include: the monopolistic market structure which limits opportunities for new capital investment in the market; the difficult operating environment, including costly international satellite bandwidth (Kiribati does not have access to a submarine fiber optical cable) and limited revenue streams; the lack of scale and difficulties recruiting and retaining experienced technical staff; and the high costs of maintaining services on remote and sparsely-populated islands.

Approach

The project will focus on the following activities:
ICT policy and legal support for the Ministry of Communications, Transport and Tourism Development (MCTTD). This component will assist the government in identifying and implementing options for restructuring Telecom Services Kiribati Limited, ito position it for a potentially competitive market, and support government in the process of licensing new market entrants. The government is currently preparing a new Communications Bill as the basis for market liberalization.

ICT regulatory support: a medium-term program of technical assistance and capacity-building for the Telecommunications Authority of Kiribati (TAK) to manage a liberalized, multi-operator market.

Outer Islands Connectivity, where the project will support analysis and technical assistance to develop an appropriate connectivity policy and strategy, including preparation of the scheme and necessary enabling instruments. Based on the findings of this analysis, the second phase of this component envisages the implementation of an output-basedsubsidy program for new ICT infrastructure and services delivery projects for the Outer Islands identified under this activity. The scope of this subsidy program will depend on the extent of coverage and service provision that can be achieved commercially through market liberalization and regulatory reform.

Project Locations

Technical assistance will be provided to institutions located in South Tarawa. The Outer Islands connectivity component will address remote locations unserved or under-served by ICT.

Bank Contribution

The total cost of the project is US$5.1 million. The World Bank will finance US$1.0 million through the International Development Association.

Partners

AusAID and the Government of New Zealand have contributed US$3.1 million and US$1.0 million respectively, through the Pacific Region Infrastructure Facility.

Toward the Future

The project commenced in February 2012 following the signature of the first PRIF grant agreement, and is expected to conclude by June 2017. With a more competitive telecommunications sector, which supports private sector participation and competition, Kiribati is expected to have improved service coverage and quality for th majority of its citizens, and sector institutions better equipped to oversee a competitive market, in the interests of service users.

New Project to Deliver Cheaper Calls and Improved Telecommunications Access for Kiribati’s 110,000 Residents

2012-07-26T19:14:48.000Z

Telecommunications and Information Communication Technology Development Project Approved by World Bank Board

WASHINGTON D.C., JULY 25 2012 --- The World Bank Board today approved the Telecommunications and ICT Development Project to support a Government reform program, intended to facilitate more widely available and affordable access to telecommunications for all people of Kiribati, including in the outer islands.

Improved ICT access would reduce the cost of doing business and help create new economic opportunities, as well as connecting households, including Kiribati’s large migrant worker community. Kiribati is currently one of the least “connected” countries in the world, and telephone and internet costs are high.

The project aims to strengthen the legal, regulatory and institutional environment to encourage new investment, including competition, in telecommunications and ICT. The project will also provide advisory support to Telekom Services Kiribati Limited.

This project is part of a World Bank-supported program to facilitate improved access to ICT and a stronger policy and regulatory framework for ICT all over the Pacific region. Recent World Bank Group support to telecommunications in the Pacific and Papua New Guinea, in cooperation with other development partners and coupled with increased investment by the private sector is reducing the costs of services and has dramatically increased access, with over two million more people in PNG and the Pacific now having mobile phones compared to a decade ago.

“This project will help improve the lives of the Kiribati people. It will bring better network services and cheaper calls - it will have a tremendous impact on development”, said Ferid Belhaj, Country Director of the World Bank in the Pacific Islands.

The Telecommunications and ICT Development Project is co-financed by grants from the World Bank International Development Association (US$1 million), AusAID (US$3.1 million) and the New Zealand Government (US$1 million). The project will be implemented by the Ministry of Communications, Transport and Tourism Development (MCTTD) and the Telecommunications Authority of Kiribati over a five year period.

Contacts:
Washington DC: Mohamad Al-Arief, 202-458-5964, malarief@worldbank.org
Sydney: Aleta Moriarty, 61-2-9235-6550, amoriarty@worldbank.org

Transform, Innovate, and Connect: A New Strategy for Information and Communication Technology

2012-07-25T12:15:00.000Z

July 25, 2012

The World Bank Group aims to help developing countries use ICT for greater development impact.

A dramatic increase in use of mobile phones and the Internet; plunging prices of computing and mobile internet devices; the increasing prevalence of social media: these are some of the rapid changes seen in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector over the last decade.

The World Bank Group’s new strategy for the ICT sector for the period 2012-2015 reflects this new context. It aims to help developing countries use ICT to transform delivery of basic services, drive innovations and productivity gains, and improve competitiveness.

“Information and communication technologies can help reduce poverty, boost economic growth, and improve accountability and governance,” explains World Bank Vice President for Sustainable Development Rachel Kyte.

Three Priority Areas

The new strategy emphasizes the transformative potential of ICT – in areas such as accountability, energy, and health – while maintaining a steady focus on ICT-enabled innovation and ICT infrastructure. Bank Group support will be directed to three priority areas:

Transformation: Making development more open and accountable, for instance, by facilitating citizen feedback to governments and service providers; and improving delivery of services, such as education, health, and financial services.

Innovation: Developing competitive IT-based service industries and fostering ICT innovation across the economy – with a focus on job creation, especially for women and youth.

Connectivity: Leveraging private investments to help scale up affordable access to broadband – including for women, disabled citizens, disadvantaged communities, and people living in remote and rural areas.

“The World Bank Group’s new strategy will help our client countries take advantage of the opportunities that ICT offers across all sectors of the economy, drawing on our unique expertise in public-private partnerships in the ICT sector.”

Working with client countries

The new strategy builds on the Bank Group’s experience working with client countries on ICT sector reforms, infrastructure development, and electronic government:

Over the 2000s, Bank support for ICT sector reforms helped attract an estimated $30 billion in private investment for mobile network infrastructure in the least developed countries. The IFC’s $2.3 billion in telecommunications infrastructure investments and MIGA’s $550 million in political risk guarantees also supported private investment in mobile service providers in difficult and high-risk environments.
Bank Group support for ICT applications has grown rapidly over the last decade, and over 70 percent of the 1,700 projects in the Bank’s active portfolio now have ICT components.
Since 2007, the Bank Group has intensified its support for public-private partnerships for broadband and high-speed Internet, helping bring down retail prices and increasing the take-up of services, in some instances by a factor of 10.

Stakeholders from 17 low- and middle-income countries and four OECD countries provided inputs for the new strategy through a series of face-to-face and online consultations. The document also draws on a review by the Bank Group’s Independent Evaluation Group.

For Rashad-Rudolf Kaldany, IFC Vice President for Global Industries, “The Strategy recognizes the vital role of the private sector in improving access to information infrastructure and services in developing countries.” He explains that “IFC works with the private sector as an advisor, financier, and standard setter to help unlock the potential of ICT for development.”

Jose Luis Irigoyen, the World Bank’s Director for Transport, Water, and Information and Communication Technologies, underlines how “ICT offers new tools to directly address poverty by providing access to information, contributing to pro-poor market developments such as microfinance and mobile money, and equalizing opportunities in rural areas.”

Collaborating across the Bank Group

Under the new strategy, the World Bank, IFC, and MIGA will work together to assist countries in unlocking the opportunities offered by ICT.

For instance, the World Bank will provide support for appropriate policy, legal, and regulatory frameworks, as well as catalytic investment in ICT backbone infrastructure; IFC will provide financing and advisory services to mobile operators; and MIGA will provide guarantees to support the roll-out of telecommunications networks and services.

“MIGA has contributed to the rapid growth of access to ICT services in emerging countries by mitigating the political risk of investments,” says Michel Wormser, MIGA’s Vice President and COO.

He adds that, “Under the new WBG strategy, MIGA will make available its insurance capacity to further accelerate ICT investments in higher-risk countries, notably fragile and post-conflict countries, where ICT will be key to growth, job creation, sharing of knowledge, and governance.”

The ICT strategy will adopt a new approach to implementation, including country diagnostics to help prioritize Bank Group interventions at the country level and leverage more partnerships with external sources of expertise. A results-based framework will be used to track progress.

In this video, Rachel Kyte, Vice President for Sustainable Development, speaks about how
the World Bank will leverage ICTs in its work.

RELATED RESOURCES

‘Maximizing Mobile’ Report Highlights Development Potential of Mobile Communications

2012-07-17T15:00:00.000Z

July 17, 2012

The new World Bank study says that about three-quarters of planet’s population now has access to a mobile phone.

Around three-quarters of the world’s inhabitants now have access to a mobile phone and the mobile communications story is moving to a new level, which is not so much about the phone but how it is used, says a new report by the World Bank and infoDev, its technology entrepreneurship and innovation program.

The number of mobile subscriptions in use worldwide, both pre-paid and post-paid, has grown from fewer than 1 billion in 2000 to over 6 billion now, of which nearly 5 billion are in developing countries. Ownership of multiple subscriptions is becoming increasingly common, suggesting that their number will soon exceed that of the human population.

Innovation in Action

In India, the state of Kerala’s mGovernment program has deployed over 20 applications and facilitated more than 3 million interactions between the government and citizens since its launch in December 2010.

Kenya has emerged as a leading player in mobile for development, largely due to the success of the M-PESA mobile payment ecosystem. Nairobi-based AkiraChix, for example, provides networking and training for women technologists.

In the West Bank & Gaza, SoukTel’s JobMatch service is helping young people find jobs. College graduates using the service reported a reduction in the time spent looking for employment from an average of twelve weeks to one week or less, and an increase in wages of up to 50 percent.

The report,Information and Communications for Development 2012: Maximizing Mobile, says more than 30 billion mobile applications, or “apps,” were downloaded in 2011 – software that extends the capabilities of phones, for instance to become mobile wallets, navigational aids or price comparison tools.

This trend is also benefiting developing countries where people are increasingly using mobile phones to create new livelihoods and enhance their lifestyles, while governments are using them to improve service delivery and citizen feedback mechanisms.

"Mobile communications offer major opportunities to advance human and economic development – from providing basic access to health information to making cash payments, spurring job creation, and stimulating citizen involvement in democratic processes,” says World Bank Vice President for Sustainable Development Rachel Kyte.

She adds that the challenge now is “to enable people, businesses, and governments in developing countries to develop their own locally-relevant mobile applications so they can take full advantage of these opportunities.”

A mobile revolution

This new report, the third in the World Bank’s series on Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for Development, analyzes the growth and evolution of mobile telephony, and the rise of data-based services, including apps, delivered to handheld devices.

The report explores the consequences for development of the emerging “app economy,” especially in agriculture, health, financial services and government, and how it is changing approaches to entrepreneurship and employment.

For Tim Kelly, lead ICT policy specialist at the World Bank and one of the authors of the report, “The mobile revolution is right at the start of its growth curve: mobile devices are becoming cheaper and more powerful while networks are doubling in bandwidth roughly every 18 months and expanding into rural areas.”

“We have included the latest available data and indicators for the mobile sector for more than 150 economies in the report,” explains Shaida Badiee, director of the World Bank’s Development Data Group, adding that, “the spread of mobile phones means we now have data that can be used for cross-country comparisons.”

Developing mobile applications

The report emphasizes the role of governments in enabling mobile application development. In the agriculture sector, for instance, many of the mobile services that are being developed – such as information services for Senegalese farmers or a traceability scheme for coffee-growers in Colombia – are reliant on public funding and are still in pilot stages.

“Government support is needed to develop sound business models, foster ICT skills, and ensure that the infrastructure is in place and affordable,” explains Kelly.

The study also highlights how mobile innovation labs – shared spaces for training developers and incubating start-ups – can help bring new apps to market. For instance, infoDev, in collaboration with the Government of Finland and Nokia, has established five regional mobile innovation labs (mLabs) in Armenia, Kenya, Pakistan, South Africa, and Vietnam.

Click to Read
IC4D 2012:
Maximizing Mobile

“Most businesses based around mobile app technology are at an early stage of development, but may hold enormous employment and economic potential, similar to that of the software industry in the 1980s and 1990s. Supporting the networking and incubation of entrepreneurs is essential to ensure that such potential is tapped,” says Valerie D’Costa, program manager of infoDev.

The study benefits from research funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the Government of Finland, the Korea Trust Fund for ICT4D, and UKaid.

Infographic: Maximizing Mobile

The developing world is now more mobile that the developed world, and the near ubiquity brings new opportunities. Click to view the full infographic.

Report highlights

Tim Kelly, one of the authors of the report, presents highlights from the report in the following video:

RELATED RESOURCES

Maximizing Mobile 2012 Infographic

2012-07-17T15:00:00.000Z

Click the images to download high-resolution files

Indonesia: A Healthy and Smart Generation (PNPM Generasi)

2012-07-03T06:32:37.000Z

Overview

PNPM Generasi is an innovative Government of Indonesia social assistance program designed to address three lagging Millennium Development Goals: Maternal Health, Child Health, and Universal Education.

multimedia

Slideshow: Raising a healthy and smart generation in Indonesia

More Results

770,000

pregnant women received iron supplements.

1 million

children under the age of 5 obtained Vitamin A supplements.

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PNPM GENERASI NEWSLETTERS

Challenge

Although Indonesia has made strides in key human development indicators, including near universal primary school enrollment for boys and girls and a rapidly declining child mortality rate, other indicators remain higher than most countries in the region. These indicators include infant and maternal mortality, child malnutrition, junior secondary school enrollment, school transition rates and learning outcomes. In addition, there are substantial geographical disparities in these outcomes, with poorer outcomes in rural and remote provinces and districts.

Approach

PNPM Generasi is an incentivized community block grant program that builds on the architecture of the GOI’s community driven development program, the National Community Empowerment Program in Rural Areas (PNPM-Rural). The program uses a facilitated community decision-making process to allocate block grant funds to target 12 health and education indicators. Communities work with facilitators and health and education service providers to improve access to and use of health and education services. Average block grants total approximately IDR110,000,000 village/year (approximately US$12,000 village/year). To give communities incentives to focus on the most effective polities to target program indicators, the GOI determines the size of the village's PNPM Generasi block grant for the subsequent year partly on the village's performance on each of the 12 targeted health and education indicators.

The flexibility of this approach helps address the strong regional disparities seen in health and educational attainment across Indonesia. The current estimated beneficiary total is 3,630,818 (approximately 1,835,100 of whom are women).

The 12 PNPM Generasi Indicators

Health

Four prenatal care visits for pregnant women
Taking iron tablets during pregnancy
Delivery assisted by a trained professional
Two postnatal care visits
Complete childhood immunizations
Adequate monthly weight increases for infants
Monthly weighing for children under 3 and biannually for children under 5
Vitamin A twice a year for children under 5

Education

Primary school enrollment of children 7 to 12 years old
Minimum attendance rate of 85 percent for primary school-aged children
Junior secondary school enrollment of children 13-15 years old
Minimum attendance rate of 85 percent for junior secondary school-aged children

Project Locations

PNPM Generasi is currently active in 8 provinces, 290 kecamatan, and 2892 villages.

In 2007, PNPM Generasi began in five provinces: West Java, East Java, North Sulawesi, Gorontalo, and East Nusa Tenggara. In 2010, the program expanded into West Nusa Tenggara to target high levels of malnutrition and severe malnutrition.

In 2012, PNPM Generasi expanded into Maluku and West Sulawesi, two provinces with high infant and under-five mortality; high levels of malnutrition and severe malnutrition; low levels of birthing with trained midwives; and low levels of middle-school enrollment and attendance.

Results

PNPM Generasi has had three waves of evaluation, including a Baseline Survey (2007) and Mid-Term Impact Evaluation (2009), and Final Impact Evaluation (2011). To allow for a rigorous evaluation of PNPM Generasi, the Government of Indonesia incorporated random assignment into the selection of program locations. Within the districts selected for the program, entire kecamatan were randomly allocated to either receive PNPM Generasi or to be in the control group. This series of evaluations represents one of the largest randomized social experiments conducted in the world to date.

Over the life of the program PNPM Generasi has:

Enabled over 1.6 million women and children to receive nutrition counseling and support;
Assisted over 1 million children under the age of 5 to obtain Vitamin A supplements;
Ensured that over 770,000 pregnant women receive iron supplements;
Helped over 365,000 children receive immunizations;
Eliminated over 185,000 cases of underweight children;
Provided training and operational support to over 59,000 community health volunteers;
Enabled 556,000 poor primary and junior secondary students to obtain textbooks;
Provided assistance to approximately 382,000 poor primary and junior secondary students in the form of scholarships, transportation money, and uniforms; and
Engaged women in basic health and education service planning and decision-making processes—on average 67 percent of participants in program socialization, planning, and monitoring meetings were women.

Bank Contribution

PNPM Generasi is funded through a combination of funds from the Government of Indonesia and members of the World Bank administered multi-donor PNPM Support Facility.

Government of Indonesia contributions since 2010 are:

2010: US$22,152,777.80
2011: US$15,000,000.00
2012: US$44,280,555.60

PNPM Support Facility grant:

2010: US$10.2 million, which funded the expansion into one new province, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB)
2011-2012: US$ 28.1 million, which funded another expansion within existing provinces as well into two new provinces, North Maluku and West Sulawesi.

Partners

In addition to Bappenas, the Coordinating Ministry for People’s Welfare, and The Ministry of Finance, members of the PNPM Support Facility Joint Management Committee are:
AusAid, Danida, the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), the Embassy of the Netherlands, the European Union, USAID, and the World Bank.

Toward the Future

PNPM Generasi is building on lessons learned from implementation and the three-wave evaluation. Moving forward, the program will work to improve specific maternal health and child development outcomes, including malnutrition, stunting, and early childhood development.

For more information, please visit the Projects website.

Zoellick to Join Harvard’s Belfer Center, Peterson Institute

2012-06-27T13:00:00.000Z

WASHINGTON, June 27, 2012—Robert B. Zoellick today said he would join the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University and the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington DC after he steps down as World Bank Group President on June 30.

Zoellick will become the Peterson Institute’s first Distinguished Visiting Fellow as well as also becoming a Senior Fellow at the Belfer Center at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.

“I appreciate the opportunity to engage with the scholars and practitioners at Harvard’s Belfer Center and the Peterson Institute for International Economics,” said Zoellick. “I hope to work on the intersection of economics and security, applying history to policy questions of today. Both institutions have been at the cutting edge of research and policy development, and I have benefited greatly from both in the past.”

As the 11th president of the World Bank, Mr. Zoellick turned around an institution in trouble in 2007, recapitalized the Bank, and expanded financing for the poorest countries following the food, fuel and financial crises of recent years. He modernized the Bank by making it more accountable, flexible, fast-moving, transparent, and focused on good governance and anti-corruption. He has increased representation of developing countries in governance and staffing and encouraged developing countries to set their own priorities rather than have them dictated from the Bank. His record has also been marked by an increased role for the private sector through the bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC), which under his leadership has recruited sovereign wealth funds and pension funds to invest in poor countries, especially in Africa.

Before his term at the Bank, Mr. Zoellick served as Vice Chairman, International, of the Goldman Sachs Group as well as Managing Director and Chairman of Goldman Sachs’ Board of International Advisors from 2006-2007. Previously, he was Deputy Secretary of State in 2005-2006 and a member of the Cabinet as U.S. Trade Representative from 2001 to 2005.

From 1985 to 1993, he served at the Treasury and State Departments in various posts, as well as White House Deputy Chief of Staff. He was the lead U.S. official in the "Two-plus-Four" process of German unification in 1989-90 and served as "sherpa" for the preparation of the G-7/8 Economic Summits in 1991-92.

Mr. Zoellick graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Swarthmore College in 1975 and earned a J.D. magna cum laude from the Harvard Law School and a Master of Public Policy (MPP) from the Kennedy School of Government in 1981.

Contacts:

In Washington: Frederick Jones, (202) 473-9336, fjones@worldbank.org

For Broadcast Requests: Mehreen Sheikh, (202) 458-7336, msheikh1@worldbank.org

Innovative Fund to Boost Food Security and Farmer Livelihoods is Launched

2012-06-18T19:04:43.000Z

New Approach to Financing Innovations in Food Security and Agricultural Development Unveiled at G20 Summit in Mexico

AgResults: Innovation in Research and Delivery

LOS CABOS, Mexico (June 18, 2012) – An innovative initiative that will enhance global food security and improve the livelihoods of developing country farmers through prizes and other market-based incentives was announced today by G20 Leaders. With a results-driven funding model that rewards innovators for tackling some of the biggest problems in food security and agricultural development, AgResults addresses global challenges in food security and agriculture by generating market-oriented solutions. The initiative aims to achieve significant improvements in the wellbeing of the poor and vulnerable in developing countries with a fund of up to $100 million, to be administered by the World Bank. The governments of Australia, Canada, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States, as well as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, are supporting this effort.

AgResults uses pull mechanisms to encourage innovation through results-based payments such as prizes that are typically paid out when certain objectives or milestones have been met. Such financing mechanisms have seen success in generating innovation and market-oriented solutions in other domains such as healthcare, and AgResults aims to deliver similar gains in global food security and agricultural development.

AgResults was born out of the realization that there is a great need for increased investment in global food security and agriculture, in particular from the private sector. The FAO estimates that world food production must double by 2050 to feed a growing world population, while nearly a billion people suffer from a lack of crucial micronutrients in their diet—a hidden hunger that inhibits the development of children and reduces adult productivity. Recognizing these gaps, leaders at the June 2010 G20 Summit in Toronto committed to exploring innovative, results-focused ways of harnessing private sector innovations in food security and agricultural development in developing countries. This commitment involved a two-year effort by committed partners to develop AgResults, culminating in today’s launch of the initiative in support of the Summit priority of enhancing global food security. AgResults addresses this priority directly through new funding and a focus on bringing new, innovative approaches to bear on global food security issues.

In the coming years, AgResults will launch a series of pilots that address some of the biggest problems in global food security and agricultural development. The initiative’s portfolio of pilots will represent a diverse mix of agriculture and food security issues, testing different types of pull mechanisms in different regions globally. The initial set of pilots, focusing on maize production in Sub-Saharan Africa, include:

· Incentivizing the adoption of on-farm storage technology for smallholder farmers;

· Encouraging innovative distribution of a breakthrough technology to reduce aflatoxin contamination; and

· Building a market for new vitamin A-enhanced varieties of maize.

Additional pilots will be explored in the coming years, potentially including livestock vaccines and fertilizer innovation as well as new ideas related to increasing crop yields, decreasing post-harvest losses, increasing livestock productivity and improving nutrition.

For further information, please visit www.worldbank.org/cfp/agpm

Contacts:

In Washington: Amy Stilwell, (202) 458-4906, astilwell@worldbank.org

In Mexico: Fernanda Zavaleta, 52-55-5480-4252, fzavaleta@worldbank.org

For Broadcast Requests: Natalia Cieslik, (202) 458-9369, ncieslik@worldbank.org