Nigeria | World Bank

Nigeria - NG-RURAL ACCESS & MOBILITY PROJECT-Phase 2 : P095003 - Implementation Status Results Report : Sequence 02

2013-05-24T04:00:00.000Z

Study on skills development for the informal sector of the Nigerian economy

2013-05-23T04:00:00.000Z

The problems of employment have become a central global concern in recent times. This makes nearly all the governments and development partners to be fully engaged in finding a lasting solution to the problems. In the past, development planning efforts were concentrated on the development of a modern industrial sector. It was believed that this would serve the domestic market and facilitate the absorption of redundant or surplus workers in the urban economy. It was also the belief that rapid economic growth and development would be achieved. The study is structured into five chapters. While chapter one looks at the background to the study, the terms of reference and the structure of the report, chapter two focuses on copious relevant literature on skills development bringing out the conceptual definitions, theoretical and empirical issues in the informal sector of the economy. Chapter three presents the methodology of how training providers as well as the beneficiaries of the programs were surveyed in the study. Chapter four gives the inventory of the programs for the informal sector skills development and a detailed analysis of five most important non- state-run programs in the country. Chapter five forms the conclusions and recommendations of the work.

Nigeria - Support to the Nigerian Economic Summit Group : P121725 - Implementation Status Results Report : Sequence 02

2013-05-22T04:00:00.000Z

Official Documents- Agreement for Grant TF014025

2013-05-22T04:00:00.000Z

Official Documents- Disbursement Letter for Grant TF014025

2013-05-22T04:00:00.000Z

Nigeria - THIRD NATIONAL FADAMA DEVELOPMENT PROJECT (FADAMA III) : P096572 - Implementation Status Results Report : Sequence 10

2013-05-21T04:00:00.000Z

Nigeria - Federal Government Economic Reform and Governance Project : P088150 - Implementation Status Results Report : Sequence 15

2013-05-18T04:00:00.000Z

Nigeria - Nigeria Federal Roads Development Project : P090135 - Implementation Status Results Report : Sequence 11

2013-05-18T04:00:00.000Z

Nigeria - State Employment and Expenditure for Results Project : P121455 - Implementation Status Results Report : Sequence 02

2013-05-18T04:00:00.000Z

Nigeria - Strengthening Sub-National Public Sector Results-Based Management in Lagos, Nigeria : P121832 - Implementation Status Results Report : Sequence 02

2013-05-17T04:00:00.000Z

Nigeria - Commercial Agriculture Development : P096648 - Implementation Status Results Report : Sequence 10

2013-05-16T04:00:00.000Z

Nigeria - Nigeria Scaling Up Sustainable Land Management Practice, Knowledge, and Coordination : P109737 - Implementation Status Results Report : Sequence 05

2013-05-16T04:00:00.000Z

Nigeria economic report

2013-05-14T04:00:00.000Z

The Nigeria economic report represents a new World Bank product intended to be produced on a biannual basis. Each report will provide an assessment of the current economic situation in the country and give special attention to selected topics of high policy relevance for Nigeria. This first Nigeria economic report will give some attention to longer term trends in the country, including the puzzle of why a decade of rapid Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth by official statistics, concentrated in the pro-poor areas of agriculture and trade, did not bring stronger welfare and employment benefits to the population. The second chapter of this Report turns to the question of Government oil revenues and related future budgetary challenges to the country. Due to relatively slow expected growth in oil production and the real appreciation of the naira, the share of Government oil revenues in GDP fell significantly in 2012, and will likely continue to fall in the medium term. The third chapter addresses a question that has been at the center of many recent controversies and initiatives in Nigeria: fiscal federalist relations. The chapter argues that the current basic model of fiscal federalism may actually suit Nigeria very well, and could be consistent with the rapid successful development of the country. But the success of this model will depend on developing mechanisms for better cooperation between the federal and state governments in three key areas: (a) effective macroeconomic management of the country's oil wealth, (b) the coordination of fiscal policies, particularly for the connectivity of markets and improvement of public services, and (c) the realization of national standards for accounting and disclosure of information.

Toward synergy and collaboration to expand the supply of and strengthen primary health care in Nigeria's federal context, with special reference to Ondo State

2013-05-13T04:00:00.000Z

This study examines an innovative example of the expansion of supply and the strengthening of primary health care to improve key health-related Millennium Development Goal, or MDG indicators through synergy and collaboration between the federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) and state governments in an extreme federal context, and with particular reference to Ondo State. That is, the Nigerian Federal Constitution grants the federal government only very limited and indirect influence or control over the fiscal and financial affairs of state and local governments, such that 'plans, budgets, accounts and procurements are not subject to federal control and scrutiny'. Nor must the lower tiers account to the federal level for how funds transferred to them from the central level are used. The rest of case study is organized as follows. Section two describes the design of the HCP, including its interaction with the rest of the health system; section three discusses the targeting, identification, and enrolment system; section four examines the management of public funds within the HCP; section five analyses the management of the benefits package; section six reviews the information environment and monitoring systems of the HCP; section seven summarizes and analyses the evidence on the key theme of the study, which is the extent to which the HCP is expanding access to, and strengthening, primary health care within the federal system; and section eight looks at the pending agenda for action, drawing on the lessons learned and challenges for the HCP's future. The annexes present the country and health system context; a general overview of health system financing and delivery; a brief description of primary care and key supply-side efforts; and key data on Ondo State, including a description of the state's health system.

Nigeria - Nutrition at a glance

2013-05-10T04:00:00.000Z

The World Bank is supporting Nigeria's efforts to improve nutrition problems through health and agricultural sector projects, including: 1) a US$90 million extension of the Second Health Systems Development Project to target maternal and child health; 2) a US$450 million of the Third National FADAMA Development Project which has a goal to reduce food insecurity of FADAMA users; and 3) a US$150 million Commercial Agriculture Development Project which strengthens market access by small and medium farmers and agricultural production. A sector study to fill in the knowledge gap in nutrition is being done through a landscape analysis of existing experiences in community health and nutrition programs.

Nigeria - Agriculture Sector Development Policy Operation Project

2013-05-09T04:00:00.000Z

Official Documents- Agreement for Advance for Q836-NG

2013-05-08T04:00:00.000Z

Official Documents- Disbursement Letter for Advance for Q836-NG

2013-05-08T04:00:00.000Z

Nigeria - NG-RURAL ACCESS & MOBILITY PROJECT-Phase 2 : P095003 - Implementation Status Results Report : Sequence 01

2013-04-28T04:00:00.000Z

Nigeria - Strengthening the Capacity of the Common Financial Management Platform : P111697 - Implementation Status Results Report : Sequence 02

2013-04-27T04:00:00.000Z

The project Housing Finance Development Program is now in the pipeline.

2013-04-25T04:00:00.000Z

The project Housing Finance Development Program is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project Nigeria - State Education Program Investment Project has changed to Active

2013-03-28T04:00:00.000Z

The project Nigeria - State Education Program Investment Project has changed to Active. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The development objective of the State Education Program Investment Project for Nigeria is to support: (a) need-based teacher deployment; (b) school-level management and accountability; and (c) measurement of student learning in Participating States. The project has two components. First component is results-based support to education sector reform program (US$125.0 million). The aim of this component is to support participating state governments program priorities through selected disbursement-linked indicators focusing on the achievement of tangible and measurable results over the project period as follows: (a) improving teacher effectiveness through better deployment, based on needs, including: (i) deployment to hard-to staff schools; and (ii) deployment in core subject areas (English Language, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology); (b) improving regular measurement of student achievement; (c) strengthening school-based management committees participation and capacity for supporting school management and accountability; and (d) supporting stronger partnerships with the private sector to improve the relevance of technical and vocational schools, with emphasis on skills for employment. The second component is technical assistance (US$25.0 million). The objective of this component is to provide technical assistance channeled through two levels: (a) state level (US$20 million)- supporting participating states towards achievement of Disbursement-linked Indicators (DLIs), and the associated institutional capacity strengthening; and (b) federal level (US$5 million)- supporting the Federal Ministry of Education (FMOE) and Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) in overall project coordination and in providing the enabling environment in line with national policies, and in ensuring sustainability and scaling-up of successful activities in other potential states, for instance in Edo state.

The project Nigeria Youth Employment & Social Support Operation has changed to Active

2013-03-27T04:00:00.000Z

The project Nigeria Youth Employment & Social Support Operation has changed to Active. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The development objective of the Youth Employment and Social Support Operation Project for Nigeria is to: increase access of the poor to youth employment opportunities, social services, and strengthened safety net systems in participating states. There are four components to the project. The first component of the project is strengthening social safety net system. The operation through this component will help the government to define and consolidate the institutional responsibilities and implementation arrangements to ensure effective coordination among all units of the federal and state governments and all stakeholders involved in the implementation of social safety nets in Nigeria. The second component of the project is public workfare program. The objective of this component is to support the participating state governments to provide immediate labor intensive work opportunities for unskilled youths from poor households. The third component of the project is skills for jobs program. This component will pilot a new approach to skills training that would increase the effectiveness of the government's efforts to combat unemployment, especially among the youth. The fourth component of the project is Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program. This component will assist the Government of Nigeria (GON) in implementing a conditional cash transfer program.

The project Nigeria Post-Compliance I EITI is now in the pipeline.

2013-01-30T05:00:00.000Z

The project Nigeria Post-Compliance I EITI is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

Nigeria: Citizen Monitors Prevent Corruption and Ensure Procurement Accountability in Energy Sector

2012-11-01T14:53:08.000Z

Synopsis
The World Bank has been working with the Nigerian government and local civil society to rein in corruption by supporting the training of citizen monitors to ensure accountability and effectiveness in energy sector investments.

Challenge
After years of scandal, Nigeria has struggled to restore public trust in the government and rid the public sector of persistent corruption. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the government procurement process, where vast sums of money – approximately 70 percent of government activity – exchange hands behind seemingly closed doors. Complicating matters, public service contracting is often highly technical, making it arcane and difficult for the average citizen to take advantage of recent laws allowing civil society organizations to observe all stages of the procurement process. As a result, citizens are often unable to provide the civic feedback necessary to ensure effective governance.

Approach
In order to strengthen the feedback between citizens and the government, the World Bank is partnering with the Nigerian civil society organization the Public and Private Development Center and the Bureau of Public Procurement to train and certify citizen monitors. These monitors are being trained in the intricacies of Nigeria's Freedom of Information law so that they can clearly monitor public works projects that were previously hidden from view.

In addition, the project is building on an online reporting platform a tool that facilitates real-time analysis of public procurement trends. The platform not only allows officials to identify and rectify reported circumstances that may lead to large scale graft and mismanagement, but it also provides civil society organizations and the media a platform for engaging in evidence-based advocacy efforts.

Beneficiary Results
The project is making important strides in creating a culture of citizen activism through promoting accountability in government procurement. Results include:

Over 120 citizen monitors trained by the project are now actively tracking public works across the country. The website – www.procurementmonitor.org – is online, fully functioning, and serves as an important educational tool for citizens interested in accessing reports and guidelines.

Citizen monitors have generated and submitted 135 reports through the online portal.

The project has successfully fostered a strong working relationship between CSOs and government enforcement agencies aimed at eliminating corruption. Citizen monitors file reports, while the Bureau of Public Procurement ensures that appropriate follow up action is taken.

Bank Contribution
The World Bank provided technical assistance on contract monitoring to both CSOs and government officials by drawing on lessons learned from procurement systems around the world.

Partners
The World Bank's approach has focused on building linkages and partnerships with key civil society members and government. Within the government, the project has worked primarily with the Bureau of Public Procurement, the regulatory agency for government procurement. The project has also established a voluntary coalition of Nigerian civil society organizations that is led by the Nigerian Public and Private Development Center. Other members of the coalition include representatives from the extractive industries and members of the media.

Moving Forward
As the Nigeria procurement monitoring project moves forward, public education remains a challenge. Not only is there a need for more citizens to serve as monitors, but it is also necessary to raise awareness among the public about the importance of government contracting.

“People need to understand that in order to get good water out of their pipes, they need a good contracting process and a good contractor,” says Marcela Rozo, Senior Operations Officer at the World Bank.

The World Bank is building upon the partnerships launched under these efforts by supporting a project to expand electricity in Abuja and Lagos. The World Bank is relying on the same consortium of civil society organizations to monitor implementation plans, terms of reference, and needs assessments.

Nigeria: Culture of Feedback Key to Boosting Community Participation and Building Rural Livelihoods

2012-11-01T14:28:21.000Z

Synopsis
Increased focus on generating community feedback in the Nigeria Fadama project is helping to improve rural livelihoods by deepening the quality and quantity of communication between development practitioners, governments, and community members. Results have included a strong network of grassroots associations well-poised to capably harness the successful piloting of a new SMS-based system.

Challenge
“Fadama” is a Hausa name for irrigable land--usually low-lying plains underlaid by shallow aquifers found along Nigeria's major river systems. The land is fertile and water is easily accessible, but the Fadamas have also been the scene of conflict among farmers, fishermen, and pastoralists who are vying for land, water, and grazing resources. As a result, Fadama farmers have struggled in the face of grinding poverty and livelihoods have been undercut by low agricultural yields.

The challenge has been further compounded by poor communication mechanisms and lack of participatory community dialogue. Not only have women and marginalized groups often been relegated to the background, but there has often been no avenue or mechanism for community members to proactively express their concerns and offer suggestions or ideas. Even when new infrastructure was added to support livelihoods, the lack of feedback mechanisms has often meant that the infrastructure was not designed in a way that ensured sustainability or truly met community needs.

“Ensuring inclusive, participatory processes for determining investment priorities and improving community-government dialogue has been a central focus of the project from the beginning,” said World BankSenior Agricultural Specialist Abimbola Adubi. “This has required challenging societal norms through ongoing dialogue to give voice to women and marginalized groups that had traditionally been relegated to the background.”

Approach
The project approach has placed a premium on creating feedback and dialogue around the infrastructure that it built. Local community members, under the umbrella of Fadama Community Associations and Fadama User Groups, have overseen the design and implementation of the infrastructure investments. Specific mechanisms for ensuring transparency and citizen feedback have included widely posted signs explaining how projects are financed, a dedicated phone line for complaints, and employing specific community members to act as community facilitators. The community associations hold regular meetings, which creates a time and place for citizens to express their views. The project approach also incorporates the launch of a third party monitoring component, which will engage a local civil society organization to assess the project delivery and satisfaction using an SMS-based pilot mechanism.

“We are creating a culture of feedback where community members are proactively expressing not only their concerns, but also their ideas and suggestions,” said World Bank Consultant Merrick Schaefer, “Although several feedback mechanisms had been introduced by the project, there is still a desire to strengthen these through better integration and the leveraging of mobile phone technology. Our goal is to find a mobile technology solution that is scalable, re-usable, works across sectors and is cost accessible for beneficiaries to provide feedback. We want to use mobile technology to get as close as possible to beneficiaries.”

Beneficiary Results
The Fadama project has developed a vibrant network of inclusive community networks. These networks have created over 2,000 local development plans that actively incorporate the viewpoints of all stakeholders. Female participation in decision-making has increased monumentally and women now account for 40 percent of all participants. These associations ensure that community members are active in all stages of the project cycle and report on issues such as lack of capacity, fund disbursement, delays, and troubleshooting.

Under the leadership of the national Civil Society Consultative Group, 24 civil society organizations have begun implementing a third party monitoring system in eight states and more than 40 local government areas.

The Fadama project has also launched a promising mobile phone and SMS-based system that will allow beneficiaries to provide feedback on a variety of indicators from the performance of project staff to suggestions on how to improve the timing of funds disbursement. Local farmers have already used this system to provide feedback that discounted fertilizer arrived too late for the use in the last growing season.

World Bank Contribution
The Fadama III project includes US$450 million, with $250 million from the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank's Fund for the Poorest, and $200 million from the Nigerian government and beneficiaries. The World Bank has also provided technical assistance, drawing upon its experience with community driven development approaches in other countries.

Development Partners
The Fadama project is currently operating in all the 36 states of Nigeria including the Federal Capital Territory. Within each state, local governments implement the project with close oversight coming from the state government. The Fadama Desk Officers operate at the local level to facilitate project implementation. Day-to-day direction and facilitation of community feedback comes from the Fadama Community Associations and the Fadama User Groups. In addition, the Fadama project is partnering with 24 civil society organizations operating under the umbrella of the Civil Society Consultative Group to implement a third party monitoring system to assess project effectiveness and beneficiary satisfaction.

Moving Forward
In the past few years, the Fadama project has built strong networks of community associations and user groups. The next phase will involve scaling up the feedback that these networks provide by further integrating mobile technology into implementation. Focus groups, sign posts, phone complaint systems, and piloting of an SMS network should be seen as a starting point for a system of feedback mechanisms that can provide both more quantitative and more qualitative information on project implementation.

The project Third National Urban Water Sector Reform Project is now in the pipeline.

2012-10-29T04:00:00.000Z

The project Third National Urban Water Sector Reform Project is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project Niger Delta Community Foundations Initiative has changed to Closed

2012-10-02T04:00:00.000Z

The project Niger Delta Community Foundations Initiative has changed to Closed. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project NG-RURAL ACCESS & MOBILITY PROJECT-Phase 2 has changed to Active

2012-09-27T04:00:00.000Z

The project NG-RURAL ACCESS & MOBILITY PROJECT-Phase 2 has changed to Active. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The objective of the Second Rural Access and Mobility Project for Nigeria is to improve transport conditions and bring sustained access to the rural population through rehabilitating and maintaining key rural transport infrastructure in a sustainable manner in selected Nigerian states. The project has three components. (1) Upgrading and Rehabilitation of Rural Transport Infrastructure component will finance the upgrading and/or rehabilitation of an estimated 1,450 km of rural roads in tier-one states. In addition, about 65 river-crossings will be financed under this component in order to ensure minimal access at locations selected for their importance for agricultural productivity or to give access to social services. (2) Community-based road maintenance and annual mechanized maintenance component will finance the maintenance of the roads rehabilitated under Component 1, as well as a few other pilot roads to build up the maintenance system while the roads are being rehabilitated. Pilot programs will be initiated in each one of the tier-one states for up to 50 km of rural roads rehabilitated through other means. (3) Project Management and Strengthening of State and Federal Road Sector Institutional, Policy and Regulatory Framework component will provide a comprehensive institutional development package at the state and federal levels to: (a) support an effective implementation of the project (including through technical audits, whenever needed); (b) design and implement sound rural transport policies; (c) improve the planning and execution of public expenditures in rural transport; and (d) promote the dissemination of best practices, as well as to prepare a possible scaling up of the project in tier one and tier two states.

ACCESS NIGERIA AND WORLD BANK ORGANIZE JOB FAIR FOR EMPLOYERS AND POTENTIAL EMPLOYEES

2012-09-10T19:15:19.000Z

Contacts:
In Abuja: Obadiah Tohomdet: (234) 703-583-0644, otohomdet@worldbank.org
Bamidele Oladokun: (234) 703-583-0641, boladokun@worldbank.org

ABUJA, September 10, 2012 - ACCESS Nigeria in collaboration with the World Bank have concluded arrangement for a 2-day National Jobs Fair. The fair commences on Thursday, September 13, 2012 at the National Theatre, Iganmu Lagos.

The event will serve as platform for organizations and potential employers to recruit young, skilled and competent employees into their workforce.

A broad range of employers from various sectors of the economy such as Information & Communication Technology (ICT), Telecommunications, Banking, Insurance, Private sector, Media, etc. are expected to participate at the event.

It could be recalled that in 2010, the World Bank-supported ACCESS Nigeria program conducted a Skills Gap Analysis, which showed a distinct gap between what employers need and what they end up getting. It was discovered that most youth lack the fundamental skills required to succeed in the labour market, such as communication skills, cognitive skills and computer skills. This insight led to the formation of the ACCESS Nigeria skills program.

The program has in the last 2 years assessed more than 3000 youth on globally-benchmarked fundamental skills for IT-enabled services economy. 1007 candidates completed 10 week-training across five cities: Abuja, Enugu, Kaduna, Kano and Lagos. The Fair is open to both ACCESS and non-ACCESS trained candidates.

To ensure that this is a continuous and sustainable process, an electronic job information management portal called ACCESS Nigeria Job Information Management System (ANJIMS) has been launched. The portal, first of its kind in Nigeria, will allow for periodic data-analysis on labor market’s current status and future projections, thereby filling a gap that is widely felt due to absence of reliable data and information on Nigeria’s job market.

The program is supported under the World Bank-supported Science and Technology Post Basic Project (STEPB).

Organizations and potential employees are encouraged to register for the job fair at www.anjims.org Interested applicants are expected to register and attend the Fair with their curriculum vitae. Registration and attendance is FREE for interested employers and candidates.

###

Visit us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/WorldBankNigeria
Be updated via Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/WBNigeria
For our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/worldbanknigeria

Crossing Boundaries

2012-09-06T23:45:00.000Z

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.

The project NG-Polio Eradication Support (FY13) has changed to Active

2012-07-14T04:00:00.000Z

The project NG-Polio Eradication Support (FY13) has changed to Active. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The development objective of the Polio Eradication Support Project is to assist the Government of Nigeria, as part of a global polio eradication effort, to achieve and sustain at least 80 percent coverage with oral polio vaccine immunization in every state in the country. The project has only one component i.e. the supply of oral polio vaccine to national strategic cold stores in Abuja. The credit will purchase approximately 655 million doses of Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) which, over a two year period will be used to immunize children under the age of five all over Nigeria. Since more immunization rounds will be conducted in the Northern states, the project will primarily benefit the children residing in these states.

World Bank to support Nigeria’s final push to eradicate polio

2012-07-12T17:01:08.000Z

WASHINGTON, July 12, 2012 – The World Bank’s Board has approved an International Development Association (IDA)* credit of US$95 million for the Nigeria Polio Eradication Support Project, which will help the country to achieve and sustain at least 80% polio immunization across all states, supporting the eventual eradication of the disease from Nigeria.

The project will finance roughly 655 million doses of oral polio vaccine for children under age five across Nigeria, with a special focus on the northern states where polio is more prevalent. The World Bank has worked with Nigeria’s National Primary Health Care Agency since 2003 to ensure timely vaccine supply.

As part of a worldwide drive to eradicate polio, this effort builds on Nigeria’s strong performance in recent years, with the number of polio cases falling from 1,100 in 2006 to 62 in 2011. Nigeria is one of the last three countries in the world where polio is endemic, the others being Afghanistan and Pakistan.

“What we do over the next four years is going to determine whether we will succeed in this historic undertaking to eradicate polio in Nigeria,” said Dr. Mohamed Pate, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Health and Chairman of Presidential Task Force on Polio Eradication. “We have beaten back the disease to a large extent already, and with the support of our partners, we are gearing up to make the last big push.”

The project continues a “buy-down” arrangement by which the Gates Foundation, the US Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, and Rotary International (via the UN Foundation), will repay the loan’s present value when pre-agreed results are met. Of the World Bank’s lending commitments to Nigeria for polio from 2003 to 2012—a total of $195 million—Nigeria has already qualified for a 70 percent buy-down.

“Eradication of polio is now within reach in Nigeria, so we must keep up the momentum to defeat this dreaded disease once and for all,” said Marie Francoise Marie-Nelly, World Bank Country Director for Nigeria. “Also, we must take in the main lesson from Nigeria’s success against polio, which is that improving outreach and closely involving communities will help build a stronger national health system.”

The new project is aligned with the Federal Government of Nigeria’s 2012 Polio Eradication Emergency Plan, and with the World Bank’s strategy in Africa, which aims to reduce vulnerability to illness and disability among poor people.

* The World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), established in 1960, helps the world’s poorest countries by providing loans (called “credits”) and grants for projects and programs that boost economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve poor people’s lives. IDA is one of the largest sources of assistance for the world’s 81 poorest countries, 39 of which are in Africa. Resources from IDA bring positive change for 2.5 billion people living on less than $2 a day. Since 1960, IDA has supported development work in 108 countries. Annual commitments have increased steadily and averaged about $15 billion over the last three years, with about 50 percent of commitments going to Africa.

Contacts:

In Washington: Kavita Watsa, (+1) (202) 458 8810, kwatsa@worldbank.org

In Abuja: Bamidele Oladokun (+234) 703 583 0641, boladokun@worldbank.org

For more information, please visit: www.worldbank.org/nigeria

For more information on IDA, please visit: www.worldbank.org/ida

Visit us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/worldbankafrica

Receive updates on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/worldbankafrica

Visit us on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/worldbank

For more information, please visit the Projects website.

The project NIGERIA: ACCESS TO JUSTICE FOR THE POOR is now in the pipeline.

2012-07-12T04:00:00.000Z

The project NIGERIA: ACCESS TO JUSTICE FOR THE POOR is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project Nigeria National Energy Development Project GEF MSP has changed to Closed

2012-07-02T04:00:00.000Z

The project Nigeria National Energy Development Project GEF MSP has changed to Closed. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

World Bank provides US$15 million grant to build business and commercial laws in the OHADA Zone

2012-06-27T18:03:30.000Z

WASHINGTON, June 26, 2012 — The World Bank today approved an International Development Association (IDA)* US$15 million technical assistance grant to strengthen Organisation pour l'Harmonisation en Afrique du Droit des Affaires (Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa) OHADA's institutional capacity to support, in its sixteen member countries, selected aspects of investment climate reforms, including improved corporate financial reporting.

The Improved Investment Climate within OHADA project grant will also include a reform of the OHADA laws and institutions that aim to provide businesses with a more secure and cost-effective business legal framework, thus facilitating business formation and growth. Reform aims to facilitate regional integration by providing businesses with a common legal framework to foster economies of scale and increased competition across the region.

“Many of the investment climate hindrances that constrain investment are embedded in the

OHADA Uniform Act,” says Elizabeth Lule, Acting Director, Africa Regional Integration (AFCRI) Unit. “One example is the high level of minimum capital requirements currently set at US$2,000 which is beyond the means of most entrepreneurs in the region. In contrast, most countries in the world have set no or a low capital requirement minimum because they recognized that a high minimum capital requirement hindered business formation and did not effectively protect creditors,” concludes Lule.

The key outcomes expected from the project are increased numbers of (a) commercial disputes referred to alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms; (b) newly registered companies within OHADA member countries; and (c) professional accountancy organizations admitted as members of IFAC. Regarding this last aspect, the admission of accountancy organizations as members of IFAC will be achieved by: (a) improving accounting standards, (b) strengthening professional standards and practices, and (c) developing a regional professional qualification curriculum.

Gilberto de Barros, the co Team Leader, noted that “Improving the investment climate through a regional project is also going to be more effective since the country by country approach already started has failed to substantially improve the investment climate.” The OHADA Project will thus complement the actions that are being implemented by OHADA member countries at the country level and improve help the investment climate since doing so requires the combination of reforms at both the regional and national levels in a context where the legal framework comprises both national and regional laws.

OHADA - Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa – was established in 1993 through a Treaty to improve the legal security and predictability of doing business in West and Central Africa. The 16 current member states are: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Comoros, Republic of Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is due to become the 17th member in 2012. Throughout, this project appraisal document refers to 16 member countries.

The estimated population of the OHADA member countries is about 200 million-25percent of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), with a median GDP per capita of US$363 (US$754 for SSA).

Contacts:

In Washington: Aby K. Toure, (202) 473-8302, akonate@worldbank.org;

Stevan Jackson, (202) 458-5054, sjackson@worldbank.org

For more information on World Bank’s activities in Africa, visit: www.worldbank.org/afr

For more information on IDA, please visit: www.worldbank.org/ida

Visit us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/worldbankafrica

Be updated via Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/worldbankafrica

For our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/worldbank

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

The project Second National Urban Water Sector Reform Project (Additional Financing) is now in the pipeline.

2012-06-21T04:00:00.000Z

The project Second National Urban Water Sector Reform Project (Additional Financing) is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The objectives of the Additional Financing for the Second National Urban Water Sector Reform Project for Nigeria were to: 1) improve reliability of water supply produced by the water treatment works in Lagos state; 2) increase access to piped water networks in four cities in Cross River State; and 3) improve commercial viability of the urban water utilities in participating states. The Additional Financing (AF) will help finance the costs associated with: a) the cost overruns for two cities (Ikom, Ogoja) in Cross River State and in two distribution areas of Lagos (Surulere, Victoria Island) due to a financing gap between current project costs and the original costs estimated in 2005, b) scaling up and restructuring the project scope by supporting the rehabilitation of three additional water supply systems in Cross River State (Itigidi, Obubra, Okpoma), and 3) restructuring and scaling up institutional strengthening and policy reform activities in the water sector. The additional funds will ensure the full financing of activities defined in the Project Appraisal Document (PAD) and Development Credit Agreement (DCA) under the Cross River and Lagos State portions of the project and support the expansion of the scope of these activities to three new geographic areas in Cross River State.

The project Nigeria Electricity and Gas Improvement Project (add. financing) has changed to Active

2012-06-21T04:00:00.000Z

The project Nigeria Electricity and Gas Improvement Project (add. financing) has changed to Active. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The development objective of the Additional Financing (AF) for the Electricity and Gas Improvement Project for Nigeria is to (i) improve the availability and reliability of gas supply to increase power generation in existing public sector power plants; and (ii) improve the power network's capacity and efficiency to transmit and distribute quality electricity to the consumer. This project paper seeks the approval of the Executive Directors to provide (i) an additional credit of US$100 million equivalent; (ii) an additional series of Partial Risk Guarantees (PRGs) of US$200 million equivalent1; and (iii) restructuring to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, under the project. The additional credit will help finance costs associated with: (i) scaled-up activities to enhance the impact of the original credit; and (ii) restructuring the project to (a) extend its closing date by three years (from the current project closing date of December 31, 2014 to December 31, 2017); (b) revise the Monitoring and Evaluation (M and E) framework to reflect the restructuring of the project and the delays in effectiveness of the original project; (c) change the project implementing entity from the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to its successor company, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) due to the ongoing wind-down of PHCN as part of the reform process; and (d) associated changes in the implementation, procurement and safeguards arrangements as stated in third section of the project paper. The project restructuring is needed to complete implementation of activities covered by the requested AF and fully achieve the project's development objectives.

The project Nigeria Electricity and Gas Improvement Project Additional Financing has changed to Active

2012-06-21T04:00:00.000Z

The project Nigeria Electricity and Gas Improvement Project Additional Financing has changed to Active. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

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

Mauritius is hosting a high-level forum on harnessing diaspora resources for Africa’s development

2012-06-14T21:53:36.000Z

Port-Louis, June 14, 2012 – A two-days High Level Forum (HLF) titled Harnessing Diaspora Resources for Development in Africa opened today in Bagatelle, Mauritius (June 14th and 15th, 2012). This event gathers more than fifty representatives of African government officials, development partners, private sector stakeholders and experts from several continents, who will have an opportunity to capitalize on many practical actions taken to harness Diaspora resources. Officially, recorded remittance flows to Sub Saharan Africa exceeded US$22 billion in 2011.

This event is co-organized by the World Bank’s Africa Region through its African Diaspora Program (ADP) and the Government of Mauritius, with a financial contribution of the European Commission (EC) through the African Institute for Remittances (AIR) project. “This high-level forum will give us a chance to work with global stakeholders to identify strategies for Diaspora mobilization and engagement that are best suited to Africa and Africans in the Diaspora. We hope that by working together, we will be able to generate some innovative approaches to leveraging the African Diaspora’s energy and talents,” says Dr. Kofi Anani, the World Bank’s Task Team Leader for the HLF.

The HLF is one of three mutually reinforcing preparatory events towards the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) summit that will take place in Port-Louis in November 2012. The overarching theme for this summit is “Enhancing the human development of migrants and their contributions to the development of communities and states”.

Since January 2012, Mauritius is the Chair of the GFMD, and is the first African country to assume this responsibility. The Mauritian government has been using its chairmanship of this organization to further promote inter-African dialogue on migration and development, including the important role the Diaspora can play in Africa. According to Ali Mansoor, Financial Secretary of the Republic of Mauritius and current GFMD Chair, “When we are talking about Diaspora, we have to think practically why people left, and what can make them return. It is more about working on systems and procedures than about working on individuals”.

“Members of the African diaspora are playing a role in helping their homelands develop, and African countries have begun efforts to tap the skills and resources of emigrants and their offsprings. These contributions include remittances, trade and investment, and transfer of skills and technology” explains Otaviano Canuto, Vice President and Head of Network Poverty Reduction and Economic Management at The World Bank.

Contacts:

In Port Louis: Erick Rabemananoro, Erabemananoro@worldbank.org

In Washington: Beldina Auma +1 (202) 458-7307, bauma@worldbank.org

Global Mobility Unaffected by Financial Crisis, as Remittances Remained Resilient

2012-06-13T13:00:00.000Z

WASHINGTON, June 14, 2012 – The global financial crisis of 2008/09 has not sent migrant workers streaming back home, despite worsening employment prospects and anti-immigration rhetoric in some destination countries, says a new book on migration and remittances, published by the World Bank.

In fact, migrants may have mitigated some of the pain of the crisis as they tend to work for lower wages, receive fewer benefits and rely relatively little on the state, says the ‘Migration and Remittances during the Global Financial Crisis and Beyond’ book.

“During the crisis, remittances continued to provide a steady source of foreign currency to developing country economies at a time when foreign aid remained flat and foreign direct investment declined sharply,” said Otaviano Canuto, Vice President, Poverty Reduction and Economic Management, at the World Bank.

Removing restrictions on human mobility may help enhance financial flows among nations and alleviate some of the adverse effect of the crisis, says the book. With migrant workers projected to remit about $399 billion to their home countries during 2012, compared to $372 billion in 2011, remittances are the most tangible link between migration and development.

Although many of the 215 million international migrants are facing worsening employment prospects in some destination countries, particularly high-income Europe, their cash support to families in their home countries has remained resilient, posting, in 2009, the only decline in recent memory. Even then, remittances decreased by a modest 5.2 percent, in sharp contrast with the precipitous declines seen in global private capital flows.

“The resilience of remittances is good news for developing countries as they remain one of the less volatile sources of foreign exchange earnings, particularly for the less developed countries. At the household level, these cash transfers are, in many cases, the only lifeline for families in the home countries,” said Hans Timmer, Director of Development Prospects at the World Bank.

However, despite many years of recording ever-increasing volumes of remittances, leveraging this rather large and growing source of funds for socio-economic development remains a key challenge, with the vast majority of remittances used for maintaining families and for the purchase of consumer goods.

The book, which is the first comprehensive study of remittances during the global financial crisis, is a compilation of 45 separate studies that identify and discuss remittance practices across the world and possibilities for the future. Each study is authored by a different expert who analyzes certain countries and certain aspects of remittances, ranging from patterns of remittance flows to usage of remittances received by communities and households.

The book is co-edited by Dilip Ratha, Manager of the Bank’s Migration and Remittances Unit; Ibrahim Sirkeci, Professor of Transnational Studies and Marketing at Regent’s College, London; and Jeffrey Cohen, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the Ohio State University, USA, who also co-author the book’s first chapter on remittance flows and practices during the crisis.

“Contrary to expectations, we found no evidence of return of migrants, even as the financial crisis reduced employment opportunities in the United States and Europe, with many countries, such as Spain, offering financial incentives to encourage migrants to return,” said Sirkeci.

Migration, in fact, was a strategic response to the financial crisis. Like any political or environmental catastrophe, the financial crisis caused human insecurity and people in developing countries responded by crossing borders or moving domestically to survive the impact of the crisis.

“Remittances have remained resilient and, barring the decline in 2009, have maintained a healthy growth momentum. However, since the book went to press, the global economy continues to experience serious bouts of volatility, which could affect migrant earnings and, hence, remittances,” said Ratha.

For receiving countries, a key factor behind the resilience in remittances is the diversification of migrant destinations.

Countries in South Asia and East Asia with many migrants in the United States, Europe and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries continued to register increased remittance inflows. One study in the book concludes that only a prolonged global slowdown would cause a decline in remittance flows to India, the largest recipient of remittances in 2011, with $64 billion.

In contrast, Latin America and the Caribbean region, whose migrants are concentrated in the United States, suffered a dramatic decline in remittances throughout the financial crisis. Mexico, the world’s third largest recipient of remittances ($24 billion in 2011), saw a significant decline in remittance inflows from the United States during the crisis. A similar strong impact was found in El Salvador. Both cases underline the fact that many Latin American countries were vulnerable to the effects of crisis, with a special impact on the urban youth in these countries, who face more difficult labor market prospects and declining opportunities to migrate.

Studies related to the effect of the crisis in the European Union on remittance-receiving countries found that Spain has been the fastest-growing immigration destination for the past decade and is now the fifth largest remittance-sending country, after the United States, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Switzerland.

In the East Asia and Pacific region, remittances account for as much as 12 percent of GDP, as in the case of New Zealand and Pacific island economies, while remittances have been keeping the national economy afloat in the Philippines for the past three decades.

Also, due to the depreciation of local currencies of many remittance-recipient countries, such as India, Mexico, and the Philippines, migrants from those countries turned to investment-oriented remittances in South Asia and East Asia where goods, services, and assets suddenly became significantly inexpensive and affordable.

The book recommends that countries develop policies that reduce restrictions on human mobility and develop programs to facilitate the use of remittances for long-term investments and promoting entrepreneurship. Such changes, tailored to both host and recipient country needs, can strengthen the contribution of remittances to development.

Eliminating the complexity of transactions and reducing transaction costs would also help increase the volume of remittances utilizing official channels, to enable many small nations, in particular, to reap the socio-economic benefits of migrant earnings.

The book is available for purchase at http://publications.worldbank.org/18826

The latest migration and remittances data are available at www.worldbank.org/migration

Interact with migration experts at http://blogs.worldbank.org/peoplemove/

Contacts:

In Washington: Indira Chand +1 (202) 458-0434, +1 (703) 376-7491, ichand@worldbank.org

For TV/Broadcast: Natalia Cieslik +1 (202) 458-9369, ncieslik@worldbank.org

WB Urges Developing Countries to Strengthen Domestic Fundamentals, to Weather Global Economic Turmoil

2012-06-12T17:00:00.000Z

WASHINGTON, June 12, 2012 – Developing countries should prepare for a long period of volatility in the global economy by re-emphasizing medium-term development strategies, while preparing for tougher times, says the World Bank in the newly-released Global Economic Prospects (GEP), June 2012.

A resurgence of tensions in high-income Europe has eroded the gains made during the first four months of this year, which saw a rebound in economic activity in both developing and advanced countries and an easing of risk aversion among investors. Since May 1^st, increased market jitters have spread. Developing and high-income country stock markets have lost some 7 percent, giving up two-thirds of the gains generated over the preceding four months. Most industrial commodity prices are down, with crude and copper prices down by 19 and 14 percent, respectively, while developing country currencies have lost value against the US dollar, as international capital fled to safe-haven assets, such as German and U.S. government bonds.

Video Platform Video Management Video Solutions Video Player

So far, conditions in most developing countries have not deteriorated as much as in the fourth quarter of 2011. Outside of Europe and Central Asia and the Middle-East and North Africa, developing country credit default swap (CDS) rates, a key indicator of market sentiment, remain well below their maximums from the fall of 2011.

“Global capital market and investor sentiment are likely to remain volatile over the medium term – making economic policy setting difficult. In this environment, developing countries should focus on productivity-enhancing reforms and infrastructure investment instead of reacting to day-to-day changes in the international environment,” said Hans Timmer, Director of Development Prospects at the World Bank.

Increased uncertainty will add to pre-existing headwinds from budget cutting, banking-sector deleveraging and developing country capacity constraints. As a result, the World Bank projects that developing country growth will slow to a relatively weak 5.3 percent in 2012, before strengthening somewhat to 5.9 percent in 2013 and 6.0 percent in 2014. Growth in high-income countries will also be weak, 1.4, 1.9 and 2.3 percent for 2012, 2013 and 2014 respectively – with GDP in the Euro Area declining 0.3 percent in 2012. Overall, global GDP is projected to rise 2.5, 3.0 and 3.3 ⁽¹⁾ percent for the same period.

This baseline scenario remains the most likely outcome. However, should the situation in Europe deteriorate sharply no developing region would be spared. Developing Europe and Central Asia is especially vulnerable because of its close trade and financial ties with high-income Europe, but the world's poorest countries will also feel the fall out – especially countries that are heavily reliant on remittances, tourism or commodity exports or that have high-levels of short-term debt.

“Where possible, developing countries need to move to reduce vulnerabilities by lowering short-term debt levels, cutting budget deficits and returning to a more neutral monetary policy stance. Doing so will provide them with more leeway to loosen policy, should global conditions take a sharp turn for the worse,” said Andrew Burns, Manager of Global Macroeconomics and lead author of the report.

The full report and accompanying datasets are available at www.worldbank.org/globaloutlook

Regional Highlights

Growth outlooks for each country are available in the full report at:

www.worldbank.org/globaloutlook

Growth for the East Asia and Pacific region is on a moderately easing trend, with GDP gains for the region dropping to 8.3 percent in 2011 from 9.7 percent in 2010. The recent deterioration in global financial conditions is expected to add to pre-existing headwinds, including relatively weak demand from the high-income world, and a slowing phase in China to moderate regional growth to 7.6 percent in 2012, before broader global recovery lifts exports and growth for the region in 2013 to 8.1 percent, easing to 7.9 percent in 2014. China’s GDP is expected to accelerate from 8.2 percent in 2012 to 8.4 percent by 2014.

Notwithstanding the economic downturn in the Euro Area in the fourth quarter of 2011, developing Europe and Central Asia posted strong (5.6 percent) growth in 2011, driven by robust domestic demand and good harvests in countries such as Russia, Romania and Turkey. However, severe weather conditions in early 2012, capacity constraints in some countries, deleveraging by European banks, and the renewed turmoil in high-income Europe are projected to slow regional GDP growth to 3.3 percent this year, before a modest recovery begins with growth firming to 4.1 and 4.4 percent in each of 2013 and 2014.

Growth in the Latin America and the Caribbean region eased to 4.3 percent in 2011, from 6.1 percent in 2010, due to the pronounced slowdown in the region’s larger economies. In Brazil, GDP slowed sharply to 2.7 percent in 2011 (7.5 percent in 2010), as investment growth and private consumption eased. The region’s short-term outlook is clouded by a weak external environment, and capacity constraints in select economies. Regional GDP is expected to decelerate to 3.5 percent in 2012, firming to 4.1 percent and 4 percent in 2013 and 2014, respectively, while growth in Brazil is projected to remain below potential at 2.9 percent in 2012, before accelerating to 4.2 percent in 2013 and 3.9 percent in 2014.

Uncertainty, volatility, and political change continue to characterize conditions in the Middle East and North Africa region. Aggregate GDP grew by 1 percent in 2011, down from 3.8 percent in 2010. Regional growth is projected to remain weak at 0.6 percent for 2012, mainly reflecting the influence of sanctions on growth in Iran, and continued GDP declines in Syria and Yemen. As these elements fade in importance, growth for the region should step up to 2.2 percent in 2013 and 3.4 percent in 2014. Egypt’s economy is projected to move out of negative territory to 1.4 percent growth in 2012, rising to 4.6 percent in 2014. Growth is also expected to pick up strongly in Jordan and Lebanon, while oil prices, which are projected to average near $107/bbl in 2012, will benefit the region’s oil exporters.

Growth in South Asia slowed to 7.1 percent in 2011, from 8.6 percent in 2010, as headwinds from the Euro Area crisis caused a steep deceleration in exports and a reversal of portfolio inflows. Growth in India was particularly weak due to monetary policy, stalled reforms, and electricity shortages, which, along with fiscal and inflation concerns, cut into investment activity. Policy uncertainties, fiscal deficits, entrenched inflation, and infrastructure gaps will continue to weigh negatively on investment activity and are expected to limit regional growth to a relatively modest 6.4 percent in 2012, 6.5 percent in 2013, and 6.7 percent in 2014. India will see growth (measured at factor cost) increasing to 6.9, 7.2 and 7.4 percent in fiscal years 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15, respectively.

Economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa remained robust in 2011 at 4.7 percent. Excluding South Africa, growth in the rest of the region was stronger, at 5.6 percent, making it one of the fastest growing developing regions. Higher commodity prices and improved macroeconomic and political stability in recent years has supported increased private investment flows to the region, with promising prospects in the medium term. As global demand firms and domestic demand remains robust, regional growth is expected to strengthen to 5 percent in 2012, 5.3 percent in 2013 and 5.2 percent in 2014.

Contacts

In Washington: Merrell Tuck-Primdahl +1 (202) 473-9516, +1 (202) 476-9897, mtuckprimdahl@worldbank.org;

Indira Chand +1 (202) 458-0434, +1 (703) 376-7491, ichand@worldbank.org

In London: Derek Warren + 44 (20) 7592-8402 , dwarren1@worldbank.org

For TV/Broadcast: Natalia Cieslik +1 (202) 458-9369, ncieslik@worldbank.org

(1) Using purchasing power parity weights, global growth would be 3.3, 3.9 and 4.2 percent for 2012, 2013 and 2014, respectively.

Globalization: Made in the Americas

2012-06-08T00:30:00.000Z

AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY

Inter-American Dialogue 30^th Anniversary Dinner

Remarks of Robert B. Zoellick, President, World Bank Group

June 7, 2012

Introduction

Thank you for the honor of your invitation to commemorate the 30^th Anniversary of the Inter-American Dialogue.

The origins of this Dialogue stretch back to a discussion between Peter Bell and Abe Lowenthal on a park bench.

Peter and Abe were disturbed by the breakdown in inter-American exchanges during the Falklands/Malvinas war, and by the lack of ties with the rising democrats of Latin America. So they discussed bringing together leaders from across the hemisphere to set a new inter-American agenda. The Dialogue held its first ad hoc conference in late 1982.

Today, 30 years later, Latin America’s very success offers the opportunity to remake that Hemispheric partnership around new pillars:

· A revived free trade policy that will aid structural reforms for growth in all our countries;

· An energy transformation, ending the Hemisphere’s energy dependency;

· A new diplomacy infused with private sector pragmatism to solve public problems;

· Shared security; and

· The first Democratic Hemisphere.

For the United States, this new agenda could enable us to rely on a great, home-grown asset – Hispanic-Americans – as the vanguard of U.S. connectivity in a new Western Hemispheric economy.

This Dialogue can – and I believe will – help drive this change: to create a “Globalization: Made in the Americas.”

Under Peter Hakim’s and now Michael Shifter’s energetic leadership, the Inter-American Dialogue has become the leading U.S. center for policy analysis, exchange, and communication in the Western Hemisphere.

The idea at the heart of the Dialogue remains very much the same as that which emerged from the conversation on the park bench: that through dialogue and shared vision, interested citizens across the hemisphere together can plant the seeds of new policy ideas and practical proposals for progress in the Americas.

So tonight, let’s put that idea to work.

A Different Vantage Point

Just two months ago, the leaders of the Western Hemisphere met in Cartagena for the Summit of the Americas. Colombia was an excellent host, and the Summit showcased the country’s many hard-won achievements.

But the news reports were, frankly, disappointing. Aside from the behavior of some Secret Service agents, the coverage focused on disagreements about Cuba and drugs. Some even suggested this would be the last Summit of the Americas. The agenda seemed stuck in a time warp.

So when Carla Hills asked if I could join you this evening, I thought the best way to celebrate the Dialogue’s Anniversary was to offer new possibilities for the Americas in a fast-changing global economy.

My vantage point on our hemisphere is different from many U.S. contributors to the Dialogue. I am not a specialist in Latin America.

Like many of my U.S. foreign and security policy colleagues, much of my energy has been concentrated on the issues of Europe and the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Southwest Asia.

Yet because of my economic background, Latin America and Canada have loomed larger on my global map.

In the 1980s and early 90s, working with Secretary of Treasury and State James Baker, we were immersed in issues of Latin American debt and reforms for growth, the Canadian and North American FTAs, and Central American security and democracy.

In 2001, as U.S. Trade Representative, we were fortunate to build on that experience, negotiating FTAs with Chile, Colombia, Peru, Panama, the five countries of Central America and the Dominican Republic. Together with NAFTA, these FTAs cover 54 percent of the economy of our hemisphere, not including the United States, offering an underutilized web of free traders that could support deeper integration in the Americas – even hemispheric free trade and democracy.

Five years as President of the World Bank Group has added to this perspective.

Why am I stressing this global outlook on Latin America? Because, while working on the issues of our region, I have urged my Latin counterparts to look globally, too.

Instead, for too many years, the dialogue within our hemisphere seemed constrained by a North-South framework. The United States loomed large – whether as a hegemon, source of support, market, model, danger, or even frustrating land of inattention.

On development, debt, investment, competition, and trade, Latin Americans need to see the wider horizon – especially to benchmark with East Asia. And beyond East Asia, Latin America has a new role to play in building multiple engines of growth with other emerging markets. It is time to break out of that North-South construct.

Consider Canada’s experience in combining regional integration with global reach: of course, Canada’s FTA with the United States in 1988 deepened the two countries’ economic integration – but in addition, the competitive adjustment driven by that accord made Canadian business more competitive globally.

A new hemispheric partnership requires leaving old habits, old mindsets, and old models of dependency behind.

That partnership will necessitate a new mix of partners, public and private.

That partnership should be the next challenge for the Summit of the Americas and this Dialogue.

Latin America’s Record of Gains

Latin America’s recent record of gains now puts it in a position to remake the Hemispheric partnership.

The numbers tell the story.

Between 2003 and 2010, the income of the average Latin American increased by more than 30 percent. A silent revolution in macro-financial policy has strengthened the economic immune system of many countries. We saw the payoff after the fall of Lehman Brothers: Sound policies in Latin America enabled expansions to offset the downturn without the aftershocks that now threaten Europe.

About 73 million Latin Americans have been lifted out of poverty since 2003. Today, almost a third of the region’s population is considered middle class.

Latin America is breaking a pattern of persistent inequality, including through an increase in women’s involvement in the economy, particularly from poor families. Colombia and Peru have buttressed this trend by boosting opportunities for people of African and indigenous origin, seeking to overcome divisions that populists have exploited.

Mexico and Brazil have led in developing well-targeted conditional cash transfer programs that have revolutionized public assistance. These programs couple income grants for poor families with incentives for health check-ups and keeping children in school. Mexico’s Oportunidades program has probably done more for women’s health than anything in the country’s history.

These are safety net programs that appeal to a fiscal conservative: They cost only about half a percent of GDP. The World Bank has helped export this model to 40 other countries, ranging from Pakistan to the Philippines.

Latin America is “going global.” As the global trade negotiations have stalled, leading Latin American free traders have tried to keep up the momentum. Mexico has FTAs with 59 countries; Chile with 43.

Colombia offers a leading example of how a democracy can combine security, development, and good governance to overcome narco-traffickers, kidnappers, and terrorists. Peru demonstrates how sound economic policy and political commitment across administrations can reverse years of stagnation.

Brazil’s influence is expanding – through its companies, agricultural and mining experience, development work, peacekeeping in Haiti, and interest in Africa. Brazil’s leaders of the left have also turned a page in history by sticking with democracy. Rising leaders of the left in other Latin American countries have seen the benefits for the poor of Brazil’s example, compared to authoritarians who tear down institutions to consolidate personal or party power.

Looking Ahead

So what’s ahead for Latin America?

Latin America’s per capita income is still only at 30 percent of the U.S. level.

To climb higher, Latin American economies will need to leap beyond the so-called middle income trap. Many developing economies make early rapid gains. But then productivity and growth tend to slow.

This is a global challenge. In 1960, the World Bank ranked 101 economies as middle income; by 2008, almost half a century later, only 13 had made it to high income levels – and one was Greece.

Many Latin American countries will need to translate the commodity boom into broader, more diversified economies. This region has lived through roller-coaster booms and busts before.

Higher productivity is the antidote to the middle income trap.

Since the 1980s, Latin America has underinvested in infrastructure – electricity, roads, bridges, ports, transport – and maintaining and operating these services. Currently, Latin America spends 2 to 3 percent of GDP on infrastructure, less than half the rate of investment in East Asia.

Public-private infrastructure partnerships not only offer a source of financing, but also better design, maintenance, and operations to deliver high-quality services on time.

Colombia has experimented with PPPs in urban water supply and sanitation. Mexico’s new Highway Concession Program has mobilized PPP projects of around $11 billion, expanding the country’s major toll roads network by some 25 percent.

Latin America has to anticipate its human capital needs. The region is aging rapidly: today, about 11 percent of Brazil’s working age-population are seniors; by 2050, it will be nearly half.

Latin America also needs to improve the results of its investments in education. By age 15, the learning achievement of the average Latin American student lags two years behind his or her developed country counterparts.

Latin America is recognizing that gender equality is smart economics. Today, women in Latin America outnumber men in schools and universities. Working age women represent roughly 40 percent of the entire labor force in the region.

To continue to grow, the region will need more competition and innovation in the service sector. Competitive services increase productivity. They supply the ‘software’ of integration: transport, where delays and losses can impose significant costs; information technology, because accurate data and effective communication is vital; financial services, to create a supportive business environment; and logistics systems, which are a driver of business competitiveness.

A New Agenda

What do these challenges mean for a new hemispheric partnership? What should have been the news coming out of Cartagena?

Let me offer five ideas.

First, the Western Hemisphere needs to revive an activist free trade and economic reform policy, globally and regionally. We need fresh approaches.

The United States will be cutting agricultural subsidies, especially given high prices, and eliminating protection for ethanol. Why not deploy these to prod others?

Service sector liberalization can boost productivity, open new businesses, create new jobs, and cut the “Latin cost” that many countries impose on their own businesses. Why not deploy this economic need to revive a mutual interest in negotiation?

A strong self-interest can drive this renewed call for liberalization. Latin American economies still need much investment and more robust capital markets – especially in local currencies – that can help Latin American entrepreneurs and family-owned businesses to expand.

Infrastructure investments require capital goods and services, as Panama’s 21st Century Canal project is demonstrating. Why not dismantle barriers to lower the cost of infrastructure expansion?

Better logistics make economies more competitive. The World Bank’s 2012 Logistics Performance Index estimated that Latin American logistics costs are between 16 and 26 percent of GDP – that’s two to four times the average in Europe or East Asia.

The World Bank has helped Colombia and Peru to implement a “single window” approach to customs clearance and border management. In Brazil and Peru, the Bank has worked with international freight forwarders to connect rural, remote villages and small businesses to export through national postal services; in the first six months, more than 300 small firms in Peru became exporters, most for the first time.

Even as the WTO works toward a Trade Facilitation agreement, the Americas could develop an accord that points the way.

Brazilian officials are focused on exchange rates. Yet to really boost growth the target should be productivity. Better infrastructure can help, and so can more efficient and effective public services. The World Bank Group has launched a deeper partnership with the Governors of the Northeastern states of Brazil to overcome these impediments. Over time, however, the United States and its free trade partners should be working with Brazil to rebuild the case for a hemispheric initiative to realize the benefits of trade liberalization and economic reforms.

It takes two to tango, and this agenda requires changes on the part of the United States, too. The United States is no longer leading the open trade agenda, as it relies increasingly on defensive measures. The United States has its own high costs of trade – antiquated ports and laws to protect special interests.

The United States should work with its current free trade partners in the Americas to deepen ties of development, reform, and investment.

The current architecture of US FTAs in the hemisphere offers a solid legal framework, but it needs to evolve into a home for an ongoing dialogue – across countries and with business, academic, civil society, and environmental communities – to see what else can be done to lower costs and barriers and create opportunities.

The United States and its partners could explore progressive integration across the FTAs, for example by expanding provisions to cumulate inputs among partners while qualifying for free trade.

The United States needs to make its hemispheric FTA network dynamic, linked to business and investment policies, and improved governance.

A new concept of an FTA network in the Americas could also support inclusive and sustainable development as the foundation for open societies and borders.

Second, innovation in the energy sector, led by the United States, could transform energy security for North America, the Hemisphere, and the world.

In 2008, imports supplied 70 percent of US oil demand. By 2020, PFC Energy estimates that imports could be down to 40 percent of US oil demand – or even 20 percent if Canadian oil is counted as part of the home market. If natural gas for Canada and the United States is added, U.S. net energy imports from the rest of the world could drop to five percent of U.S. demand. That’s an amazing game-changer in energy.

If Mexico opens PEMEX to real outside investment, the outlook is even brighter. With the discovery of the giant deep offshore PRESAL oil and gas fields, Brazil can play a major role in supplying oil and gas in the region.

Yet there is a need to connect these energy supplies – through infrastructure – with countries in Central America and the Caribbean that have suffered from high prices and limited access. Increased efficiency and alternative sources could help the energy poor, too. It’s long past time for a hemispheric energy policy – blending consideration of inclusive growth, the environment, and indigenous communities’ interests.

Third, this new Hemispheric partnership needs to break old patterns of diplomacy. There are now vibrant private sectors all across the hemisphere. The challenges of overcoming the middle income trap and structural reforms to boost productivity need private sector advice and solutions. All across the developing world, the World Bank is encountering a new pragmatism about involving the private sector in areas that used to be public monopolies: infrastructure; education; healthcare; skills training; delivery of public social services. Advanced economies such as the United States should be taking note, too.

Yet government-business dialogues can be stilted showcases. The Summit of the Americas – and perhaps the Dialogue – should review which approaches work better and why. With some guidance, businesses can better connect possibilities with policies. Governments can commit to responses, commitments, openness, and results.

Fourth, the new Hemispheric agenda should help all 35 countries overcome security threats to growth and opportunity.

The fragile governments of Central America are at risk of being overwhelmed by crime and violence linked to drug trafficking, organized crime, gangs, and firepower. Spain, which has roughly the same population as Central America, has about 400 murders per year; in 2010, Central America had over 18,000.

The region pays a heavy economic price for this insecurity – as much as 8 percent of GDP. The basic legitimacy of governments and institutions is fraying: About half of Central Americans say a military coup could be justified when crime levels are high.

Experiences from Medellin and Rio de Janeiro have shown that the best way to attack criminal insecurity is through an integrated approach: combining stepped-up policing, prevention, and community investments. Quick turnarounds are possible. Strong regional cooperation is indispensable.

The United States has an unfortunate pattern of ignoring dangers in Central America until they explode. This time U.S. diplomacy should work with Mexico, Colombia, and Panama to develop a coherent strategy – not band-aids. As in Colombia, the Central American private sector must also be part of the solution. And the United States should also take responsibility for the drug habits of its public that fuel demand for narcotics from the south.

Fragility in the Caribbean is another soft spot. But small economies can be competitive in many sectors. Accelerating integration in the Caribbean can share services, add to resilience, and boost economic prospects.

Latin America should also be looking toward a greater role in global security – through practical steps, not the old G-77 policies of the past. My friend and former colleague, Bernie Aronson has proposed, for example, that Brazil could lead by voluntarily ending its uranium enrichment program and then calling on other nations – including Iran – to follow its example. If Brazil wants to help shape the 21^st Century, leadership in preventing the spread of nuclear weapons – with an idea and action – would send a powerful signal.

Fifth, the debate over Cuba at Cartagena sounded like hollow echoes from another era. Look ahead, not back.

Chavez’s days are numbered. If his subsidies to Cuba and Nicaragua are cut, those regimes will be in trouble. The democrats of Latin America – left, center, and right – should be preparing. The calls for democracy – for an end to intimidating thugs, human rights, fair elections, and rule of law – should come from all its capitals.

There will soon be an opportunity to make the Western Hemisphere the first Democratic Hemisphere. Not a place of coups, caudillos, and cocaine -- but of democracy, development, and dignity.

This transformation will not be achieved by the Calvo doctrine. By divisive populists. By corruption. By acquiescence. By silence.

You know well that if Latins leave the work to Washington and Ottawa, the opponents of liberty and human rights will play the cards of gringoism and neo-imperialism. Trump them.

Conclusion

For the United States, a new partnership in the Western Hemisphere offers opportunities for renewal at home, too.

All the debates about macroeconomic issues – fiscal and monetary policies – as important as they are, risk inattention to microeconomic incentives, structural reforms in the United States.

Energy. Infrastructure. Education. Human capital. Competition. Environment. Innovation. The United States also needs to clear away old rigidities on these new fundamentals.

The United States also needs to draw on the energies, intelligence, and drive of all its citizens.

As my friend Luis Alberto Moreno of the Inter-American Development Bank has pointed out, the 50 million strong Hispanic community in the United States is a growing market, source of entrepreneurship, and resource for a Hemispheric economic strategy. At over $1 trillion, the purchasing power of Latinos in the United States is larger than the economies of every Latin American country except Brazil.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are between two and three million Hispanic-owned businesses in the United States. Many are small. But they create jobs, earn revenues, and pay taxes.

As Latin America grows, the Hispanic businesses in the United States offer an incredible asset. Hispanics in the United States could be in the vanguard of a new Western Hemispheric economy.

Small and medium-sized Hispanic-American businesses will need help to expand their entrepreneurialism – information about markets, financing, and risk management services. To be most effective, this assistance should be decentralized – perhaps drawing on local chambers of commerce in cities and states where most Hispanic businesses can be found. The Small Business Administration, OPIC, Ex-Im Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the World Bank could then deploy their resources to help.

The world economy is still struggling to recover from the worst blows since the 1930s. Europe is a danger zone. U.S. leadership remains vital to get through the storm, to reach a new world economy of multiple poles of growth.

This is why the news coming out of the Cartagena Summit was disappointing.

This is not a time for drift, for old North-South debates, for retreat behind borders, old mindsets, or out-dated dependencies.

This is a time for the New World to again inspire novel thinking – about development, growth, structural reforms, rule of law and human rights, democracy, and security.

This Dialogue should aim high: To have the Western Hemisphere shape this next era of globalization – so that future historians will title the next chapter, not “The Passing of the New World,” but “Globalization: Made in the Americas.”

Cities to Face Sharply Rising Costs for Garbage Treatment

2012-06-06T15:30:00.000Z

New report points to 70% global increase in urban solid waste

WASHINGTON, June 6, 2012 – A new, far-reaching report on the state of municipal solid waste around the world predicts a sharp rise in the amount of garbage generated by urban residents between now and 2025. The report estimates the amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) will rise from the current 1.3 billion tonnes/year to 2.2 billion tonnes/year, with much of the increase coming in rapidly growing cities in developing countries. The annual cost of solid waste management is projected to rise from the current $205 billion to $375 billion, with cost increasing most severely in low income countries.

The report, What a Waste: A Global Review of Solid Waste Management, for the first time offers consolidated data on MSW generation, collection, composition, and disposal by country and by region. In itself, this is an accomplishment because, as the report states, reliable global MSW information is either not available or incomplete, inconsistent, and incomparable. Nevertheless, the authors of the report point to a looming crisis in MSW treatment as living standards rise and urban populations grow.

“Improving solid waste management, especially in the rapidly growing cities of low income countries, is becoming a more and more urgent issue,” said Rachel Kyte, Vice President, Sustainable Development at the World Bank. “The findings of this report are sobering, but they also offer hope that once the extent of this issue is recognized, local and national leaders, as well as the international community, will mobilize to put in place programs to reduce, reuse, recycle, or recover as much waste as possible before burning it (and recovering the energy) or otherwise disposing of it. Measuring the extent of the problem is a critical first step to resolving it.”

The report notes that municipal solid waste management is the most important service a city provides. In low-income countries, MSW is often the largest single budget item for cities, and one of the largest employers. A city that cannot effectively manage its waste is rarely able to manage more complex services such as health, education, or transportation. Improving MSW is one of the most effective ways of strengthening overall municipal management.

The report shows that the amount of municipal solid waste is growing fastest in China (which surpassed the US as the world’s largest waste generator in 2004), other parts of East Asia, and part of Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Growth rates for MSW in these areas are similar to their rates for urbanization and increases in GDP. There is a direct correlation between the per capita level of income in cities and the amount of waste per capita that is generated. In general, as a country urbanizes and populations become wealthier, the consumption of inorganic materials (e.g. plastics, paper, glass, aluminum) increases, while the relative organic fraction decreases.

“What we’re finding in these figures is not that surprising,” said Dan Hoornweg, Lead Urban Specialist in the Finance, Economics, and Urban Development Department of the World Bank and eco-author of the report, “What is surprising, however, is that when you add the figures up we’re looking at a relatively silent problem that is growing daily. The challenges surrounding municipal solid waste are going to be enormous, on a scale of, if not greater than, the challenges we are currently experiencing with climate change. This report should be seen as a giant wake-up call to policy makers everywhere.”

The authors of the report say an integrated solid waste management plan is needed in cities to approach solid waste in a comprehensive manner. Key to such a plan is consultation and input from all stakeholders, including citizen groups and those working on behalf of the poor and the disadvantaged. Public health and environmental protection aspects of any such plan are also critical.

The report also spells out policy recommendations for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, many of which emanate from inefficient solid waste management practices. Post-consumer waste is estimated to account for almost 5% of total global GHG, while methane from landfills represents 12% of total global methane emissions. The report says that a number of practical approaches could be applied in most cities, including:

· Public education to inform people about their options to reduce waste generation and increase recycling and composting;

· Pricing mechanisms (such as product charges) to stimulate consumer behaviour to reduce waste generation and increase recycling;

· User charges tied to the quantity of waste disposed of, with (for example) consumers separating recyclables paying a lower fee for waste disposal; and/or

· Preferential procurement policies and pricing to stimulate demand for products made with recycled post-consumer waste.

For a link to the report, click here: http://go.worldbank.org/BCQEP0TMO0

Contacts:

In Washington: Roger Morier, +1 202 473 5675, rmorier@worldbank.org

For Broadcast Requests: Natalia Cieslik, +1 202 458 9369, ncieslik@worldbank.org

World Bank Group Unveils New Focus on ‘Green, Clean, Resilient’ Development

2012-06-05T04:00:00.000Z

WASHINGTON, June 5, 2012 -- The World Bank Group today released its ambitious, new Environment Strategy for 2012-2022 aimed at supporting countries to pursue sustainable development pathways that are green, inclusive, efficient, and affordable. The new Strategy responds to calls from governments and the private sector for new approaches to development in light of unprecedented environmental challenges and lays out a vision for “a green, clean and resilient world for all”.

“We’re seeing that working through the nexus of food crises, water insecurity, and energy needs is being made all the more complicated by environmental degradation and climate change,” said World Bank Vice President for Sustainable Development Rachel Kyte. “Countries and communities and the ecosystems they depend on need to build resilience while moving to more efficient growth paths. This Strategy lays out the areas where we will put emphasis as we work to respond to countries’ needs.”

As countries seek to reduce poverty in the face of climate change and other major environmental challenges, the Bank Group is providing knowledge, solutions and financing to foster an environment that is:

· Green where natural resources are sustainably managed and conserved to improve livelihoods and ensure food security;

· Clean in which cleaner air, water and oceans enable people to lead healthy, productive lives and where development strategies emphasize low-emission, climate-smart transport, energy, agriculture and urban development;

· Resilient in which countries are better prepared for shocks and less vulnerable to natural disasters, volatile weather patterns and other impacts of climate change.

World Bank commitments addressing environment and natural resource management have grown from $1.5 billion or 8.4 percent of World Bank lending in FY01 to $6.3 billion or 14.3 percent in FY11.

“The Strategy acknowledges the vital role of the private sector in achieving sustainable and inclusive economic growth and development,” said International Finance Corporation (IFC) Vice President for Business Advisory Services Nena Stoiljkovic. “IFC works with the private sector as an advisor, financier, and standard setter to help unlock this potential.”

The IFC invested $1.7 billion in climate-friendly projects in FY11, up 6 percent from $1.6 billion in FY10.

Under the “green” agenda, a key priority is the Wealth Accounting and Valuation of Ecosystem Services (WAVES) global partnership which supports countries’ efforts to factor natural capital into national accounting systems and through the Global Partnership for Oceans, the focus is on restoring the world’s oceans to health and optimizing their contribution to economic growth and food security. The “clean” agenda prioritizes pollution management through river clean-up and legacy pollution projects while also encouraging low-emission development strategies and financing for renewable energy, climate-smart agriculture, and lower-carbon cities.

The “resilience” agenda, targets support to countries to adapt to climate change, improve disaster risk management, with a focus on vulnerable Small Island Developing States to reduce dependence on oil imports, build sound infrastructure, and restore protective coastal ecosystems such as mangroves.

The Strategy includes action plans for the specific environmental challenges in each developing region of the world.

· In Africa, work will focus on strengthening governance for natural resource management given growing pressure on the region’s agriculture, mining, forests, and water basins. In partnership with other agencies, the private sector, and civil society, the Bank Group is seeking to expand access to clean energy across the region.

· In East Asia and the Pacific the Bank Group is supporting renewable energy and energy efficiency, sustainable urban development and transport, as well as prioritizing the phase-out of numerous industrial pollutants; advising on carbon markets and adaptation in agriculture and coastal infrastructure; scaling up forest management; and strengthening regional partnerships to preserve biodiversity.

· In Europe and Central Asia where many countries are faced with energy shortages and a legacy of industrial pollution, the Bank Group is promoting clean energy and production while supporting programs to dispose of pollutant stockpiles, rehabilitate watersheds and improve disaster preparedness.

· In Latin America and the Caribbean where pressure continues on coastlines, wetlands, and the world’s largest forest cover, the Bank Group is supporting the management of protected areas, the integration of biodiversity conservation into productive landscapes and in some countries, the use of payments for environmental services. It is also providing the world’s most urbanized region with policy advice on cleaner development paths, supporting industrial pollution abatement, and promoting “green cities”.

· In Middle East and North Africa where high population density, water scarcity, and overfishing tend primarily to affect the poor, the Bank Group is supporting programs to strengthen the capacity of countries with shared seas—the Mediterranean, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Gulf—to reduce marine pollution and manage fisheries. Other focus areas include desert ecosystems and livelihoods; improved urban and industrial planning; scaled-up solar power generation; and efforts to reduce vulnerability to drought.

· In South Asia where the poorest live in areas of high soil erosion, variable rainfall, and degraded forests, the Bank Group is helping to strengthen the role of natural resource management in the development agenda, strengthen environmental management in industry and reduce the costs to countries of environmental degradation.

Meeting the challenges of a green, clean, and resilient world requires leveraging the comparative advantage of all development partners. The new Strategy recognizes the growing role of the private sector in addressing sustainability concerns, developing sustainability standards, and ensuring that global markets can and do promote sustainable development.

The Strategy also encompasses the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) - the arm of the World Bank Group that promotes responsible foreign direct investment into developing countries by offering political risk insurance to the private sector.

"MIGA is pleased to have contributed to this strategy and to advance the notion that the private sector is absolutely crucial to affect change with respect to environmental issues," said Michel Wormser, MIGA's Vice President and COO.

To measure and monitor progress the Environment Strategy includes a results framework to track progress over time. The new Strategy also advances work to assess greenhouse gas emissions from the Bank Group’s portfolio of development projects with pilots being undertaken in a number of World Bank energy, transport and forestry sector projects.

Contacts:
In Washington: Elisabeth Mealey, +1 202-458-4475, emealey@worldbank.org

Vanessa Bauza, +1 202-458-1603, vbauza@ifc.org
Mallory Saleson +1 202-473-0844 msaleson@worldbank.org

For Broadcast Requests: Natalia Cieslik, +1 202-458-9369, ncieslik@worldbank.org

To read the World Bank Group Environment Strategy 2012-2022, click here.

For more information on Sustainable Development at the World Bank click here.

For more information on the IFC Sustainability: www.ifc.org/sustainability

For more information on MIGA: www.miga.org

The project Sustainable Management of Mineral Resources has changed to Closed

2012-06-01T04:00:00.000Z

The project Sustainable Management of Mineral Resources has changed to Closed. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The development objective of the Sustainable Management of Mineral Resources Project for Nigeria is to assist the borrower in the implementation of a strategy designed to: (i) improve governance and technical capacity in the solid minerals sector to enable the sustainable management of mineral resources; and (ii) establish a basis for poverty reduction and rural economic renewal in selected areas of the territory of the borrower via the development of non-farm income-generating opportunities through artisanal and small-scale mining via diversification away from oil sources of income. The International Development Association (IDA) credit in the amount of SDR 80.1 million (US$120 million equivalent) was approved by the Board on December 14, 2004, and became effective on April 25, 2005. Current closing date (after an extension granted on November 24, 2009) is May 30, 2012. The original project is expected to be fully disbursed by its current closing date. The project has been consistently rated satisfactory. The project is an important element of the Government of Nigeria's strategy to diversify its economy away from petroleum. The project has generated substantial results, including establishment of a regulatory framework and an institutional structure for a sector which was, in the beginning of the project, generally informal and unregulated. Some of the important achievements to-date include: (i) airborne geophysical surveys of the entire country have been completed; (ii) the modern transparent mining cadastre system is now in place and operational; (iii) modern mining law and regulations are now in place, fiscal regime for mining is updated and competitive; (iv) to train the next generation of Nigerian leaders for the mining sector, the project supported re-opening and upgrading of the Nigerian Institute for Mining and Geosciences (NIMG) as well as rolling out accounting and finance courses for mining sector personnel across colleges and universities in Nigeria; (v) the small grants program for artisanal and community based miners has supported almost 300 projects and had improved the productivity, safety and working conditions, and livelihoods of the beneficiaries; (vi) the project assisted in development of new mineral product lines including gemstones and dimension stone. Significant progress has been made to put Nigeria on the map in respect of the former and to develop local commercial and residential construction markets for the latter.

The project Second Health Systems Development has changed to Closed

2012-05-31T04:00:00.000Z

The project Second Health Systems Development has changed to Closed. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

This project paper provides additional financing to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Second Health Systems Development Project (HSDP II). The Bank has been supporting the thirty-six states of the Nigerian Federation through the HSDP II in improving the maternal and child health (MCH) status in Nigeria, which is amongst the poorest in Sub Saharan Africa. The additional credit will help finance the costs that accrued after the project was restructured in 2005 and implementation was accelerated and effectively scaled up. Of the total proposed supplement is allocated to 22 States and the Federal Ministry of Health, that were selected based on their performance to date, and will support the completion of original project activities that had already been approved in work plans for the improved delivery of primary health care services. The 22 states expected to participate in the first instance are: Akwa Ibom, Abia, Anambra, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kogi, Kano, Kwara, Nasarawa, Ondo, Osun, Plateau, Sokoto Taraba and the FCT. The additional credit will specifically support four sets of activities within the broader context of strengthening primary health care services, namely: (a) rehabilitation and refurbishment of schools of health technology and schools of nursing and midwifery, with the twin objectives of augmenting the numbers of qualified health care personnel and of having these schools secure relevant accreditation; (b) support services, including the refurbishment and equipping of primary health facilities at the community level, training of health service workers, procurement of drugs and other medical supplies; (c) immunization activities, such as the procurement and repair of the cold chain equipment and training of vaccinators; and (d) strengthening of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems and processes at both the State and Federal levels.

World Bank Increases Transparency through Inaugural Publication of Sanctions Board Decisions

2012-05-30T13:30:00.000Z

Milestone in anti-corruption agenda unmatched by any other IFI

WASHINGTON, May 30, 2012 - Marking another advance in openness and accountability in its anti-corruption work, the World Bank Group today published for the first time a set of decisions issued by the World Bank Group’s Sanctions Board in cases of alleged fraud and corruption.

"The World Bank Group takes a hard line against corruption, and we believe that greater transparency must be part of that effort,” said World Bank Managing Director Sri Mulyani Indrawati. “By publishing Sanctions Board decisions, we are making all parties involved in the sanctions process more accountable. This move should deepen the deterrent effect of debarments and enhance the educational value of the Sanctions Board’s findings."

The first published decisions were announced at a panel discussion hosted by the World Bank Group Sanctions Board Secretariat to take stock of recent developments and consider ongoing challenges for the Bank Group’s sanctions system. At the discussion, the Bank Group also announced the appointment of two new Sanctions Board members: Mr. Yves Fortier, an international arbitrator and former Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations, who will serve as Chair of the Sanctions Board; and Ms. Catherine O’Regan, President of the International Monetary Fund Administrative Tribunal and former Judge of the South African Constitutional Court.

The Sanctions Board, an independent administrative tribunal with a majority of external members, serves as final decision-maker in all contested sanctions cases. Decisions are taken based on an adversarial process that includes written arguments and evidence and, where requested, an administrative hearing. More than 530 firms and individuals have been sanctioned by the World Bank Group for fraud, corruption and collusion since the sanctions system was established in 1999. Most of these sanctions have been in the form of debarments, where firms or individuals are rendered ineligible to participate in Bank Group-financed operations.

From December 2011, the Sanctions Board Law Digest has made publicly available summaries of past cases and the legal principles applied over time. The publication of full Sanctions Board decisions goes a step further and creates an unprecedented level of transparency by presenting the Sanctions Board’s detailed review of each new appeal to determine whether misconduct occurred and if so, what sanctions should apply.

"Publication of our decisions furthers the Sanctions Board's goal to fight fraud and corruption through the rule of law," said Fathi Kemicha, the first external Chair of the Sanctions Board. "Parties that come before the Sanctions Board, as well as our partners in the international community, will now have a more robust understanding of our process, case law, and careful examination of each case."

The decisions published today can be accessed on the World Bank’s external website, and explain the rationale for sanctions imposed in eight cases recently considered by the Sanctions Board:

· Sanctions Board Decision No. 46 (Sanctions Case No. 151): Income Electrix Limited debarred for six months for fraud.

· Sanctions Board Decision No. 47 (Sanctions Case No. 121): M/s. Concept Pharmaceuticals Limited debarred for fraud, with conditional release after three years.

· Sanctions Board Decision No. 48 (Sanctions Case No. 118): Zhonghao Overseas Construction Eng. Co., Ltd. debarred for two years for fraud, with conditional early release after one year.

· Sanctions Board Decision No. 49 (Sanctions Case No. 130): De Lorenzo of America, Corp., S.A. de C.V., and its affiliate Marketing Enterprises Latin America, LLC., each debarred for fraud, with conditional release after two years.

· Sanctions Board Decision No. 50 (Sanctions Case No. 117): ASDECON Corporation Company Limited debarred for corrupt practices, with conditional release after five years.

· Sanctions Board Decision No. 51 (Sanctions Case No. 145 and Sanctions Case No. 146):

- Sanctions Case No. 145: General Consulting Training (GCT) and Mr. Ali Safi each debarred for one year for fraud.

- Sanctions Case No. 146: TEAM Engineering & Management Consultants (TEAM) debarred for fraud, with conditional release after two years.

· Sanctions Board Decision No. 52 (Sanctions Case No. 134): Contransimex Nigeria Limited debarred for fraud, with conditional release after two years.

All sanctions are reflected on the World Bank Listing of Ineligible Firms & Individuals (www.worldbank.org/debarr).

For more information, please visit: www.worldbank.org/sanctions

Contacts:

In Washington: David Theis, (202) 458-8626, dtheis@worldbank.org;

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

New Initiatives Give Hope to a Carbon Market Facing Challenges

2012-05-30T12:30:00.000Z

World Bank releases State and Trends of the Carbon Market report 2012

COLOGNE, GERMANY, May 30, 2012 – The total value of the carbon market grew by 11 percent in 2011, to $176 billion, and transaction volumes reached a new high of 10.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) according to a new report from the World Bank.

According to State and Trends of the Carbon Market 2012 this growth took place in the face of economic turbulence, growing long-term oversupply in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) and plummeting carbon prices.

The report, released here at the Carbon Expo in Cologne, describes how even as prices declined, the value of the global carbon market increased in 2011, driven predominantly by a robust growth in financially motivated transactions. By far, the largest segment of the carbon market was that of EU Allowances (EUAs), valued at $148 billion. There was also a substantial increase in the volume of secondary Kyoto offsets (which grew by 43 percent, to 1.8 billion tons of CO₂e, valued at US$23 billion) fueled by increased liquidity in the Certified Emission Reduction (CER) market and in the nascent secondary Emission Reduction Unit (ERU) market. Following the same pattern observed in previous years, the global carbon market in 2011 was primarily driven by the EU ETS.

With the end of the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol in 2012, the value of the pre-2013 primary CER, ERU and AAU markets declined once again in 2011. Not surprisingly, however, the market is starting to look beyond 2012 and consequently the post-2012 primary CDM market increased by a robust 63 percent, to US$2 billion, despite depressed prices and limited long-term-visibility. Although China remained the largest source of contracted CERs, African countries – largely bypassed in the pre-2013 market – emerged stronger in 2011 and accounted for 21 percent of post-2012 CERs contracted during the year.

Against this backdrop, several new domestic and regional carbon market initiatives gained traction in both developed and developing economies in 2011. Five new jurisdictions passed legislation adopting cap-and-trade schemes.

“It is heartening to see that, while leading economies continue to experience difficulties and the carbon market faces major challenges, we see increasing interest in, and support for, new market-based mechanisms to mitigate climate change in the long term,” said Joëlle Chassard, Manager of the Carbon Finance Unit of the World Bank.

The Australian Parliament passed the Clean Energy Act, the California Air Resources Board adopted a cap-and-trade regulation, and Québec adopted its own cap-and-trade program. The province is now working toward linking it with California’s starting in 2013. Last month, both Mexico and the Republic of Korea passed comprehensive climate bills, laying the foundation for future market-based mechanisms.

“Together, these initiatives will drive substantial resources towards low-carbon investments and they have the potential to unleash a truly transformational carbon market, in support of a global solution to the climate challenge,” said Alexandre Kossoy, Senior Financial Specialist, World Bank Carbon Finance Unit.

Contacts:

In Cologne: Isabel Hagbrink, +1 202 458 0422, ihagbrink@worldbank.org

In Washington DC: Elisabeth Mealey, +1 202 458 4475, emealey@worldbank.org

For an electronic version of the report and more information on the Carbon Finance Unit and its carbon funds, please see: www.carbonfinance.org

World Bank Welcomes African Leadership on Natural Capital Accounting

2012-05-25T14:17:29.000Z

Announces $3m in support from Japan to help countries around the world put it into action

GABORONE, BOTSWANA, May 25, 2012 – The World Bank’s Vice President for Sustainable Development, Rachel Kyte, today welcomed the strong endorsement from ten African countries for natural capital accounting - a tool for factoring countries’ natural assets into their systems of national accounting.

Speaking at the conclusion of the African Sustainability Summit in Botswana, Kyte said African leaders had shown the way forward through a joint communiqué on natural capital accounting which recognized GDP’s limitations as a measure of well-being and sustainable growth and underscored the importance of a tool for taking natural capital into account for improved economic decision-making.

“Africa is where sustained and sustainable economic growth and the stewardship of natural wealth become one and the same thing,” Kyte said. “Making progress means more than just a strong GDP - it means giving equal attention to the economic, environmental and social pillars of sustainable development. By endorsing natural capital accounting as a tool for delivering on more inclusive green growth, Africa is showing the way for the rest of the world.”

Kyte said that 24 countries around the world were already compiling natural capital accounts. With so much on-the-ground experience to draw upon, she said the World Bank was hoping to see at least 50 countries and 50 private corporations follow Africa’s lead by endorsing natural capital accounting at the upcoming Rio+20 Conference.

The World Bank is supporting countries to factor their natural capital into systems of national accounts through a global partnership called WAVES (Wealth Accounting and the Valuation of Ecosystem Services). Ms Kyte took the opportunity of the Botswana Summit to announce the Government of Japan’s financial commitment of $US3 million to support the WAVES Partnership.

“Japan’s generous commitment helps us step up to meet the increasing demand from countries to make natural capital accounting a reality,” Kyte said.

Japan’s Deputy Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs and Executive Assistant to the Prime Minister for Global Environmental Finance, Naoko Ishii said “Japan has long been a supporter to enhancing biodiversity and preserving ecosystems, and is excited to strengthen this initiative.”

WAVES is working to build capacity in countries to implement Natural Capital Accounting based on the UN’s recently endorsed System for Environmental and Economic Accounts (SEEA). The SEEA provides an internationally agreed method, on par with the current System of National Accounts, to account for material natural resources like minerals, timber, and fisheries.

WAVES is also working to develop an agreed methodology for accounting for ecosystem services, including for example, the `regulating’ services of forests for pollination and wetlands for reducing the impacts of floods.

The WAVES partnership includes the United Nations Environment Program, the UN Development Program, and the UN Statistical Commission; the countries of Botswana, Colombia, Costa Rica, Madagascar, and the Philippines, which are implementing programs; as well as financial or technical support from Australia, Canada, France, Japan, Norway, the United Kingdom, and several NGOS.

For a copy of the latest WAVES report “Moving Beyond GDP” go to:

http://www.wavespartnership.org/waves/

Contacts:

In Washington: Robert Bisset, +1 202 458 5191, rbisset@worldbank.org

For Broadcast Requests: Natalia Cieslik, +1 202 458 9369, ncieslik@worldbank.org

For more information about WAVES and the World Bank’s work on sustainable development visit:

http://www.worldbank.org/sustainabledevelopment

For more information about the Summit For Sustainability in Africa, please visit here.

World Bank Database Shows Export Markets Are Dominated by Big Firms

2012-05-24T13:46:46.000Z

Difficult for Newcomers to Survive

WASHINGTON, May 24, 2012 – A few large companies dominate export markets in developing and developed countries, with the top one percent often accounting for more than half – sometimes nearly 80 percent – of total exports, according to a new World Bank database with a wealth of details on exporting firms.

The new Exporter Dynamics Database offers the most comprehensive picture yet of exporter characteristics and dynamics – a firm’s entry, exit and survival in the export market – in 45 developed and developing countries. The database mainly covers 2003-2009, though data from the 1990s are also available for some countries.

A key finding is that the export market is difficult to tackle for newcomers, with 57 percent of companies on average – and two-thirds in Africa – quitting within a year of entering the export market.

“Governments traditionally have focused on helping exporters expand to new products and new markets, but they may need to do more to help firms survive,” says Ana Margarida Fernandes, the task leader of the database, which was developed by the Trade and International Integration team of the World Bank’s Development Research Group.

The global database allows for cross-country comparisons of exporters based on factors such as size, survival, growth, and concentration. More countries will be added as the database expands. Until now, most databases focus not on exporting firms, but on the aggregate flow of goods across borders based on countries or products.

Based on data sets covering the universe of export transactions obtained directly from customs agencies, the data are comparable across countries. Measures cover the size distribution of exporting firms, their diversification in terms of products and markets, the dynamics of exporting firms’ entry, exit and survival, and the average unit prices of the goods traded.

The Exporter Dynamics Database could help policy makers identify opportunities in particular sectors and address challenges faced by their exporters, especially in their entry and survival in export markets. For example, it can be used to analyze the performance of export sectors in a country, comparing them with their counterparts in the region or richer countries. The database can also make it easier to analyze the impact of tariffs and other trade barriers. For example, it can be used to assess the impact of stringent non-tariff measures on the numbers and average size of exporters.

The database reveals several interesting trends. For example, the rate of firms entering the export market is high, with more than half of the exporters in Laos, Malawi, Tanzania, and Yemen being newcomers in any given year. But their survival rate isn’t that good, generally with more than a third of companies on average leaving the export market every year.

“Our database shows how large the degree of churning in export markets is, particularly in less developed and smaller economies,” says Martha Denisse Pierola, an economist at the Development Research Group who started the project with Caroline Freund, now the chief economist at the Middle East and North Africa Region of the World Bank. “We need further research to better assist governments in minimizing the costs associated with these high exit rates.”

Contacts:

In Washington: Jane Zhang, (202) 473-1376, janezhang@worldbank.org

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

For more information, please visit: http://econ.worldbank.org/exporter-dynamics-database

For more information click here.

New Program to Spread Agricultural Technologies across West Africa

2012-05-22T20:00:00.000Z

WASHINGTON, May 22, 2012 – The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved US$120 million financing for the second phase of the West African Agricultural Productivity Program that will improve food production by spreading new agricultural technologies in Ghana and Senegal.

The program will finance technology exchange programs, align national priorities with regional ones to increase regional cooperation in food technology generation, and support a greater push for technology adoption and dissemination.

“The Bank’s support takes a resolved approach to making agriculture more productive and sustainable in West Africa,” said Jamal Saghir, World Bank Director for Sustainable Development in the Africa Region. “It will contribute to increasing growth in the economy, improve food security and reduce poverty.”

With population expected to increase from 300 million in 2011 to about 500 million in 2030, West Africa is faced with the challenge of satisfying rapidly growing food demand. The recent food, fuel and financial crisis have demonstrated the need in West Africa to fully utilize the sub-region’s agricultural potential.

It is possible to increase production of key commodities that represent the basis of the West African food security system. Adopting new and improved crop management practices can increase cereal crops by 30 percent; irrigated rice systems could benefit from yield increase by nearly 50 percent; and cassava yield can be raised more than 40 percent.

Regional production covers 80 percent of the population’s food needs in ECOWAS, about 20 percent of its imports being food products. West Africa is severely affected by the current rise in global food, financial and fuel prices. Intra-regional agricultural trade remains limited and its share of the total world agricultural trade is marginal. Climate change, increasing population, and poor conditions of natural resources reveal an urgent need for improved agricultural production.

“The program will help Senegal and Ghana boost agricultural production to cope with the increasing demand for food in the region,” said Abdoulaye Toure, Task team leader for the project. “We are pleased to work in partnership with ECOWAS to boost dominant sectors, such as agriculture, to their potential so that the people of these countries can become self-sufficient and secure in food production.”

* The World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), established in 1960, helps the world’s poorest countries by providing loans (called “credits”) and grants for projects and programs that boost economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve poor people’s lives. IDA is one of the largest sources of assistance for the world’s 81 poorest countries, 39 of which are in Africa. Resources from IDA bring positive change for 2.5 billion people living on less than $2 a day. Since its inception, IDA has supported activities in 108 countries. Annual commitments have increased steadily and averaged about $15 billion over the last three years, with about 50 percent of commitments going to Africa.

Contacts:

In Washington: Sarwat Hussain, (202) 473-4967, shussain@worldbank.org;

Aby K. Toure, (202) 473-8302, akonate@worldbank.org;

In Accra: Kafu Kofi Tsikata, 233 302214100, ktsikata@worldbank.org;

In Dakar: Mademba Ndiaye, 221-33 859 4140, mademba@worldbank.org

Visit us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/worldbankafrica

Be updated via Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/worldbankafrica

For our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/worldbank

For more information, please visit the Projects website.

World Bank Group Finds over 80 percent of Investment Promotion Agencies’ Efforts Falling Short

2012-05-20T23:00:00.000Z

WASHINGTON, May 20, 2012 - Even as countries compete to attract investments, 80 percent of national investment promotion agencies are failing to respond to investor inquiries in the key sectors of agribusiness and tourism, according to the World Bank Group’s Global Investment Promotion Best Practices 2012 report.

The report assessing 189 economies’ responsiveness to investors finds that investment promotion agencies are less responsive to direct investor inquiries than they were three years ago. In the areas of inquiry-handling and website performance over the past two years, two regions showed improvement—the Middle East and North Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

"In difficult times, governments may be tempted to cut funding for investment promotion. However, this can cost them opportunities to secure investments and jobs,” said Pierre Guislain, Director of the Bank Group's Investment Climate Department. “Skilled investment promotion agencies can give economies a competitive advantage by helping investors choose a suitable location and set up operations that create jobs and promote growth.”

The report shows that limited resources need not be an obstacle to effectiveness. For example, Cyprus Investment Promotion Agency, one of the world’s top-performing agencies, has only 10 staff members spread across a range of functions. It also finds investment promotion websites to be a bright spot, with 62 percent of agencies implementing best practices.

Nicaragua’s investment promotion agency PRONicaragua emerged as the world’s top investment facilitator, becoming the first developing country to do so. PRONicaragua achieved best-practice standards in website performance and response to investor inquiries.

"We believe that the level of service an Investment Promotion Agency offers influences an investor’s first impression of a country’s investment climate, as it demonstrates that Government’s attitude and commitment towards investors. It is with that vision, through commitment to offering high quality service and insuring that each and every investor get the information they need, we try to build a strong sense of comfort about doing business in our country and promote economic development." said Javier Chamorro, CEO of PRONicaragua.

The report was produced by the Investment Climate Department of the World Bank Group (which includes IFC, MIGA, and the World Bank) and sponsored by ProInvest, a European Commission partnership program for the countries of Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific, and by the government of Spain.

For more information about the report, please visit www.globalinvestmentpromotion.org

Contact:

In Washington, D.C.: Shaela Rahman, +1-202-458-0283, Srahman@ifc.org

The project Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project is now in the pipeline.

2012-05-09T04:00:00.000Z

The project Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project NG-Polio Eradication Support (FY13) is now in the pipeline.

2012-04-27T04:00:00.000Z

The project NG-Polio Eradication Support (FY13) is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project Nigeria Edo State First Development Policy Operation is now in the pipeline.

2012-02-23T05:00:00.000Z

The project Nigeria Edo State First Development Policy Operation is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The objective of the First Edo State Growth and Employment Support Credit Project for Nigeria is to support Edo state's critical reforms for improving the management of public resources and creating a better environment for growth and employment creation in a socially-accountable way. The extension is necessary to provide the Edo State Government with adequate time to utilize the credit as the approval of Nigeria's 2012-2015 external borrowing plan by the National Assembly was delayed and only came through as part of the 2013-2015 External Borrowing Plan in December, 2012. This has resulted in a delay of the signing of the credit agreements and declaration of credit effectiveness. The Edo State Government is fully committed to the objectives of the Development Policy Operation (DPO). This will be the first extension of the project.

The project Nigeria Electricity and Gas Improvement Project (add. financing) is now in the pipeline.

2012-02-15T05:00:00.000Z

The project Nigeria Electricity and Gas Improvement Project (add. financing) is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The project Nigeria Electricity and Gas Improvement Project Additional Financing is now in the pipeline.

2012-02-15T05:00:00.000Z

The project Nigeria Electricity and Gas Improvement Project Additional Financing is now in the pipeline. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database