Brazil | World Bank

Brazil - Road Transport Project : procurement plan

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Brazil - Second National Environmental Project (Second Phase)

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Brazil - Additional Financing for the Bahia State Integrated Rural Poverty Project

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Brazil - Second Bolsa Familia APL Project

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Brazil - Second Bolsa Familia Adaptable Program Loan Project

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Executive summary

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT

The overall aim of the Mananciais Project is to contribute to the protection of the headwaters that supply potable water to the São Paulo Metropolitan Region (SPMR)-an area that is extremely short of water resources-by ensuring that the operational control of the headwaters is maintained. It is planned to achieve this by (i) disciplining the present and foreseeable human occupation of the headwaters areas ('territorial ordering/planning') and (ii) improving the quality of life of the population living in the headwaters area, especially through the provision of water supply, sewerage and related urban-environmental infrastructure, and improved housing and public spaces. This environmental assessment describes the positive and negative impacts of the Project interventions and the mitigating measures identified in the form of a series of annexes. Some of the negative aspects associated with the project include noise and atmospheric pollution, silting up of streams, soil degradation, garbage accumulation, and interference with aquatic fauna.

Brazil - Global Environment Facility (GEF) Rio Grande do Sul Biodiversity Project

Wed, 20 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Brazil - AIDS-SUS (National AIDS Program - National Health Service) Project

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Brazil - Rio Grande do Sul Integrated Municipal Development Program Project

Wed, 13 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Brazil - Rio Grande Do Sul Integrated Municipal Development Program Project

Fri, 08 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Brazil - Second Water Sector Modernization Project

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Ratings for the Second Water Sector Modernization Project (PMSS-II) for Brazil were as follows: outcomes were satisfactory, the risk to development outcome was negligible to low, the Bank performance was satisfactory, and the Borrower performance was also satisfactory. Some lessons learned included: the project has worked well at the three levels of government, the federal, state and municipal, and has introduced systems that require their coordination, like National Water and Sanitation System (SNIS). This was a challenge (and is for many of the Bank projects in Brazil) but the project has performed remarkably well in this intergovernmental regards. The projects emphasis on outreach and dissemination efforts partially account for this achievement. The PMSS could have developed clear eligibility and prioritization criteria for its areas of action, as well as for their identification and ranking, in order to target its support to those beneficiary utilities through which greater impacts could be achieved. PMSS could have reached more sub-national entities by leveraging its resources by working with training institutes, expanding its pool of consulting firms and ensuring that the specific hands-on experience was fully replicated. PMSS could have focused more on positively influencing the budget, credit, and financing priorities and mechanisms of the Government of Brazil (GoB) so as to direct spending on sectoral issues that have proven benefits and impacts.

Brazil State of the Cities Report Proposal Approved by Cities Alliance

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 17:30:00 GMT

Contacts:

In Washington DC: Chii Akporji – (202) 473 1935 or email cakporji@citiesalliance.org

In São Paulo: Giorgio Romano Schutte – 55 11 3474 9401 or email gschutte@citiesalliance.org

Washington, April 29, 2009 - The Cities Alliance has approved a proposal to co-finance a Brazil State of the Cities Report which will provide an analysis of the living conditions of a sample of 400 Brazilian municipalities out of total of more than 5500.

Brazil has urbanized rapidly over the past few decades. According to a 2000 census, over 80 percent of the population lives in urban areas. However, much of this urbanization has been unequal; population has grown around state capitals and neighboring municipalities of larger metropolitan areas, while other regions have experienced negative growth rates. The result has been pockets of poverty with increased social exclusion and environmental hazards.

A State of the Cities report will provide the opportunity to analyze the country’s socially diverse urban areas and identify issues for public debate that can be used to reinforce the national urban agenda and policy strategies set by local authorities. “In Brazil we are faced with several challenges concerning municipal development, together with other key actors,” said Paulo Ziulkoski, President of the National Confederation of Municipalities (CNM). “This project with the Cities Alliance responds to this demand. At the same time, the outcome can be shared with other countries, reinforcing the importance of the decentralization process all around the world.”

After formalizing the approval, Cities Alliance Manager William Cobbett noted that “This has the potential to be an internationally significant report, given the pioneering role of Brazilian cities, and their role in promoting social justice and economic growth”.

The project will be implemented in three phases over an 18-month period. Each phase will last six months. The first phase will identify the sampling criteria for the selected municipalities. During the second phase, a team of technicians and consultants will evaluate the cities. The final phase will focus on writing and disseminating the report.

Four key elements of the living conditions of municipalities will be analyzed in the report:

Local economic development and the distribution of wealth
The provision of infrastructure and public services
The funding of city development
Public management policies

At the conclusion of the report, it is expected that the following organizations will receive the outcomes listed below:

· Mayors’ offices and local governments of the selected municipalities: Technical input needed to support their demands in the National Congress, the Federal Government and other regional and State associations.

· Federal Government: The inputs necessary to improve existing urban policies and to help formulate a National Urban Development Policy.

· NGOs and research/professional institutes: Inputs required for the drafting of action programmes and for follow-up research agendas.

The State of the Cities Report proposal was submitted by three Brazilian municipal organizations: the Brazilian Association of Municipalities (ABM), the National Confederation of Municipalities, and the National Mayor’s Front (FNP). It was jointly sponsored by Caixa, the Brazilian Ministry of Cities and the World Bank. It also received the support of IADB, an active player in the urban sector in Brazil.

Other urban research and support institutions will be invited to join the initiative. The project execution will be coordinated by the Polis Institute, based in São Paulo.

About Cities Alliance:

Cities Alliance is a global partnership of cities and their development partners working to improve the living conditions of urban poor through successful approaches to city development strategies, scaling-up slum upgrading, and sustainable financing strategies. It is managed by a Secretariat located at the World Bank in Washington.

Brazil - Global Environment Facility (GEF) Sustainable Transport and Air Quality Project

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Brazil - Global Environment Facility (GEF) Rio Grande do Sul Biodiversity Project

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Brazil - Sao Paulo Water Recovery (REAGUA) Project

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Brazil: Education Results and Accountability Project

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 23:38:11 GMT

WASHINGTON, April 14, 2009 - The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved the following project:

IBRD Loan: US$154 million

TERMS: Maturity = 15 years; Grace period = 5 years

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The project will (a) improve the quality, efficiency and equity of public education in Pernambuco; and (b) introduce management reforms that will lead to greater efficiency in the use of the Pernambuco State’s public resources in the education sector, all through interventions in the State Secretariat of Planning and Management (SEPLAG), State Secretariat of Education (SEE), and State Secretariat of Administration (SAD).

Media Contact

Gabriela Aguilar

(202) 473-6768

gaguilar2@worldbank.org

For more project information, please visit:

http://web.worldbank.org/external/projects/main?pagePK=64283627&piPK=73230&theSitePK=40941&menuPK=228424&Projectid=P106208

Brazil: US$154 million Loan to Improve Quality, Efficiency and Equity of Public Education in Pernambuco State

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 23:22:56 GMT

Contacts:

In Brasília – Denise Marinho (+55-61) 3329-1099

dmarinho@worldbank.org

In Washington – Gabriela Aguilar (+1 202) 473-6768

gaguilar2@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, April 14, 2009 – The World Bank Board of Executive Directors today approved a US$154 million loan to the Northeastern Brazilian State of Pernambuco for the Pernambuco Education Results and Accountability (PERA) Project to improve public education and introduce management reforms linking public expenditures to improved educational results.

"The Government of Pernambuco has been working to raise public education standards in the State. To this aim, we have increased investments in infrastructure and in the quality of public management. This new program will give us the tools to carry out the challenging task of providing quality education to our children and our youth. In the midst of an adverse scenario of international financial crisis, Pernambuco continues to create jobs and opportunities, and our people must be prepared to seize opportunities as they arise," said Pernambuco Governor Eduardo Campos.

The PERA Project will foster a new growth agenda for the State, focusing on two interconnected strategies:

Building human capital to increase opportunities for the poorest, improving the qualifications and competitiveness of the work force; and
Improving efficiency in the use of public resources and the quality of services to increase access and affordability.

"This partnership with the World Bank is of fundamental relevance to our work at the Education Secretariat of Pernambuco. With the approval of this loan, we will be able to further strengthen our work in programs to improve literacy and to correct age-grade distortion as well as to improve school infrastructure and our student assessment system. Our aim is to raise the educational indicators of the State, achieving results and targets already set by this Government," said Pernambuco Secretary of Education Danilo Cabral.

The program will address educational priorities by leveraging funds and mobilizing programs through disbursements associated to pre-identified Eligible Expenditure Programs (EEPs) in education and technical assistance. The World Bank loan will finance US$150 million in education sector investments and US$4 million for technical assistance.

"Among the project's aims are ensuring that children become literate early, reducing age-grade distortion in basic education and strengthening monitoring and evaluation, which is a pillar of the results-based management approach the State envisaged for the sector,” said Makhtar Diop, World Bank Country Director for Brazil. "This new project will contribute to public sector modernization, through an improved performance of State expenditure management systems, including oversight, and introducing reforms in related priority governance areas,” he added.

Key education and public sector management areas to be addressed by the project include:

Ø Basic Standards Program to improve school infrastructure, equipment and teacher availability and quality. It will rehabilitate and upgrade infrastructure, furniture and equipment, set up computer labs, train teachers, develop school libraries and assure the adequate number and types of teachers per classroom.

Ø Literacy Program will provide the tools for children to become literate in the early years of basic education. It will introduce a comprehensive teacher training program of literacy tutors for subsequent replication.

Ø Overage Correction Program will address age-grade distortion at the basic, fundamental and secondary education level through the implementation of the Accelerated Classes Programs in the State education.

Ø Monitoring and Evaluation will finance the enhancement and operation of the individual student monitoring system and implementation of the State’s student assessment system (SAEPE). It also will provide feedback to parents and schools to ensure accountability.

Ø General Public Sector Management will conduct studies and initiatives to better understand and reform its most critical managerial challenges.

Ø Education Sector Management Plan to develop and implement a strategic results-based management plan to increase efficiency in the education sector.

“There will be important synergies between EDUQ and the PERA, both of which respond to the Government of Pernambuco’s priorities and the State’s education sector as a whole. The objectives of both projects are aligned: PERA improves investments supported by EDUQ and deepens further efforts to tackle critical education issues,” said Ricardo Rocha Silveira, World Bank Project Manager.

Over the years, Brazil and the World Bank have developed a successful partnership in education projects at both federal and state levels. Currently, the Bank is supporting Brazil with cutting-edge research and policy development in educational quality and efficiency of expenditures. Assistance includes the ongoing EDUQ, already implemented in Pernambuco and providing a better understanding of the state’s education sector and public management issues in the state.

Education profile in Pernambuco

Pernambuco is a poor, largely arid northeastern state in Brazil. The state’s per capita income is US$3,300, above average for the Northeast of Brazil; however the State has been lagging behind most of the Northeastern States in the education sector.

Pernambuco has one of the lowest student performance records in Brazil. Nearly 87 percent of students in the fourth grade score at an unsatisfactory level in Portuguese as measured by the results of the Prova Brasil national student assessment. In the eighth grade, 78 percent of students score at an unsatisfactory level in both Portuguese and Mathematics.

Illiteracy for various age cohorts is high, ranging from 5.3 percent for 15-19 year olds to 25.9 percent for those 25 and older. Pernambuco’s literacy rate is below the national average.

For additional information on the project, please visit:

PERA Project

For more information on the World Bank and Brazil, please visit:

http://www.worldbank.org/br

Brazil: US$130 Million Loan to Improve Public Sector Management, Education, Health and Transport

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 23:09:23 GMT

Contacts:

In Brasilia – Denise Marinho (+55-61) 3329-1099

dmarinho@worldbank.org

In Washington – Gabriela Aguilar (+1 202) 473-6768

gaguilar2@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, April 9, 2009 – The World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved today a US$130 million loan for the Brazil Federal District Multisector Management Project, which will support public sector management and accountability reforms and increase the access, quality and efficiency of education, health and public transport services, especially for the low income population.

“This new partnership is part of the Government’s results management efforts in the public sector, which are structured over three pillars: modernization, decentralization and integration of public services,” said the Federal District Governor José Roberto Arruda. “By supporting and complementing the Government’s development plan, this project will improve the quality of life of the Federal District’s population, reduce inequalities among regional areas and improve our competitiveness and growth potential.”

With a population of nearly 2.5 million, the Federal District is the fourth largest city in Brazil, after São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Salvador. Planned in the 1950’s for a population of up to half million in 2000, currently the District has almost six times that figure.

In addition, the population from neighboring municipalities in the states of Goiás and Minas Gerais rely heavily on services and economic and social opportunities in the District. These factors create overstressed, unmet demands for the provision of quality basic public services, mainly in education, health and mass transport. The education and health sectors employ most of the Government’s civil servants, which together with the transport sector, account for most of public expenditures.

“The Government of the Federal District has multiple and urgent demands for greater public investment, which heighten the need to address efficiency of expenditures. At the same time, the Government is undertaking results-based reforms aiming at improving the District’s competitiveness. This new project will be key for this process,” said Makhtar Diop, World Bank Country Director for Brazil. “The project will leave a legacy of improved practices for more effective and efficient Government spending as a whole, not only in the target sectors.”

The project will co-finance the Government’s US$400 million Multisector Public Management Program through a US$130 million loan, to be disbursed in three years. The objective is to improve public sector administration and accountability by establishing result-based management practices and improving fiduciary oversight. It will also modernize the education system, decentralize and integrate various levels of health care and strengthen the capacity of the public transport sector. The reform’s goal will be achieved by:

Ø Adopting a shared management model that includes performance-based results strategies and incentives for schools, as well as support for early childhood and primary and secondary education.

Ø Establishing results-based management practices in the health sector.

Ø Developing the health sector managerial and clinical information system and Cartão Saúde, an electronic health card with user medical information.

Ø Extending primary health care to decrease demand pressure on emergency services and hospitals.

Ø Piloting a public-private partnership for social organization management of the Santa Maria Hospital, in one of the District’s poorest areas.

Ø Modernizing management and strengthening capacity of the Secretariat of Transport and DFTRANS to improve planning, regulation and supervision of public transportation services.

Ø Financing technical assistance and training to build capacity in the public sector.

Ø Designing and implementing cost-accounting systems in the education and health sectors.

“This is the second Bank-financed project in the Federal District, and will complement the Brasília Environmentally Sustainable Project, being successfully implemented since 2005,” said Joana Godinho, World Bank Project Manager. “The Federal District is giving a major step towards its goal of more efficient and inclusive public services. We would like to congratulate the Government for the excellent work, especially the inter-sectoral coordination that was achieved.”

For more information on this project, please visit: http://web.worldbank.org/external/projects/main?pagePK=64283627&piPK=73230&theSitePK=40941&menuPK=228424&Projectid=P107843

For more information on the World Bank and Brazil, please visit:

http://www.worldbank.org/br

Brazil: Federal District Multisector Public Management Project

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 22:30:53 GMT

WASHINGTON, April 9, 2009 - The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved the following project:

IBRD Loan: $130 Millon

Terms: Maturity = 23 years; Grace = 3 years

Project Description: The Federal District Multisector Management Project for Brazil aims to support the Government of Brazil’s development objectives for the Federal District. It will (i) improve public sector management and accountability by establishing results-based management practices and improving fiduciary oversight; and (ii) increase access, quality, and efficiency of the education, health, and public transport services by modernizing the education system; modernizing, decentralizing and integrating various levels of health care; and strengthening the institutional and operational capacity of the public transport sector.

Media Contact

Gabriela Aguilar

(202) 473-6768

gaguilar2@worldbank.org

For more information please visit: http://web.worldbank.org/external/projects/main?pagePK=64283627&piPK=73230&theSitePK=40941&menuPK=228424&Projectid=P107843

Brazil - Sao Paulo Water Recovery (REAGUA) Project

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT