Guatemala | World Bank

Guatemala - Second Development Policy Loan Project

Mon, 18 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Guatemala: Disaster Risk Management Project DPL/CAT DDO

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 23:40:16 GMT

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

IBRD Loan: US$85 million

TERMS: Maturity = 23.5 years; Grace period = 8.5 years

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The overall development objective of the proposed operation is to enhance the Government of Guatemala's capacity to implement a disaster risk management program for adverse natural events. This objective will be achieved by supporting policy and institutional reform in the following aspects of disaster risk management: improving risk identification and monitoring; increasing disaster risk reduction investments; strengthening institutions and planning capacity for risk management; and developing risk financing strategies.

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=P112544

Guatemala - Catastrophe Development Policy Loan Deferred Draw Down Option Project

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 04:00:00 GMT

The development objective of the Catastrophe Development Policy Loan Deferred Draw Down Option Project for Guatemala is to enhance the Government's capacity to implement its disaster risk management program for natural disasters. This objective will be achieved by supporting policy and institutional reform in the following aspects of disaster risk management: i) improving risk identification and monitoring; ii) increasing disaster risk reduction investments; iii) strengthening institutions and planning capacity for risk management; and iv) developing risk financing strategies. Local community capacity to prepare for, and respond to, disasters caused by adverse natural events should be improved and strengthened. During the last 10 years the response and preparation capabilities in Guatemala have increased. However, Hurricane Stan and the 2008 floods revealed that despite good response capabilities at the municipal level, National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (CONRED) response skills were still weak at the local level. Rapid and flexible financing is critical for early recovery. On average, 50 percent of the economic losses associated with large natural disasters occur in the post-disaster period. Guatemala and other countries have experienced the critical need for immediately available liquidity in the aftermath of a disaster event to ensure that the Government can reestablish crucial services as fast as possible. If the Government has access to untied liquidity, it will be possible to accelerate recovery, minimize business interruption, and secure the operation o f critical public facilities, such as health services.

Guatemala - Catastrophe Development Policy Loan Deferred Draw Down Option Project

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Delegation of World Bank Executive Directors visits Honduras

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 18:05:09 GMT

Contacts:
In Washington:
Alejandro Cedeno (202) 458-5054
acedeno@worldbank.org
In Tegucigalpa: María Amalia San Martín (504) 239-4551
Msanmartin@worldbank.org

Tegucigalpa, MDC, February 24, 2009 – A delegation of seven World Bank executive directors arrived in Honduras today to see firsthand the programs and projects implemented by the Government and the private sector with World Bank funding. The delegation is accompanied by World Bank Director for Central America Laura Frigenti, the Honduran governor to the World Bank, Rebeca Santos, and other of the organization’s employees.

During their visit, the delegates will meet with President Manuel Zelaya Rosales, government officials, business leaders, and civil society members. They will also visit the Land Management and Disaster Mitigation project in Tegucigalpa, as well as the “My First Job” project and a private agribusiness food preparation company in the city of San Pedro Sula. There, they will also meet with project beneficiaries.

The executive directors represent their respective governments to the World Bank. They direct general operations and make policies that guide the organization. They are also responsible for analyzing loan, credit, and grant proposals presented by the World Bank CEO and for implementing decisions regarding these proposals.

The World Bank supports the Government of Honduras and its people in their struggle to develop and reach social equity by providing credits with a 10-year grace period for payment and 20 years for reimbursement. The World Bank has provided Honduras with over US$2.5 billion, helping to fund different projects, such as El Cajón, Cañaveral, and Río Lindo hydroelectric projects, as well as highways and health and educational reform programs. Presently, the World Bank’s portfolio in Honduras amounts to US$411 million for 17 projects in several strategic sectors, as well as other financial support offered to entrepreneurs in the financial, industrial, energy, and telecommunications sectors.

For more information about the work of the World Bank in Honduras, please visit: http://www.bancomundial.org/hn

Guatemala - Energy Security Project

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Consultations on the Bank Web Site

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 15:37:38 GMT

Dear reader,

A few years ago, the World Bank’s Web site was noted as a leader among development organizations’ websites. As technology has rapidly advanced and user expectations evolved, our Web site too needs to change and adapt.

You come to our Web site because you are looking for the latest information on development. Our project information, data and research assist you in tackling your challenges or keeping up on the Bank’s activities.

Now we’re catching up. We are revamping our Web site and expanding our online capabilities to better satisfy our business needs and meet audience demands.

We’re examining all aspects of the site—content, technology, business needs and audience demands—to figure out what needs to stay, be improved or be removed.

This is a complex undertaking. We are currently gathering information to determine requirements for our future site.

Through our open online consultation, we are looking for comments from anyone who wishes to discuss their information needs and any difficulties they encounter with the site. The online consultation period ends on December 31, 2008.

All feedback we receive will inform the future design and functionality of the Web site by informing Bank management on audience needs.

Our ultimate goal is to make the Web site better support the institution’s mission of fighting global poverty and helping countries develop.

Your feedback will bring us closer to this goal.

Thank you,

Angie Gentile
Managing Editor, www.worldbank.org

Guatemala: First Programmatic Fiscal and Institutional Development Policy Loan

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 23:31:27 GMT

WASHINGTON, October 21, 2008- The following project was approved today by the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors:

IBRD Loan: US$200 million

TERMS: Maturity= 26.5 years; Grace = 8.5 years

Project Description: The First Programmatic Fiscal and Institutional Development Policy Loan is the first of three programmatic loans supporting the efforts of the Guatemalan Government to improve fiscal and institutional policies and assuring that the country benefits from its growth.

Media Contact

Gabriela Aguilar

(202) 473-6768

gaguilar@worldbank.org

For more project information please visit:

http://projportal.worldbank.org/servlet/secmain?menuPK=109012&theSitePK=213348&pagePK=112935&piPK=69345&PSPID=P112312

Guatemala: World Bank Approves US$200 Million to Support the Improvement of Policies

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 21:33:58 GMT

Contacts:
In Washington: Gabriela Aguilar (202) (202) 473-67-68
Gaguilar2@worldbank.org
In Guatemala: Virginia Barrios (502) 2329-8000 ext. 8063
vbarrios@worldbank.org

Washington--October 21, 2008. The Directors of the World Bank today approved US$200 million Development Policy Loan (DPL). This is the first of three programmatic loans supporting the efforts of the Guatemalan Government to improve fiscal and institutional policies and assuring that the country benefits from its growth.

Laura Fringenti, The World Bank’s Director for Central America, said “This loan will support a series of key actions for fiscal and institutional reforms included in the Guatemalan Government Agenda that seek to increase economic growth benefits, especially towards the most vulnerable population, as well as strengthening measures to improve governance and transparency of public expenses.”

The objectives that the Government seeks to reach with this first DPL are:

· To attend to fiscal and financial needs during a year of economic slowdown. The loan will support the Government to reach its objectives to simultaneously maintain fiscal stability and attend to social needs through a major and efficient expense.

· To improve economic growth outlooks, increase fiscal spaces address public expense priorities, and contribute to improving the country’s governance and poverty reduction. The Agenda includes fiscal and institutional key reform actions assuring that Guatemala would benefit from growth and major opportunities of integration.

· To improve the efficiency and transparency of the public sector administration. The loan supports the efforts of the public sector’s modernization, seeking to increase the efficiency of the public expenditures and fight against corruption, with special focus on the improvement of the financial and purchasing administration. It is expected that the efforts also will contribute to improve the climate investment and economic growth in the country.

This first loan for Development Policies jointly with the other two loans of the series form part of the Strategic Partnership between The World Bank and Guatemala for 2009-2012. The supported areas are education, health and nutrition, investment in rural infrastructure, improvement of productivity, energy, and disaster mitigation, among others.

For further information about the World Bank’s work in Guatemala visit:

http://www.bancomundial.org.gt

Global food and fuel crisis will increase malnourished by 44 million

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:30:00 GMT

Contacts:
In Washington :Carl Hanlon 202-473-8087; chanlon@worldbank.org;
Philip Hay 202-473-1796
phay@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, October 8, 2008 – High food and fuel prices will increase the number of malnourished people around the world in 2008 by 44 million to reach a total of 967 million, a report from the World Bank says.

While food and fuel price increases may have moderated in recent months, prices remain much higher than previous years and show few signs of declining significantly, according to the report entitled “Rising food and fuel prices: addressing the risks to future generations”. Poor families around the world are being pushed to the brink of survival, causing irreparable damage to the health of millions of children. As families cut back on spending, there are also grave risks for the educational performance of poor children.

“While people in the developed world are focused on the financial crisis, many forget that a human crisis is rapidly unfolding in developing countries. It is pushing poor people to the brink of survival,” said World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick. “The financial crisis will only make it more difficult for developing countries to protect their most vulnerable people from the impact of rising food and fuel costs.”

The report, due to be presented on Sunday to the Development Committee at the Annual Meetings of the World Bank and IMF, says the food and fuel crisis could have long term effects on poor people and countries. Malnourished children cannot develop into healthy adults and become productive members of society who can contribute to the growth needed to lift themselves and their country out of poverty.

The report says priority should be given to a series of targeted measures. These include:

Making existing targeted cash (or near cash) transfer programs more generous;
Getting nutrition to infants and pregnant women;
expanding so-called ”in-kind” food distribution programs including school feeding and the distribution of fortified calorically dense food;
using fee waivers, lifeline-pricing and other forms of targeted subsidies for poor users/consumers; and
introducing additional measures to prevent children from dropping out of school, such as fee waivers, subsidies for school inputs, or cash transfers.

The report also argues that allocating the necessary amount of budget to finance an expansion of safety net programs may require pruning less-priority spending in other areas. But it notes that well-designed safety net programs do not have to be prohibitively expensive to be effective. Some of the most successful programs in the world cost well under 1 percent of Gross Domestic Product. Moreover, investing in safety net programs now will give governments new tools to address not just the current crisis, but future ones as well.

In May, the World Bank launched a $1.2 billion rapid financing facility to help poor countries cope with the food crisis. Since then, around US$850 million has been committed to finance seeds, plantings, and feeding programs. In April, Zoellick called for a New Deal for Global Food Policy that included short, medium and long-term measures to provide immediate help to poor people and farmers while increasing food production.

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For more information on the Bank's work in nutrition, please visit: www.worldbank.org/nutrition

and for more on social safety nets, click here: www.worldbank.org/safetynets

Alianza Estratégica BM- Guatemala por Hasta US $1.5 Mil Millones

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 21:15:00 GMT

Contacts:

In Washington: Gabriela Aguilar (202) 473-6768

gaguilar2@worldbank.org

In Guatemala: Virginia Barrios (502) 23-29-80-63

vbarrios@worldbank.org

Washington, September 24th 2008- The World Bank’s Board of Directors approved yesterday the new Country Partnership Strategy with Guatemala, covering the period 2009-2012, including IBRD loans up to $1 billion and possible loans from the International Finance Corporation –IFC- for up to $450 million. The loans will be mainly focused to support the efforts of the government in three areas:

Strengthen economic growth,
Achieve inclusive and sustainable growth, and
Expand opportunities for vulnerable populations and groups at risk.

Laura Frigenti, World Bank’s Director for Central America, states: “This Strategic Partnership supports the efforts of Guatemala to fight poverty and inequality through the increase of a focused social expense and public investment, as well as through reforms that seek to expand fiscal space and improve governance and transparency”.

The priorities in the Country Partnership Strategy were defined jointly with the Guatemalan authorities and reflect the main development areas of President Alvaro Colom’s Government Plan. Also, the strategy was developed in consultation with different stakeholders, including some from the private sector and civil society. The Strategy seeks to contribute to supporting Guatemala’s goals in poverty reduction and improvement of competitiveness both in the short and in the long term.

The Strategy includes a combination of development policy loans and investment operations that will support, among others: the conditional cash transfer program; the country’s infrastructure in order to improve the productivity in the rural areas, mainly for the micro and small enterprises.

It also foresees possible loans and technical assistance to strengthen the national capacity to prevent mitigate and respond effectively to emergencies due to natural disasters. Another working area is the generation and distribution of sustainable energy, which will be designed based on the national authorities’ guidelines.

The IFC, the financial branch of the World Bank Group that gives financial support to the private sector, will mainly support the following sectors: financial, agro-industrial, industrial exports, infrastructure development, tourism and energy.

The new Strategy establishes that the analytical work to be carried on by the World Bank in the following four years will be demand-driven, responding to the Government’s needs. Until now, some topics have already been identified, such as: energy market sustainability and the development of micro and small enterprises.

The World Bank’s current portfolio in Guatemala consists of nine projects totaling $402.2 million; mainly supporting sustainable economic growth, social development, governance and transparency.

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For more information about the World Bank’s work in Guatemala, please visit: http://www.bancomundial.org.gt

New report on economic growth offers lessons on achieving sustained, high economic growth

Wed, 21 May 2008 17:11:32 GMT

Contacts:

In Washington:

Maya Brahmam at +1-202-473-6231 or email at mbrahmam@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, May 20, 2008 – The World Bank Group welcomes a new report by the independent Commission on Growth and Development, a global panel of eminent experts, which reveals important lessons from countries that have achieved high, long-term economic growth. The experts say the lessons learned could help policy makers in developing countries as they seek to set their countries on a steady growth path.

The Growth Report: Strategies for Sustained Growth and Inclusive Development says integration into the world economy, maintaining high rates of savings and investment, and committed, capable governments are among the key features of countries that have sustained growth rates above 7 percent for 25 uninterrupted years since World War II.

"This report underscores to the development community that one size doesn’t fit all." said World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick. I am especially pleased that it draws on input from first class practitioners and leaders who have hands-on pragmatic and practical experience of making inclusive development a success. This will help enrich the thinking and practice of the World Bank Group as well as others in the development field.” “

High, long-lasting growth is not easily achieved, but the report by some of the world’s top policy-makers and thinkers, believes it can be reproduced in developing countries, giving them a chance to reduce poverty and improve opportunity and quality of life for their citizens.

“We are acutely aware that there are no silver bullets to create long-running, inclusive growth, and that no single paradigm exists,” says Commission Vice Chair Danny Leipziger, who is also Vice President for Poverty Reduction and Economic Management at the World Bank. “While seeking to identify those key elements that can lead to long running and inclusive growth, the report is clear that policy makers will need to customize and experiment with polices rather than follow any rigid set of guidelines.”

Commission Chairman Michael Spence said: " What makes the report so unique is that it was prepared by policymakers, many from developing countries, who have been in the trenches themselves and have learned what works and why. It is these commissioners who are now providing their insights to the next generation of policymakers on ways to improve growth prospects and the quality of life in the poor parts of the globe."

Spence is one of two Nobel Laureates on the 21-member commission comprising leaders from business, government and academia. The Commissioners come from 18 countries that include a broad mix of developing, emerging and developed economies, as well as small island states and populous, large countries.

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To download full report click here:

http://www.growthcommission.org/

World Bank Broadens Transport Agenda

Wed, 21 May 2008 17:00:00 GMT

Contacts
In Washington:
Roger Morier (202) 473 5675, rmorier@worldbank.org
Anna Piasecka (202) 458 7027, apiasecka@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 21, 2008 – The World Bank Group today launched a new transport business strategy for 2008-2012 that will help partner countries establish the governance, strategies, policies and services to deliver transport for development in a way that is economically, financially, environmentally and socially sustainable.

Called Safe, Clean, and Affordable… Transport for Development, the business strategy strengthens the alignment of the transport sector approach with the Millennium Development Goals adopted by the United Nations in 2000. At the same time, it widens the directions and deepens the routes that will be taken to meet the evolving development agenda. It gives more attention to emerging trends, such as trade globalization, urbanization of populations; rising concerns about climate change, the increase in traffic congestion; and the recognition of access as a key to both economic opportunity and good governance.

“In striving to achieve its development objectives—and foremost to eradicate poverty—the World Bank Group is mobilizing the transport sector to the fullest possible extent,” said Katherine Sierra, World Bank Vice President for Sustainable Development. ”To that end, the transport business strategy aligns Bank Group instruments along a few key strategic directions that will pave the way to truly sustainable development, one where transport plays a crucial role.”

“In a world with rising levels of greenhouse gases, poor road safety, and the too-frequent spread of communicable diseases along international routes, transport must be looked at anew. A coherent way forward requires innovative thinking and cooperation among sectors to optimize the role of transport without jeopardizing personal and commercial mobility.”

The Bank Group consulted widely in preparing its new business strategy, seeking contributions from over 75 transport development partners, governments, professional institutions, civil society organizations, multilateral and bilateral donors, and putting an early draft on its external website for four months to elicit public comments.

Safe Transport
Acknowledging the importance of transport for achieving public health outcomes within the Millennium Development Goals, the strategy stresses the need to mitigate the spread of HIV/AIDS, and to address safety in all transport modes, especially road transport. It also addresses the safety issue in air transport which, although globally much safer, still shows a safety record significantly affecting growth and investment prospects in some regions, in particular Sub-Saharan Africa. Transport and supply-chain security has also become a major issue in ensuring fair access of developing country exports to developed markets, and needs to be addressed as a new global public good.

“Road crashes kill an estimated 1.2 million people a year and injure 50 million more, disproportionately affecting the poor,” said Anthony Bliss, Lead Road Safety Specialist, Program Coordinator for the World Bank’s Global Road Safety Facility. “We are placing special emphasis on road safety, extending our support to include not only road safety components embedded in road infrastructure projects, but also larger stand-alone projects to formulate national policies and strategies that would improve road safety across the board. We will also pursue cross-sectoral approaches, such as including pre-hospital components in road programs and road safety components in health programs.”

Clean Transport
Urban air pollution, 90 percent of it generated by motor vehicles, kills an estimated 800,000 people each year. Transport now produces approximately 15 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Reflecting the contribution of transport to the wider environmental aims of the Millennium Development Goals, the strategy encompasses the transport-energy-environment nexus, from the energy consumption to the emissions and climate change impact perspectives. Going forward, the World Bank Group will be working to help restrain transport energy consumption. It will be assessing and controlling transport projects emissions, favoring shifts to low carbon modes.

“We are setting guidelines for environmentally effective transport planning and decision making,” said Jamal Saghir, Director, Energy, Transport and Water Department and Chair of the Transport Sector Board. “We are seeking ways to mitigate the effects of transport on the climate—and the effects of climate change on transport asset. We intend to build climate change issues into transport project appraisals where appropriate.”

Affordable Transport
An estimated 1 billion people in low-income countries lack access to an all-weather road. Affordable transport can enhance mobility and inclusion. It can promote social, economic, and political integration, by keeping a country together despite geographic disparities, by overcoming potential disputes over access to resources, and by defusing the seeds of conflict that sometimes arise from feelings of isolation.

Marc Juhel, Sector Manager for Transport stressed the fact that affordability concerns not only the rural and urban poor, but also the whole freight economy, aiming at improving competitiveness to foster stronger economic growth:

“The strategy stresses the need for better knowledge and control of transport costs, for both passengers and freight, on domestic and regional, urban and rural settings. The implementation of an effective urban transport strategy, reaching out to the growing urban poor population, is a key element of this approach. On the freight side, the cooperative work on trade and transport facilitation—in particular on customs and transit issues—will be strengthened.”

World Bank contribution to transport over previous decade
Since the Bank’s 1996 transport strategy, Sustainable Transport, was endorsed by the World Bank’s Board of Directors, the Bank Group has committed around US$42 billion for more than 530 dedicated transport operations and transport components in over 500 non-transport specific projects in more than 100 client countries. Lending in fiscal year 2007 (July 1, 2006 – June 30, 2007) reached over US$5 billion, amounting to 20 percent of World Bank Group new annual commitments.

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View the transport business strategy—Safe, Clean, and Affordable… Transport for Development at: http://www.worldbank.org/transport

World Bank Group President Appoints Vice President of Institutional Integrity

Mon, 05 May 2008 18:00:00 GMT

Contacts:
In Washington: Carl Hanlon (202) 473 8087
chanlon@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. May 5, 2008 – World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick has named South African Leonard McCarthy to head the Bank’s Department of Institutional Integrity (INT). McCarthy has earned international recognition for investigations and prosecutions of individuals engaged in corruption as head of South Africa’s Directorate of Special Operations.

“Leonard McCarthy is recognized worldwide for his integrity, independence, and effectiveness in fighting corruption and strengthening good governance,” says Zoellick. “This is the first time that the Department of Institutional Integrity will be headed at the level of Vice President, and McCarthy brings to the post stature, skill, and tested experience. This post is critical for our work, reputation, and fiduciary duty. I am confident that he will bring effective leadership to our highest obligation to protect the Bank’s assets and hold people, businesses, and governments responsible if they steal from the poor.”

McCarthy’s work with South Africa's National Prosecuting Authority has included investigating and prosecuting high profile cases of financial crime, organized crime, and high-level corruption. He has worked closely with African governments and law enforcement officials across the globe to expose and prosecute transnational financial crime. McCarthy was formerly a Director of Public Prosecutions appointed by President Nelson Mandela.

An experienced trial lawyer, he has held numerous positions in government, including Investigating Director in the Office for Serious Economic Offenses, Deputy Attorney General in Cape Province and Senior Public Prosecutor. He holds a Bachelor of Laws Degree from the University of South Africa in Cape Town.

Following talks with the South African government, President Mbeki has agreed to release McCarthy from service, to take up the position at the World Bank on June 30, 2008.

“I am honored to receive this appointment and to be joining the World Bank, I believe strongly in its vision, said McCarthy. “President Zoellick has made clear to me the strong emphasis he places on INT’s role, its need for strong, highly skilled people who will both pursue investigations and integrate anti-corruption work into Bank projects across the world. I am committed to delivering results and building on INT’s work to strengthen financial due diligence and ensure that precious development resources benefit people who need them most.”

McCarthy was selected from a list of candidates assessed by an internal search committee with the addition of former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, who led a review of INT last year. In his report Volcker called for greater attention to protect against corruption in designing and implementing Bank programs.

Mr. Volcker has welcomed the fact that: “the Bank is now implementing the recommendations of the Panel he chaired, importantly including elevating the head of INT to the level of vice president.”

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World Bank Marks World Press Freedom Day with Study on Broadcasting and Development

Fri, 02 May 2008 12:30:00 GMT

Contact:

In Washington: Christopher Neal, (202) 473-2049

Cneal1@worldbank.org

MAPUTO, May 2, 2008—The World Bank marked World Press Freedom Day by launching a study outlining conditions under which radio, television and online broadcasting can fulfil a vital role in development by making governments accountable, and giving voice to the world’s poor.

“Huge numbers of people, including those who can’t read, have access to broadcast media,” said Kreszentia Duer, of the World Bank Institute (WBI), who presented the study, Broadcasting, Voice and Accountability, at a conference here on freedom of expression hosted by UNESCO. “In countries with strong oral traditions, community broadcasting can enable people to share information and raise issues with a large audience, and hold government officials to account. This makes broadcasting a powerful tool for enhancing governance and promoting development.”

The 400-page study, subtitled A Public Interest Approach to Policy, Law and Regulation, is the result of five years of research by six media experts, including Ms. Duer, Steve Buckley, president of the World Association of Community Broadcasters; Toby Mendel, ARTICLE 19, Global Campaign for Free Expression; Seán Ó Siochrú, founder of the Campaign for Communication Rights in the Information Society; Monroe E. Price, of the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania; and Marc Raboy, of Canada’s McGill University.

The study reviews broadcasting practices and regulations around the world, and identifies those which produce an “enabling environment” for broadcasting that is free, independent and pluralistic. These characteristics are essential, the report says, for broadcasting to perform an effective role in giving people voice, and ensuring government accountability.

Drawing from their research, the authors propose standards on freedom of expression, access to information, use and misuses of defamation law, content rules and limits to free speech, and the regulation of journalists. The study also offers guidelines on best practice for broadcast regulators, as well as the respective roles of public service, community non-profit, and commercial private sector broadcasters, all of which, it argues, should be present in a healthy media environment.

Co-author Steve Buckley notes that increased movement towards democracy in developing countries opens the way to build broadcasting that serves the public interest.

“Countries that are opening their economies, democratizing, and decentralizing public service delivery are looking for guidance on how to involve citizens in decisions that affect them,” he said. “Broadcasting, enabled by the right regulation and conditions, can empower groups through bottom-up participation.”

The book cites countries that have developed systems to enhance the quality and diversity of media content, while fully respecting freedom of expression, and identifies ways in which government regulation can expand access to broadcast media. Community broadcasting, for example, can be encouraged through special licensing arrangements that guarantee fair and equitable access to radio frequencies and financial support.

“This book focuses on useful proactive approaches to setting up, sustaining, and governing broadcasting systems across the world,” said Ruth Teer-Tomaselli, UNESCO Chair in Communication for Southern Africa at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. “It’s based on sound scholarship and provides practical advice for policymakers, media scholars and broadcasters alike.”

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For more information, please visit:

http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/WBI/0,,contentMDK:21747844~pagePK:209023~piPK:207535~theSitePK:213799,00.html

To order: http://publications.worldbank.org/ecommerce/catalog/product?item_id=8100893

World Bank President Calls for Plan to Fight Hunger in Pre-Spring Meetings Address

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 15:53:10 GMT

April 2, 2008—In a speech today, World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick called for a "new deal" to combat world hunger and malnutrition through a combination of emergency aid and long-term efforts to boost agricultural productivity in developing countries.

The "New Deal for a Global Food Policy" is part of a suite of initiatives Zoellick outlined to advance development in the face of skyrocketing food and oil prices. He also called for a global trade deal to be agreed as soon as possible, detailed an initiative to help countries manage their wealth earned from high energy and mineral prices in a more inclusive way, and encouraged sovereign wealth funds to create a "One Percent Solution" for equity investment in Africa.

Agricultural Assistance

The World Bank will nearly double agricultural assistance to US$800 million in Africa. Zoellick also urged wealthy nations to help the UN’s World Food Program meet some $500 million in emergency food needs.

"The United States, the European Union, Japan and other OECD countries must act now to fill this gap – or many more people will suffer and starve," Zoellick said in an address sponsored by the Center for Global Development in Washington.

Zoellick said the "New Deal for a Global Food Policy" is needed to combat the "forgotten" Millennium Development Goal of overcoming malnutrition. Only about a tenth of the resources directed at HIV/AIDS goes to fight malnutrition, which causes 3.5 million deaths a year in children under 5 and has long-lasting impacts on health and achievement.

"Hunger and malnutrition are a cause, not just a result, of poverty," said Zoellick.

The World Bank estimates 33 countries face social unrest because of soaring food and energy prices.

The New Deal requires a shift from traditional food aid to a broader concept of food and nutrition assistance, such as cash or vouchers that can help build local food markets and farm production,.and create a "Green Revolution" for Sub-Saharan Africa, said Zoellick.

"This New Deal should focus not only on hunger and nutrition, access to food and its supply, but also the interconnections with energy, yields, climate change, investment, the marginalization of women and others, and economic resiliency and growth," said Zoellick.

"Food policy needs to gain the attention of the highest political levels, because no one country or group can meet these interconnected challenges."

Zoellick said the World Bank Group can help by:

Backing emergency measures that support the poor while encouraging incentives to produce and harvest food
Offering access to technology and science to boost yields
Helping countries counter weather-related risks, such as drought
Facilitating land-titling, local currency financing, working capital, distribution and logistics, and support for services on which farmers rely

"Income gains in agriculture have three times the power in overcoming poverty than increases in other sectors, and 75 percent of the world’s poor are rural, with most involved in farming," said Zoellick.

Trade Also Key to Lower Food Prices

Zoellick said the time was "now or never" to break the impasse in global trade talks. A "fairer and more open trading system" would encourage developing country farmers to expand production, he said.

"The poor need lower food prices now. But the world’s agricultural trading system is stuck in the past. If ever there was a time to cut distorting agricultural subsidies and open markets for food imports, it must be now."

An accord would give developing countries, big and small, more opportunities to become more productive and lower prices through trade. It would also infuse confidence in an economic system stressed by financial anxiety, he said.

However, "powerful voices across the political spectrum, including in my own country, are calling for, rationalizing, protectionism," Zoellick said. "This economic isolationism signals a defeatism that will reap the losses, not the gains, of globalization."

The trade talks are also a "critical test" for striking a global deal on climate change. "If negotiators of 150 economies cannot manage the political tradeoffs of the Doha Round to reap the clear benefits, it does not auger well for bringing developed and developing countries together on a new accord for climate change."

Sovereign Wealth Funds

Zoellick also outlined a plan to encourage emerging economies such as China, India and Brazil to invest about US$30 billion in African nations through government-sponsored wealth funds.

Such sovereign wealth funds currently hold about US$3 trillion in assets. They have come under scrutiny recently because of investments outside their own countries. Zoellick noted they need transparency and should be guided by best practices to avoid politicization, but "where some see sovereign funds as a source of concern, we see opportunity," said Zoellick.

The World Bank’s "One Percent Solution" involves creating the equity investment platforms and benchmarks to attract these investors, and allocating 1 percent of the assets to African growth, development and opportunity.

"This one percent could be the start of something much bigger, across more types of funds and countries, because the investment of wealth into equity for development offers opportunity, not something to fear."

Extractive Industries Initiative

Zoellick announced a new approach to help ensure that high energy and commodity prices translate into improvements in the lives of the poor.

The EITI++ builds on the transparency and good governance concepts of the existing multi-stakeholder Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). EITI publicizes and verifies company payments and government revenues from oil, gas and mining. But many governments are emphasizing that transparent revenue reporting, while important, is not enough. The World Bank is therefore working with developing countries and other partners to frame a "comprehensive approach to supplement the original project."

EITI++ will include providing technical assistance to countries on the awarding of contracts, monitoring operations, collecting taxes, improving resource extraction and economic decisions, better managing price volatility, and investing revenues effectively in sustainable development.

An EITI++ approach will be launched in Guinea. "The successful development of Guinea’s rich resources can strengthen sustainable development for the entire region," Zoellick said.

"The EITI++ can advance inclusive and sustainable globalization by broadening the beneficiaries of resource development."

Guatemala: World Bank Approves $20 Million to Modernize The Management of Public Sector Finances

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:06:14 GMT

Contacts:

In Washington: Stevan Jackson (202) 458 5054

sjackson@worldbank.org;

In Guatemala City: Virginia Barrios 502-2366-9852, Ext 263

vbarrios@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, March 27, 2008 – The World Bank’s Board of Directors today approved a $20 million loan in additional financing to support Guatemala’s efforts to modernize the management of public sector finances. This work seeks to amplify the impact and development effectiveness of a project which is currently under implementation.

“Additional financing through this project will help Guatemala continue to make progress in terms of improving the management of its investments in social services and basic rural infrastructure so that the programs benefit poor people,” said Laura Frigenti, World Bank Director for Central America. “Providing government officials with timely information on budget commitments will improve efficiency of public sector delivery.”

The project will help the government expand and complete its public sector modernization work in the areas of public expenditure, fiscal and financial management, as well as to strengthen its control systems and further implement its e-government strategy and continue progress under the previous project.

The Guatemala Integrated Financial Management Project will facilitate the provision of technical assistance necessary to:

i) Further strengthen the budget, accounting and treasury management functions;

ii) Institutionalize the respective integrated financial management (SIAF) and the e-procurement (GUATECOMPRAS) systems within the Ministry of Finance;

iii) Support the municipalities’ capacity to adopt and consolidate new procedures and systems to carry out efficient and transparent financial management;

iv) Strengthen the Comptroller General’s Office (CGC);

v) Build and integrate public planning and public investment procedures and systems with the budget; and,

vi) Design and institutionalize a permanent knowledge management system in the area of public expenditure management.

“The SIAF system is now considered one of the best regional practices in automated public financial management,” said Anabela Abreu, World Bank Country Manager for Guatemala. “New financial management procedures and systems were successfully implemented in most all municipalities, and we look forward to continuing the good work of this project.” Abreu added.

The SAIF, also known as the Integrated Financial Management System, is designed to extend the reach of the remaining agencies and social funds within the central government, and reaching executing units’ levels in central government agencies. This supports Guatemala’s decentralization effort, by underpinning the design and implementation of new financial management procedures and systems in the 331 municipal governments.

This $20 million Fixed-Spread Loan has a reimbursement period of twenty-five years and a grace period of 9 years.

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For more information on the Guatemala Integrated Financial Management Loan , please visit: http://web.worldbank.org/external/projects/main?pagePK=64283627&piPK=73230&theSitePK=40941&menuPK=228424&Projectid=P106993

For more information on the World Bank’s work in Guatemala, please visit: http://www.worldbank.org/gt

Guatemala: Integrated Financial Management Additional Financing

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 21:44:56 GMT

WASHINGTON, March 27, 2008 - The following project was approved today by the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors:

IBRD Loan: US$ 20 Million

TERMS: Maturity= 25 years; Grace= 9 years

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The project aims to extend and deepen the reforms pursued under the Integrated Financial Management II Project (IFML II), with the aim of increasing the effectiveness, efficiency, and transparency of public sector financial management and control.

For more information, please call Stevan Jackson at (202) 478-5054 or email sjackson@worldbank.org

World Bank Appoints New Country Directors for Central America and the Caribbean

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 14:47:22 GMT

Contacts:
In Washington: Gabriela Aguilar (202) 473-6768
gaguilar2@worldbank.org
Stevan Jackson (202) 458-5054
sjackson@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, October 31, 2007 – Pamela Cox, World Bank Vice President for Latin America and the Caribbean, announced today the appointment of two new country directors for the region to head the units of Central America —Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Panama and Costa Rica—and the Caribbean.

“The new Country Directors were selected through the World Bank wide competitive managerial selection process. They will work closely with partner countries to provide innovative solutions that respond to their specific development challenges,” said Ms. Cox. Country Directors are in charge of the World Bank local programs.

The new Country Director for Central America is Laura Frigenti, an Italian national. Ms. Frigenti joined the Bank in 1994 as a consultant in the Population and Human Development Division of the Eastern Africa Department. Since then, she has held several positions, the most recent one being Sector Manager for Human Development responsible for Eastern and Central Africa. Ms. Frigenti also has experience in Latin America. Her new position will be effective on January 1st, 2008.

Yvonne Tsikata was appointed as Country Director for the Caribbean (Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, OECS Member States, Suriname and Trinidad & Tobago). Ms. Tsikata, a Ghanaian national, joined the Bank in August 1991 as a Young Professional. Her most recent assignment in the organization was Sector Manager in the Poverty Reduction and Economic Management in the Africa Region. Ms. Tsikata’s appointment will be effective on November 1st, 2007.

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For more information on the World Bank’s work in Latin America and the Caribbean, please visit: http://www.worldbank.org/lac

World Bank Calls for Agricultural Renewal to Reduce Rural Poverty in Transforming Economies

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 16:00:00 GMT

Contacts:
In Washington: Merrell Tuck (202)473-9516
Mobile: (202) 415-1775
mtuckprimdahl@worldbank.org
Radio/TV: Nazanine AtabakI (202) 458-1450
Natabaki@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, DC, October 19, 2007 – The latest World Development Report says greater investment in agriculture in transforming economies, most of which are in Asia, is vital to the welfare of 600 million rural poor people living in those countries.

Titled ‘Agriculture for Development’, the report warns that the international goal of halving extreme poverty and hunger by 2015 will not be reached unless neglect and underinvestment in the agricultural and rural sectors over the past 20 years is reversed.

“Rural poverty accounts for an extraordinary 82 percent of total poverty in transforming countries,” said Robert B. Zoellick, World Bank Group President. “A greater focus on agriculture is essential when considering population pressures, declining farm sizes, water scarcity and environmental contamination, and the need to develop lagging high poverty areas.”

In transforming economies such as China, India and Morocco, agriculture contributed an average 7 percent to growth in GDP between 1995 and 2003, though the sector accounts for about 13 percent of the economy and employs just over half the labor force. The report recommends that in these countries, where 2.2 billion people live in the countryside, the agricultural agenda should focus on reducing the disparity between rural and urban incomes and raising the incomes of the rural poor.

According to the WDR, for the poorest people, GDP growth originating in agriculture is about four times as effective in reducing poverty as GDP growth originating outside the sector.

“Agricultural growth has been highly successful in reducing rural poverty in East Asia over the past 15 years,” said Francois Bourguignon, World Bank Chief Economist and Senior Vice President, Development Economics. “The challenge is to sustain and expand agriculture’s unique poverty-reducing power, especially in South Asia where the number of rural poor people is still rising and will likely exceed the number of urban poor for at least another 30 years.”

The report says agriculture can provide pathways out of poverty for millions of rural poor who would otherwise be left behind in transforming economies. It says one way out is through a high-value agricultural revolution. Incentives to diversify into high-value horticulture, poultry, fish and dairy products could be provided via pricing reforms and an overhaul of subsidy supports for cereals.

For its part, the World Bank is committed to increasing its support for agriculture and rural development, following a decline in lending in the 1980s and 1990s. In FY07 commitments reached $3.1 billion, marking an increase for the fourth straight year.

Detailed Findings:

According to the report, the livelihoods of subsistence farmers can be improved by increasing the productivity of staple crops in lagging regions, a move that would require major investments in soil and water management and in agricultural research. It also calls for an improved investment climate for agribusiness.

“Rapidly transforming economies must move from the green revolution to focus on new high-value agriculture—with fast-growing urban incomes and demand for high-value products in cities becoming the drivers of agricultural growth and poverty reduction,” said Alain de Janvry, Co-Team Leader on the report. “Globally, countries must deliver a level playing field for trade, while farmer organizations and other local groups need more say in setting policies.”

The report also says that a major priority for transforming economies should be to reduce the environmental footprint of intensive agriculture, especially in agrochemical and animal waste production. Given concerns over water scarcity in transforming economies, the report calls for reform of institutions dealing with irrigation and the removal of water and electricity subsidies.

For the poorest of the poor in rural areas, the report advocates improving the investment climate for rural nonfarm business and job schemes in rural areas. Job programs could entail building rural roads, planting trees in denuded areas, and working to de-silt canals and ponds.

The 2008 WDR uses a typology of countries based on the contribution of agriculture to overall growth, 1990-2005 and the share of rural poor in the total number of poor (2002 US$2-a-day level). In agriculture-based countries (mostly Africa), agriculture contributes asignificant(>20%) share of overall growth. In transforming countries (mostly in Asia), nonagricultural sectors dominate growth but a great majority of the poor are in rural areas. In urbanized countries (mostly in Latin America and Europe and Central Asia), the largest number of poor people are in urban areas, although poverty rates are often highest in rural areas.

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Access the report and related materials at: http://www.worldbank.org/wdr2008