Peru | World Bank

Towards Sustainable Water Management in Peru – US$10 Million World Bank Loan

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:22:46 GMT

Contact:

In Lima: Sandra Arzubiaga (511) 615-0660

WASHINGTON D.C., July 2, 2009 – The World Bank approved today a US$10 million loan to support the Peruvian Government in its Water Resources Management Modernization project.

The loan is aimed at improving the management of water resources in Peru through a participatory, sustainable, multisector and basin-scale approach. For such purpose, the project will work with the national water bureau (Autoridad Nacional del Agua - ANA), the agency in charge of the Peruvian National Water Resource System and its local branches.

“We are extremely satisfied with this project,”says engineer Abelardo de la Torre Ugarte, Head of the ANA. “It will help to modernize the management of our water resources by integrating private and public sectors and the civil society in order to achieve the sustainable availability of water in the quantity, timeliness and quality required for present and future generations,” adds de la Torre Ugarte.

The Water Resources Management Modernization project will support the development of participatory plans for an integrated water resource management in the Chancay-Lambayeque, Chili and Ica-Alto Pampas basins.

De la Torre further added that “an important innovation of this project is the joint participation of public agencies, user associations, and operators of water systems in the development of the basins’ management plans. This joint approach pursues to balance the supply and demands of different users and to identify responsibilities in the implementation of coordinated actions for the conservation of water and related natural resources.”

Irrigation accounts for 80 percent of water use in Peru. The Peruvian coasts and lower areas of the Pacific basins are subject to flooding due to high rainfall levels in the upper parts of the basins, while the southern areas are more drought prone.

In addition to variations in water availability, water quality is poor due to uncontrolled discharges. Additionally, climate change is causing tropical glaciers to melt which further increases water scarcity and variability and threatens the water supply.

“We congratulate the Peruvian Government for its commitment in keeping water security as a key element for the population, a sustainable development and the environment’s conservation,” says Felipe Jaramillo, World Bank Director for Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. “The World Bank will continue supporting the water sector to help establish a new water culture that puts an emphasis on the value, use and management of water resources by all social and productive sectors,” adds Jaramillo.

The Water Resources Management Modernization project will contribute to:

- Improve the sustainable, participatory and multisectoral management of water resources.

- Increase the participation of water users in the management of water resources.

- Promote cross-institutional coordination at national and basin levels.

- Reduce water quality degradation and its negative impacts on human health, agriculture and exports.

- Facilitate access to comprehensive, timely and reliable information on water resources and climate

- Increase the country’s capacity to adapt to climate change impacts.

The project amounts to US$23 million, of which US$13 million are national counterpart funds and the remaining is financed with a US$ 10 million loan. The loan has a fixed margin and an 18 year repayment period, with a grace period of 17.5 years.

For more information about this project, visit:

http://web.worldbank.org/external/projects/main?query=P107666&menuPK=51526581&pagePK=218616&piPK=217470&status=P&theSitePK=40941

For more information on World Bank support for Peru, visit: www.worldbank.org/pe

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Peru: Water Resources Management Modernization Project

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:49:52 GMT

WASHINGTON, July 2, 2009 - The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved the following project:

Peru: Water Resources Management Modernization Project

IBRD Loan: US$10 million equivalent

Terms: Maturity = 18 years; Grace period = 17.5 years

IDA Credit: US$10 million equivalent

Terms: Maturity = 18 years; Grace period = 17.5 years

Project ID: P107666

Project Description: The Water Resources Management Modernization Project for Peru aims to improve the management of water resources by strengthening the country's capacity for participatory, integrated, basin-scale Water Resources Management (WRM) at the central level and in selected river basins. The project will be led by the country's national authorities on water, Autoridad Nacional del Agua (ANA), the main entity of Peru's National Water Resources System and its local offices.

Media Contact

Stevan Jackson

(202) 458-5054

Sjackson@worldbank.org

For more project information, please visit:

http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/LACEXT/PERUEXTN/0,,menuPK:343629~pagePK:141159~piPK:141110~theSitePK:343623,00.html

Peru - Safe and Sustainable Transport Sector Wide Approaches (SWAps) Project

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Post-construction support and sustainability in community-managed rural water supply : case studies in Peru, Bolivia, and Ghana

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT

This volume reports the main findings from a multi-country research project that was designed to develop a better understanding of how rural water supply systems are performing in developing countries. The author began the research in 2004 to investigate how the provision of support to communities after the construction of a rural water supply project affected project performance in the medium term. The author collected information from households, village water committees, focus groups of village residents, system operators, and key informants in 400 rural communities in Bolivia, Ghana, and Peru; in total, the author discussed community water supply issues with approximately 10,000 individuals in these communities. To the surprise, the author found the great majority of the village water systems were performing well. The findings on the factors influencing their sustainability will be of use to policy makers, investors, and managers in rural water supply.

Peru - Safe and Sustainable Transport Sector Wide Approaches (SWAps) Project

Wed, 20 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Peru/WB: US$330 Million to Reinforce Efficiency of Social Spending

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 23:01:25 GMT

Contacts:

In Lima: Sandra Arzubiaga (511) 615-0660

sarzubiaga@worldbank.org

In Washington: Gabriela Aguilar (202) 473-6768

gaguilar2@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, April 9, 2009 - Ensuring funds for social spending and countercyclical measures to help Peru face the impacts of the international financial crisis is one of the main objectives of the US$330 million loan approved today by the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors.

The Second Programmatic Social Reform Loan aims to support the Government of Peru to improve the quality of education and health services and social programs, such as the well-known Juntos (“Together”) program.

“This loan decisively supports government actions to protect the rights of the poorest citizens so they have suitable nutrition and access to quality health and education services,” said Prime Minister Yehude Simon, while adding that “support for the Juntos program and universal health insurance move forward key social reforms will improve equal access to opportunities in the country.”

The loan also aims to make education and health services more efficient in order to achieve tangible social impacts.

According to Minister of Finance Luis Carranza, his ministry “entirely supports efforts needed for social spending to result in visible outcomes among the most vulnerable populations. This reform program seeks to ensure that accountability for achieving results is shared among all levels of government, as well as by the population in its demand for quality health and education services. It will also strengthen initiatives such as Juntos or RENIEC programs that address malnutrition, lack of documentation, and other social problems.”

“This program has arrived just on time to support efforts of the Peruvian Government to restructure the Juntos program, develop a results-oriented budget, set goals and standards for achievements in student learning and under-two children, and reduce mother-infant mortality rates,” added Felipe Jaramillo, World Bank Director for Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.

The reforms will consolidate operational improvements and administration of the Juntos conditional cash transfers program in order to strengthen accountability between the government and parents to ensure that children are growing normally. It also ensures participants receive counseling services, take nutritional supplements as needed up until age two, and ensures pregnant women have access to health services.

The initiative will involve regional governments in order to establish incentives for health service providers and educational institutions to improve coverage and quality.

In Peru, one in three children under five suffers from chronic malnutrition, and barely 50 percent of rural women receive medical attention from qualified personnel or institutions during labor, whereas the national average is 76 percent. This lack of coverage puts one out of every two rural pregnant women and children at risk. Only 16 percent of second-grade children reach expected level of educational outcomes.

In this context, the loan specifically contributes to:

Establishing clear, results-oriented goals and quality standards for education and health services.
Building an accountability system between doctors, health workers, teachers, principals, health centers, and parents.
Broadening coverage and quality of results monitoring.
Improving nutrition information systems.
Strengthening reforms in Juntos piloted in the San Jerónimo District, Apurimac, in order to improve efficiency of operational and administrative processes as well as the baseline assessment. Moreover, it will expand and improve efficiency of the SIS as well as the supply and demand for births in medical institutions.
Implementing the Ministry of Education’s initiative to make second-grade reading and mathematics achievement assessment results transparent so that they can be discussed with parents to improve results.

Finally, support will be provided for the National Identity and Marital Status Registry (RENIEC in Spanish) in order to facilitate birth registrations and include identification numbers on birth certificates. Lack of documentation is a factor contributing to the exclusion of more vulnerable families from social programs.

Funding approved today totals US$330 million and consists of a credit line with a fixed-margin loan, a 21.5-year payback period and a 12.5-year grace period.

For more information about the project, please visit:

http://web.worldbank.org/external/projects/main?pagePK=64283627&piPK=64624214&theSitePK=2748767&menuPK=2805091&Projectid=P101177

For more information about the World Bank’s work in Peru, please visit:

http://www.worldbank.org/pe

Peru: Results and Accountability (REACT) Development Policy Loan

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 22:34:38 GMT

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

IBRD Loan: $330 Millon

Terms: Maturity = 21.5 years; Grace = 12.5 years

Project Description: The Results and Accountability (REACT) Development Policy Loan for Peru (DPL) is the second in a planned series of three operations aiming to support the Government of Peru (GoP) in strengthening the accountability framework and improving results in health, nutrition and education. The Peru REACT DPL series is supporting actions in primary education, health and nutrition to define standards and set goals for the outcomes which families should expect for their children, and is expected to lead to improved outcomes in second grade literacy; increased access to institutional birth services; and increased coverage of individualized growth monitoring and counseling services for children under 24 months of age in areas with a high incidence of chronic malnutrition, leading to better nutrition outcomes.

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=P101177

Peru - Global Environment Facility (GEF) Lima Transport Project

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 04:00:00 GMT

This project paper introduces the following changes in the Peru Lima Transport Project and any accompanying amendments to the project's legal documents. The changes consist of: (a) the replacement of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) financing of bus scrapping and social mitigation related activities with: (i) a study to integrate and rationalize the public transport system in Metropolitan Lima; and (ii) the allocation of a small amount of the respective funds to project management and for contingencies; (b) the refinement of a few indicators to adapt them to the component changes and to provide a better definition of project outputs; (c) the deletion of the disbursement categories and conditions relating to the scrapping/social mitigation activities and the inclusion of a new disbursement condition relating to the approval by the Bank of a revised environmental management plan; (d) the reallocation of funds between disbursement categories; and (e) a one-year grant closing date extension.

Peru - Second Results and Accountability (REACT) Development Policy Loan-Deferred Drawdawn Option Project

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 05:00:00 GMT

The Peru Results and Accountability (REACT) Development Policy Loan (DPL) is the second in a planned series of three operations to support the Government of Peru (GoP) in strengthening the accountability framework and improving results in health, nutrition and education. The Peru REACT DPL series is supporting actions in primary education, health and nutrition to define standards and set goals for the outcomes which families should expect for their children. This is coupled with the development of robust monitoring systems which provide up-to-date information on the performance of health posts and schools and individualized data for parents on the health, nutrition and learning status of their children. The operation also supports actions to reduce exclusion, rationalize programs, to improve targeting and to increase the participation of poor communities in budget processes and program monitoring. The REACT DPL series is expected to lead to improved outcomes in second grade literacy; increased access to institutional birth services; and increased coverage of individualized growth monitoring and counseling services for children under 24 months of age in areas with a high incidence of chronic malnutrition, leading to better nutrition outcomes.

Peru - Health Reform Adaptable Program Loan (APL)

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 23:30:57 GMT

WASHINGTON, February 17, 2009 - The following project was approved today by the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors:

IBRD Loan: US$15 million

TERMS: Maturity = 25 years; Grace= 10.5 years

Project Description: The project is the Second Phase of an Adaptable Program Loan (APL) which supports health reform in Peru. The project will: (i) improve family health care practices for women (during pregnancy, delivery and breast-feeding) and children under three years old in the nine poorest provinces; (ii) strengthen health service network capacities to solve obstetric, neonatal and infant emergencies, and provide comprehensive health services to women (during pregnancy, delivery and breast-feeding) and children under age three in the nine poorest provinces; and (iii) support the Ministry of Health’s governance functions of regulation, quality, efficiency and equity for improving the new health delivery model of maternal and child health care in a decentralized environment.

Media Contact

Gabriela Aguilar

(202) 473-6768

gaguilar@worldbank.org

For project documents, please visit: http://web.worldbank.org/external/projects/main?pagePK=64283627&piPK=73230&theSitePK=40941&menuPK=228424&Projectid=P095563

Peru - Environmental Development Policy Loan Program (ENVDPL)

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 23:27:19 GMT

WASHINGTON, February 17, 2009 - The following project was approved today by the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors:

IBRD Loan: US$330 million

TERMS: Maturity = 21.5 years; Grace= 13.5 years

Project Description: The ENVDPL will support the Government of Peru ’s efforts to strengthen environmental governance and institutions in Peru, and mainstream environmental sustainability in the development agenda of key sectors (mining, fisheries, and urban transport and energy). The ENVDPL will also promote improvements in health, particularly of the poor who are exposed to the highest risks from environmental degradation.

Media Contact

Gabriela Aguilar

(202) 473-6768

gaguilar@worldbank.org

For more information on this project visit:

http://web.worldbank.org/external/projects/main?pagePK=64283627&piPK=73230&theSitePK=40941&menuPK=228424&Projectid=P101471

Peru/WB: US$15 Million to Improve Health Care for Poor Rural Populations

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 22:57:18 GMT

Contacts:
In Lima : Sandra Arzubiaga (511) 615-0660
sarzubiaga@worldbank.org
In Washington : Patricia da Camara (202) 473-4019
pdacamara@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, February 17, 2009- The World Bank Board of Executive Directors today approved a US$15 million loan to Peru to improve the equity of and expand access to mother-child rural health care services. The funds will be allocated to the second phase of the Parsalud program, to be implemented during a five-year period by the Ministry of Health. The total budget for the initiative amounts to US$162 million in the country’s nine priority regions.

“The project will support an implementation scheme for universal health coverage, as provided for in the law, by developing pilot areas that integrate solid experience in building the universal health care system,” said the Minister of Health Óscar Ugarte.

The main goal of Parsalud II is to continue the efforts made by Peru to reduce mother and child mortality rates, currently a severe problem.

Mother mortality rates in Peru –164 per 100,000 born alive– are almost double the Latin American average, and child mortality is still a challenge in equity. For instance, while child mortality rates among the country’s high-income population (higher quintile) amount to five per every 1,000 born alive, the figure increases to 45 per every 1,000 born alive among the poorest population (lower quintiles). Additionally, there are staggering differences among regions. While Lima has the lowest child mortality rates with 14 per every 1,000 born alive, the figure amounts to 33 in the Sierra and 38 in the jungle (statistics from 2006).

The program will also help improve the Regional Health Directorates’ health care service networks so that they can offer services adapted to the cultural needs of the indigenous population regarding obstetric and newborn emergencies. The program also expects to deliver integral health care and nutrition services for women and children, including growth checkups and pregnancy and childbirth monitoring.

The initiative will benefit people in the poorest districts of Amazonas, Huánuco, Huancavelica, Ayacucho, Apurimac, Cusco, Cajamarca, Ucayali and Puno. These areas also benefit from the action of the “Juntos” Program, which includes conditional cash transfers that promote the demand for health and nutrition services among poor households.

“The World Bank is very interested in the efforts made by Peru to ensure universal health coverage and considers this to be essential towards achieving the goal of reducing access and quality gaps in mother-child health care services in the poorest areas. This project helps the Ministry of Health respond to both challenges,” said Felipe Jaramillo, World Bank Director for Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.

The second phase of Parsalud is based on the success of its first phase in 2000-2005, which benefited 649,000 pregnant women and 3,444,000 children under five years of age, exceeding the original expectations set at 503,000 pregnant women and 1,254,000 children. In spite of these achievements, excluded rural areas still present a significant challenge.

An innovative aspect of Parsalud II is a communications and educational component that promotes healthy lifestyles, aims at increasing the demand for health care services, promotes the rights of the poorest population and encourages registration in the SIS and the use of an identity card.

In addition to the normal control mechanisms for these types of loans, the Government of Peru and the World Bank introduced a technical audit system to ensure accountability of resource use.

The US$15 million approved today are based on a LIBOR rate plus a fixed 0.75 percent margin to be repaid in 25 years and a grace period of 11 years.

MoH Goals for the next 5 Years in 9 Regions:
• Reducing the child mortality rate from 42 to 32 per 1,000 born alive
• Increase the rate of births assisted in a health care facility from 44% to 78%
• Reduce the chronic malnutrition rate in children under 5 from 38% to 30%
• Reduce the prevalence of anemia in children under 3 from 69% to 60%
• Increase from 64% to 80% the percentage of breastfed children up to their 6th month
Number of Benefitted Health Care Facilities :
• 115 health care facilities
Beneficiary Population :
• 643,158 children under 3, pregnant women, women breastfeeding, women who have just given birth of rural families of the country´s nine poorest regions

For more information on this project, please visit:
http://web.worldbank.org/external/projects/main?pagePK=64283627&piPK=73230&theSitePK=40941&menuPK=228424&Projectid=P095563

For more information on the work of the World Bank in Peru, please visit:
http://www.worldbank.org/peru

Peru/WB: US$330 Million to Support the Environment

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 21:25:11 GMT

Contacts:
In Lima: Sandra Arzubiaga (511) 615-0660
sarzubiaga@worldbank.org
In Washington: Patricia da Camara (202) 473-4019
pdacamara@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, February 17, 2009 - The World Bank Board of Executive Directors today approved a US$330 loan million to Peru to strengthen the new Ministry of the Environment and improve environmental management in key sectors of the Peruvian economy, including mining, urban transport, fisheries and biodiversity conservation.

“The World Bank has decided to support Peru resolutely in the implementation of environmental policies permitting sustainable development,” said Felipe Jaramillo, World Bank Director for Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. “In the context of the global financial crisis, it is key to identify and adopt an increasing number of policies that could make progress in both the economy and environmental protection,” he added.

Urban air pollution is one of the most severe problems in Peruvian cities. It is estimated to cause approximately 4,000 deaths per year, most of them among poor sectors and children under five years old.

According to the ‘Environmental Analysis of Peru’, published by the World Bank, the cost of environmental damage amounts to 3.9 percent of the country’s GDP: about US$2.3 billion in losses caused by air and water pollution.

The same report indicates that air pollution levels in Lima and Callao, in terms of particulate matter (PM10), exceed those of Mexico City, Sao Paulo and Santiago, all cities with a greater number of cars than Lima and less favorable geographic conditions. The diesel used in Peru is low quality, containing high levels of sulfur (5,000 parts per million), which contributes to the generation of particulate matter. Therefore, the need to introduce clean fuel, including diesel with no more than 50 parts per million of sulfur content, and optimize vehicular performance to help reduce particulate matter in urban areas.

“The program aims at improving the quality of fuels, especially diesel, the most commonly used fuel in public transportation. According to the law, by January 1, 2010, the quality of fuels must improve substantially. This means updating vehicles in Lima, where there are currently many old and highly polluting cars, to improve air quality,” said Minister of the Environment Antonio Brack.

The World Bank’s programmatic loan is the first in a series of three that will fund institutional reforms and policies in five key areas:

Improved environmental management, including supporting the strengthening of the Ministry of the Environment
Fuel and transport sector reform to improve air quality
Biodiversity conservation (Peru is among the eight countries with the greatest diversity in the world)
Sustainable environmental management in the mining sector
Sustainable development of the fisheries sector

Regarding the mining sector, Renán Poveda, environmental expert and World Bank project manager, stated that “the program will conduct an inventory of the current negative impacts of former mining and smelting operations, which are called mining environmental liabilities. This study will help identify and prioritize these liabilities to set up strategies for improvement. There is much to be done in this area.” He also added that the program: “will promote citizen involvement in the entire mining cycle, including participatory environmental monitoring. This is an important innovation that could have major implications in reducing social conflict.”

Finally, the program will support sustainable development and reduce the overcapacity of the fishing sector. It will additionally strengthen capacities to deal with potential social impacts associated with fleet reductions. Fishing resources in Peru are among the largest in the world but they are threatened by several factors, including overcapacity of the fishing fleet which had led to the overfishing of several marine species, including anchovies.

The Peru Programmatic Loan for Environmental Development Policy Loan reflects a strong commitment at the highest level to face environmental challenges and it has the benefit of coordinating the actions of the Ministries of Economy and Finance, of Energy and Mines, of Production, of Transportation and Communications, and the Ministry of Health, through DIGESA, and the recently created Ministry of the Environment, among other agencies.

The US$330 million loan includes a LIBOR rate plus a 0.75 percent fixed margin to be repaid in 21.5 years and a grace period of 13.5 years.

For more information on this project, please visit this website.
http://web.worldbank.org/external/projects/main?pagePK=64283627&piPK=73230&theSitePK=40941&menuPK=228424&Projectid=P101471

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

Peru - Second Results and Accountability (REACT) Development Policy Loan-Deferred Drawdawn Option Project

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Peru - Water Resources Management Modernization Project

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Peru - Second Phase Adaptable Program Loan (APL) of the Health Reform Program

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 05:00:00 GMT

The Second Phase Adaptable Program Loan (APL) of the Health Reform Program for Peru development objectives are to: (i) improve family care practices for women (during pregnancy, delivery, and breast-feeding), and children under the age of three; (ii) strengthen health services networks with capacity to solve obstetric, neonatal and infant emergencies and to provide comprehensive health services to women and children under the age of three; and (iii) support ministry of health governance functions of regulation, quality, efficiency and equity for improving the new health delivery model of maternal and child health care in a decentralized environment. The project will include the following four components: 1) improving health practices at the household level for women and children under the age of three in rural areas of selected regions. In particular through: a) the design, implementation and monitoring of a behavioral change communication and education program to promote healthy practices at the household level, including increased demand for health services; and b) the promotion of Seguro Integral de Salud (SIS) enrollment rights and identity rights of the targeted population; 2) increasing the capacity to provide better maternal and child health services for the poor; through: a) the improvement of the quality of services in health facilities of the nine regions; and b) the provision of support for the integrated health delivery model and the development of support systems to raise the efficiency and effectiveness of health networks; 3) strengthening government capacities to offer more equitable and efficient health system in a decentralized environment. This component will work towards the provision of: a) support for the development of a regulatory framework and implementation plan to increase quality in the provision of health services; b) support to the SIS in the development of the public insurance system; c) support to SIS and Sistema Integrado de Gestion Administrativa (SIGA) for the strengthening of their monitoring data in order to increase the accountability in the system; and d) support to the decentralization of health services; and 4) project coordination and monitoring and evaluation, trough the provision of technical assistance, financing of incremental operating costs, and external and concurrent audits.

Peru - Environmental Development Policy Loan Project

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 05:00:00 GMT

The Environmental Development Policy Loan Program (ENVDPL) aims at supporting the government's efforts to strengthen environmental governance and institutions in Peru, and mainstream environmental sustainability in the development agenda of key sectors (mining, fisheries, and urban transport and energy). The ENVDPL promotes improvements in health particularly of the poor who are exposed to the highest risks from environmental degradation. The ENVDPL is consistent with one of the key pillars of the 2006 Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) for Peru for FY07-FY11 (and the 2009 CPS progress report) laying out a strategy to support the Government of Peru (GoP) to achieve its goals of sustained economic growth. The CPS recognizes the need to raise the profile of environmental issues in Peru by enhancing environmental public investments and strengthening the institutional framework. In support of the CPS'pillar on economic growth, the ENVDPL program will contribute to making growth environmentally sustainable by supporting the environmental legal and institutional framework, biodiversity conservation, enhancing control over air and water pollution, improving the sustainability of the mining sector and the sustainable management of fisheries resources. In addition, by supporting the policy instruments of the newly created Ministry of Environment (MINAM), the ENVDPL would contribute to the modernization of the state institutions.

Peru - Water Resources Management Modernization Project

Mon, 05 Jan 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

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