Investing in People to Build Human Capital

Scientific and technological advances are transforming lives: they are even helping investing-in-people2poorer countries close the gap with rich countries in life expectancy. But, poorer countries still face tremendous challenges, as almost a quarter of children under five are malnourished, and 60 percent of primary school students are failing to achieve even a rudimentary education. In fact, more than 260 million children and youth in poorer countries are receiving no education at all.

There is a moral case to be made, of course, for investing in the health and education of all people.  But there is an economic one as well: to be ready to compete and thrive in a rapidly changing environment. “Human capital” – the potential of individuals – is going to be the most important long-term investment any country can make for its people’s future prosperity and quality of life.

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eC2: Open Data portal for the open data initiative of the Government of Honduras

Deadline: 19-Aug-2018 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.)

The objective of this consultancy is to procure an Open Data portal for Honduras Open indexData Initiative. The Open Data portal will facilitate publication and interaction of various datasets across levels of government, as well as cultivate a strong Open Data Community in Honduras.

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Toward Great Dhaka: Seize the golden opportunity

Had you looked across Shanghai’s Huangpu River from west to east in the 1980s, you bangladeshmapwould mostly have seen farmland dotted with a few scattered buildings. At the time, it was unimaginable that East Shanghai, or Pudong, would one day become a global financial centre; that its futuristic skyline, sleek expressways, and rapid trains would one day be showcased in blockbusters like James Bond and Mission Impossible movies! It was also unimaginable that the Shanghainese would consider living in Pudong.

How wrong that would have been! Pudong is now hosting some of the world’s most productive companies, and boosting some of the city’s most desirable neighbourhoods. And Shanghai has become China’s most important global city, lifting the entire hinterland with it.

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eC2: Study on Solar Powered Agricultural Technologies in Rwanda

Deadline: 20-Aug-2018 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.)

Agricultural technologies using solar power (drying, milling, milk chilling, cool storage, pexels-photo-264537.jpegetc.) are widely available globally, including in countries such as India, South Africa, and China. The World Bank is seeking expressions of interest from consulting firms or organizations (including consortiums) to undertake a study on how these technologies can be promoted in Rwanda.

The specific objectives of this consultancy are to: (1) conduct a market analysis (supply and demand) of potential agricultural utilizations of solar energy in Rwanda and globally; (2) estimate the potential demand for solar energy for targeted agricultural value chains in Rwanda; (3) conduct a stock taking/case studies of global experiences with agricultural utilizations of solar energy, including a review of some business models that have been successful in promoting plug and play solar products; and (4) conduct a stock taking of the potential constraints to mainstreaming solar energy in the value chains in Rwanda and ways to overcome them.
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eC2: Ethiopia – Cost of Service and Tariff Study

Deadline: 23-Aug-2018 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.)

The proposed study will (a) determine the cost of electricity service in Ethiopia and theethiopia _ revenue requirement of the electric utilities during 2018-2030; and (b) analyze the current electricity tariff structure and propose options for tariff optimization.

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eC2: Myanmar Distributed Generation Scoping Study

Deadline: 13-Aug-2018 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.)

The IFC is seeking consultancy services to undertake an analysis of the current market ict_day_card_1and key barriers for distributed clean power generation solutions in Myanmar. This study will primarily focus on the potential for distributed PV solutions providing power to clients on a commercially viable scale, including both grid-connected and off-grid facilities. In particular, it should focus on the market for commercial and industrial customers, rather than minigrids or other residential applications. The result of this study will be a market mapping of the potential customers that could serve as a pipeline of projects for suppliers and investors in the future, including the key characteristics of these customers, analysis of market segments, and a review of the main barriers these customers face in adopting PV solutions. The study will also profile the business models prevalent in Myanmar, to inform potential financing structures that could help unlock needed capital in the sector.

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From Parts to Products: Why Trade Logistics Matter

Published on http://www.worldbank.org.

Washington, 24 July 2018 – Take a close look at your smart phone for a moment. What trade-lpi-2018-warehouse-shutterstockdo you see? A glass screen. A button equipped with fingerprint recognition. A camera lens, flashlight, microphone, and speaker. Each of these components, and others – including chips, processors, batteries – are independently sourced from companies located all over the world and assembled into a finished product at factories, often in China. Any smart phone you purchase, and its components, has likely passed through customs several times, landed on multiple countries and continents, and been touched by countless workers.

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eC2: Identification and pre-feasibility of adaptation options for climate risk in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

Deadline: 13-Aug-2018 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.)

The overall objective of the consultancy is to perform an initial climate risk screening of AbidjanSibthe city, to select a sub-section of the coastal city of Abidjan to perform a comprehensive climate change risk analysis, within the target area of the City Integration Project. The result should lead to recommendation of detailed adaptation measures and to conduct pre-feasibility studies for the recommended measures. The results of the consultancy will provide required information to develop a full project document for the submission to the Green Climate Funds (GCF) for investment financing.

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World Bank Group Exceeds its Climate Finance Target with Record Year

Fiscal Year 2018 sets record with $20.5 billion in finance for country-level climate action

WASHINGTON, July 19, 2018 – The World Bank Group announced today that in fiscal appyear 2018, 32.1 percent of its financing had climate co-benefits – already exceeding the target set in 2015 that 28 percent of its lending volume would be climate-related by 2020. This amounted to a record-setting $20.5 billion in climate-related finance delivered in the last fiscal year – the result of an institution-wide effort to mainstream climate considerations into all development projects.

The 28 percent target was a key goal of the Bank Group’s Climate Change Action Plan, adopted in April 2016, and was designed to support countries to deliver on their national goals under the Paris Agreement on climate change.

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eC2:Improving technical knowledge of coastal waste infrastructure in the Seychelles in relation to climate and disaster risks

Deadline: 13-Aug-2018 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.)

The assignment includes a feasibility study to determine the risk associated with this Maledivenexisting waste management coastal infrastructure and provide a diagnostic designed to define potential interventions for policy reform, alternative options for mitigating forecasted climate and weather related risks and strengthening institutional capacity for managing this risk.

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