Doing Business Report: New Record Set as 314 Reforms Introduced to Improve Business Climate Around the World

WASHINGTON, October 31, 2018 – Governments around the world set a new record in Doing Business 2019bureaucracy busting efforts for the domestic private sector, implementing 314 business reforms over the past year, says the World Bank Group’s Doing Business 2019: Training for Reform report, released today.

The reforms, carried out in 128 economies, benefit small and medium enterprises as well as entrepreneurs, enabling job creation and stimulating private investment. This year’s reforms surpass the previous all-time high of 290 reforms two years ago.

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eC2: Development of a Study on the Establishment of the Klokot Spring Cross-Border Sanitary Protection Zones

Deadline: 15-Nov-2018 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.)

A Study on the Spring Sanitary Protection Zones is needed to mitigate against the sourcesbalkans of pollution and the World Bank (the Bank) has been requested by the relevant Governments to carry it out. To do so, in compliance with the requirements of the eligible BETF and RETF activities, the Bank will hire a consultant company (the Consultant) to prepare the Study while monitoring and coordinating the activities of the latter with those carried out by the beneficiary countries, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, and their consultants, including a Steering Board and a Study Implementation Team. The consultant will prepare the Study to help the beneficiary countries identify the effective sanitary protection measures for the springs to prevent groundwater pollution (the quantitative and qualitative features), and to share with them relevant recommendations for the monitoring of the groundwater in the relevant areas in the future, with the aim of allowing a timely identification of the eventual water quality deterioration in the catchment area.

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eC2: Building the Capacity of Water Supply Service Providers in Disaster Risk Management and Climate Adaptation

Deadline: 15-Nov-2018 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.)

This consultancy services is to provide advisory services and technical inputs to increase indonesiaawareness and capacity of relevant Government of Indonesia line agencies in developing DRM and climate adaptation plans for water supply infrastructure, particularly to address seismic and hydro-meteorological (floods, droughts and landslides) risks. The key objectives are to: (i) develop a technical report that outlines guidance on how to address DRM and climate adaptation aspects in water supply infrastructure; (ii) develop a set of technical guidelines and standard operating procedures that will assist PDAMs to prepare DRM and climate adaptation plans; and (iii) provide technical assistance to AKATIRTA and/or MPWH’s Balai Teknik Air Minum (BTAM) to increase their capacity in delivering trainings and education programs in the design and operation of resilient water and sanitation infrastructure.

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Seychelles Launched Blue Bonds – What are Blue Bonds (FAQs)

What is a Blue Bond?

The blue bond is a debt instrument issued by governments, development banks or others

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to raise capital from impact investors to finance marine and ocean-based projects that have positive environmental, economic and climate benefits. The blue bond is inspired by the green bond concept, which people are more familiar with.

Why did Seychelles decide to issue a Blue Bond?

Like many small island states, Seychelles’ economy is highly dependent on the ocean and on fisheries for food, nutrition and livelihoods; marine habitats, and other blue economy sectors such as tourism. After tourism, the fisheries sector is the country’s most important industry, contributing significantly to annual GDP and employing 17% of the population. Fish products make up around 95% of the total value of domestic exports.

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eC2: Indonesia: Least-Cost Planning and Dispatch Diagnosis in Eastern Islands

Deadline: 14-Nov-2018 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.)

The assignment will focus on a number of islands (targeting a total of 10-12) based on theindex following criteria (a) the size of PLN grid (5-150MW); (b) high average generation cost; and (c) electrification rate below 90%. The selected islands will be communicated to the Consultant before the start of the assignment. They are all located in the Eastern Islands and were divided into three groups, (i) islands with a small installed generation capacity and limited electrification, (ii) islands with an installed generation capacity of 50-150 MW with only diesel generation and very high average generation cost and (iii) islands with an installed generation capacity of 50-150 MW with diesel and coal generation and high average generation cost.

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Isolation and Opportunity; Strengthening Justice in Remote Solomon Islands

STORY HIGHLIGHTS feature2-web

  • In remote areas of the Solomon Islands, police are often not present causing a challenge to maintain law and order.
  • Locally elected Community Officers are facilitating local justice and providing a vital link between the government and citizens in remote areas of the Solomon Islands.
  • Remote communities now know there is much needed help for conflict resolution, strengthening connections between communities and the state

 

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Introducing the online guide to the World Development Indicators: A new way to discover data on development

The World Development Indicators (WDI) is the World Bank’s premier compilation of international statistics on global development. Drawing from officially recognized sources and including national, regional, and global estimates, the WDI provides access to almost 1,600 indicators for 217 economies, with some time series extending back more than 50 years. The database helps users—analysts, policymakers, academics, and all those curious about the state of the world—to find information related to all aspects of development, both current and historical.

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eC2: Verification standard for land use climate funds – Definition of policies, processes and procedures

Deadline: 08-Nov-2018 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.) land-administration-page

The World Banks Forest and Landscapes Team within the Climate Funds unit (GCCFM) sits in the Climate Change Cross Cutting Solutions Area (CCSA); it manages carbon funds and facilities, worth over $1.3 billion. There are two main carbon funds/facilities in the land sector that seek to pilot climate result based finance at large scale level: BioCF Initiative of Sustainable Forest Landscapes (ISFL) and the FCPF Carbon Fund.
It is expected that a total of 23 Emission Reduction Programs will be included in the portfolio of both funds.First monitoring is expected to occur from 2019 onwards but before the funds can make payments, reported results need to be verified. However, more is needed to define the terms of the modalities and procedures for verification under both funds. This definition is critical for ensuring the quality and environmental integrity of ERs generated. The WB is seeking a firm to support in the definition of a verification standard.

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The Safe Food Imperative: Accelerating Progress in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

STORY HIGHLIGHTSfood_key

  • Unsafe food costs low- and middle-income economies US$ 110 billion in lost productivity and medical expenses each year.
  • Preventative measures—including greater investment, better regulatory frameworks and measures that promote behavior change—can help countries avoid food safety problems
  • An inclusive approach to food safety management that makes food safety a shared responsibility among government, farmers, food businesses and consumers will be most effective

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eC2: Study on Understanding Participation of Young Farmer-Entrepreneurs in Agri-Businesses in Mindanao

Deadline: 05-Nov-2018 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.) ls-a-day-in-the-life-of-a-vegetable-farmer-in-lesotho-780x439

The study aims to further understand what makes younger farmers thrive and engage successfully in agricultural businesses. The study is intended to provide in-depth information on design choices for the proposed Mindanao Inclusive Agriculture Development Project in terms of supporting an enabling environment for young farmers sustained participation in agriculture businesses.

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