Category Archives: Uncategorized

From Parts to Products: Why Trade Logistics Matter

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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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World Bank Group Exceeds its Climate Finance Target with Record Year

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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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This is the leading ICT-connected country in Central and Western Africa

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1_dD1b0L4owjraFCKySAW-LA.pngIt is impossible these days to drive around the cities of Gabon without noticing the large billboards promoting internet access at rates that were unimaginable only a few years ago.

This is a wonderful development for Alphonse, a young, 34-year old public-sector professional. WhatsApp, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram are all applications that this ultra-connected young man uses on his telephone for both work and pleasure.

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How can we help cities provide the building blocks for future growth?

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Basic infrastructure makes all the difference in the lives of people. Sometimes a road is all it takes… Access to clean drinking water and sanitation can improve children’s health,childrens_play_ground_in_a_public_park_-_by_ngoc_tran-shutterstock-resized reduce waterborne disease, and lower the risk of stunting. Street lighting can improve the safety of a community, reduce gender-based violence, and add productive hours for shops and economic activities, which can help people escape poverty.  A paved road can lead to a world of possibilities for small business owners, increasing access to additional markets and suppliers, as well as opportunities to grow their businesses.

The urban infrastructure finance gap
Cities already account for approximately 70-80 percent of the world’s economic growth, and this will only increase as cities continue to grow. In the next 35 years, the population in cities is estimated to expand by an additional 2.5 billion people, almost double the population of China. As a vital component for connectivity, public health, social welfare, and economic development, infrastructure in all its forms – basic, social, and economic – is critical for the anticipated urban growth.

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ICYMI: Call to join the Young Professionals Program (YPP)

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The application for the 2019 Selection Process for the Young Professionals Program will be open from June 14 to July 31, 2018 (midnight EST).

WebThe Young Professionals Program (YPP) is a starting point for an exciting career at the World Bank Group.

It is a unique opportunity for younger talent who have both a passion for international development and the leadership potential to grow in fascinating top technical and managerial roles in the World Bank Group (WBG). The program is designed for highly qualified and motivated individuals skilled in areas relevant to WBG technical/operations such as economics, finance, education, public health, social sciences, engineering, urban planning, agriculture, natural resources and others.

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Building Back Better: How to Cut Natural Disaster Losses by a Third

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DgnheipUwAETCjh.jpgWASHINGTON, June 18, 2018 – When countries rebuild stronger, faster and more inclusively after natural disasters they can reduce the impact on people’s livelihoods and well-being by as much as 31 percent, potentially cutting global average losses from $555 billion to $382 billion per year. That’s the conclusion of a new report from the World Bank and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), released today.

The report, Building Back Better: Achieving resilience through stronger, faster and more inclusive post-disaster reconstruction, assesses socioeconomic resilience and the impact of disasters on people’s well-being. It covers 149 countries, including 17 small island states, representing 95.5 percent of the world’s population.

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Achieving Financial Inclusion: Fintech, account usage, and innovation

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Submitted by H.M. Queen Maxima of The Netherlands on June 14, 2018

For almost a decade, the global community and national governments have made concerted efforts to expand financial inclusion—creating a financial system that works for all and opens the doors to greater stability and equitable progress.

madagascar_0This has been a demanding challenge. At the start of our engagement on financial access back in 2013, we said that having a real target with an end date would keep us focused and give us a benchmark against which we could measure progress.

Last month we learned that we have made strong and consistent progress—a real cause for celebration. According to the Global Findex database, more than half a billion people gained a financial transaction account over the last three years, thanks to a combination of technology, private investment, policy reforms, and support from the global community. Since 2011, the share of adults with formal accounts has risen from 51 percent to 69 percent, and financial access has expanded to include an additional 1.2 billion people.

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eC2: Zambia Off-grid Information Portal

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Deadline: 29-May-2018 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.)  Energy India

IFC seeks to hire the services of consulting firm to design an online, publicly available, one-stop information hub for the off-grid energy space in Zambia, of relevance to a range of off-grid technologies and business models. The portal will provide information on Zambia’s off-grid opportunity (including GIS and other data); policy and regulatory environment, including permitting and licensing processes, the tariff framework, applicable standards and specifications; financing and support options; and procurement of off-grid solutions. IFC does not intend to host the information hub over the long-term, but will develop and transfer the hub to the appropriate governmental agency in Zambia to manage and update the information hub on a regular basis to ensure that it remains relevant and accurate.

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May 15-16: IFC Global Agribusiness Conference in The Netherlands

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pexels-photo-264537.jpegIFC Global Agribusiness Conference, May 15-16 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands

International Finance Corporation invites investors, private companies whose supply chains rely on smallholder farmers, organizations offering products and services, donors, and government officials to join its Global Agribusiness Conference.

The conference will focus on practical solutions to the challenges of building smallholder professionalism and closing yield gaps between commercial operations and smallholder farmers.

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eC2:SCOPING STUDY ASSESSING THE ENERGY ACCESS SPACE IN AFGHANISTAN AND DEVELOPING AN ENERGY ACCESS PROGRAM

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Deadline: 07-Apr-2018 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.) energy

Objective:   The objective of this study is to evaluate the potential to develop an energy access program exploiting renewable sources, focused on two market sectors: i) solar lighting devices (solar lanterns and solar home systems, SHS) and ii) solar water heaters (SWH) based on sound market intelligence. It includes development of an initial concept for a SHS program with the purpose of developing a functioning market for supply, after-sales service and financing of such systems for the electrification of off-grid areas in Afghanistan. It is expected that the consultant will assess the current market conditions from the supply side (i.e. solar equipment and micro-finance providers) and the demand side, i.e. consumers. On the supply side, information should be gathered through stakeholder interviews and field visits whereas for the consumer side, a detailed market intelligence survey is expected to be conducted (household level, suggested 1,600 interviews). Based on the data collected, the consultant is expected to develop an initial concept for a SHS program.

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