Category Archives: WBG News & Reports

Take-Aways from the Anticorruption for Development Global Forum

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Esther Smith – Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, U.S.A.

In June, the Anticorruption for Development (AC4D) Global Forum was held at the Worldbanner-anticorruption-780x439 Bank Group’s headquarters in Washington D.C.  Aware of corruption’s high societal and environmental costs, the World Bank has reaffirmed its commitment to anticorruption as a development priority and seeks to foster partnerships with other stakeholders working towards better governance and integrity. Equally important to the Netherlands, the event was co-hosted by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and well-attended by an audience from all over the world and various organizations.

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Investing in Youth, Transforming Africa

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STORY HIGHLIGHTSafe-hc-summit

  • By 2075, one-third of the world’s population—and of the working-age population—will be African. It is the only region where the workforce will grow continuously in the coming decades.
  • This gives Africa an enormous opportunity to drive economic growth and prosperity through investments in education, skills, and health.
  • Africa’s Heads of State are gathering at the Africa Human Capital Heads of State Summit to discuss how to accelerate human capital accumulation, leverage the youth bulge, and create jobs to propel economic growth.

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India incorporates green bonds into its climate finance strategy

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In 2023, India experienced the hottest February since 1901, the first year the country’sdehli_metro_adobestock_252063301_blog.jpg Meteorological Department started its weather records. Extreme weather events like this are becoming frequent and are expected to get worse due to climate change. India is among the countries most affected by the impacts of extreme weather events. 

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The Hidden Wealth of Nations: Groundwater’s Critical Role in a Changing Climate

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STORY HIGHLIGHTS econ-of-groundwater-india-well-780x439

  • As “nature’s insurance,” groundwater protects food security, reduces poverty, and boosts resilient economic growth, but the resource is threatened by overexploitation and pollution.
  • High-level political action is needed to prioritize groundwater and align the private and social costs of its use.
  • A new World Bank report considers the economic value of groundwater, the costs of misusing it, and the opportunities to leverage it more effectively.

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Ukraine; Supporting and Opportunities

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Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues to inflict a devastating toll on the country and is780-ukraine-030722 causing serious global repercussions. Ukraine’s recovery, reconstruction, and operating needs are staggering. According to the recent Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA2), the estimated cost of Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction stands at $411 billion over the next decade. For 2023, Ukraine is facing an additional funding gap of $11 billion for critical economic and capital expenditures. The highest needs are in transport (22%), housing (17%), energy (11%), social protection and livelihoods (10%), explosive hazard management (9%) and agriculture (7%).

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The Interlocking Challenges of Climate Change and Poverty | The Development Podcast

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FEATURING: Richard Damania, Chief Economist for Sustainable Development, World Bank / Roselyn Fosuah Adjei, Director of Climate Change for the Ghana Forestry Commission / Professor Denis Aheto, Director of the Centre for Coastal Management, World Bank Africa Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience / Cathy Kamanu, farmer from Kenya.

How do we address climate change, reduce poverty, and boost shared prosperity on a livable planet? Climate change is one of the defining issues of our time, and no country is immune.

On this episode of The Development Podcast, we hone in on voices across Africa about the experience of climate change and how it intersects with poverty, and we hear from the World Bank’s Chief Economist for Sustainable Development in Washington, DC. Tune in as we speak with Cathy Kamamu, a farmer from Kenya, Professor Denis Aheto, Director of the Centre for Coastal Management, World Bank Africa Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience, Roselyn Fosuah Adjei, Director of Climate Change for the Ghana Forestry Commission, and Richard Damania, Chief Economist for Sustainable Development at the World Bank.  

Tell us what you think of our podcast here >>>. We would love to hear from you!

 

 

Operational procurement update

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Rated Criteria!

Effective September 1, 2023, the World Bank will require the use of Rated Criteria as the default approach for most international procurements. Using Rated Criteria more widely will increase Borrowers’ flexibility to procure works, goods, and non-consulting services best suited to their specific situation and provide a more fit-for-purpose approach. Rated Criteria will also increase willingness of the best suppliers to bid and participate in Bank- financed projects—with the knowledge that their added value will be part of the evaluation, thereby increasing options, global competition, and likelihood for effective market solutions.

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RFx Now

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This article is to inform that eConsultant2 corporate procurement platform of the World Bank Group has been replaced by the WBGeProcure RFx Now platform.

The new platform will enable registered Vendors to express interest and participate in business opportunities for consulting services for operational purposes.

The World Bank Group tried to transfer all eConsultant2 registered accounts to the new platform. Firms interested in exploring opportunities and that are not currently registered as Vendors are encouraged to complete an application to become a potential supplier in the WBGeProcure Supplier Registration portal.

Guidance and user resources are available in the Operational Consulting Opportunities section of the Corporate Procurement website.

Please contact us at corporateprocurement@worldbank.org for any clarifications or questions.

Please contact vincent.kooijman@minbuza.nl if there are updates or improvement suggestions that can help further develop the new WBGeProcure RFx Now.

 
 

 

Food Security Update | World Bank Response to Rising Food Insecurity

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Latest Update – July 5, 2023

Domestic food price inflation remains high around the world. Information from the latest month between February 2023 and May 2023 for which food price inflation data are available shows high inflation in most low- and middle-income countries, with inflation higher than 5% in in 61.1% of low-income countries, 81.4% of lower-middle-income countries, and 77% of upper-middle-income countries, with many experiencing double-digit inflation. In addition, 80.4% of high-income countries are experiencing high food price inflation. The most-affected countries are in Africa, North America, Latin America, South Asia, Europe, and Central Asia. In real terms, food price inflation exceeded overall inflation in 83.2% from 161 countries where data is available.

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USAID’s First Localization Progress Report: Four Highlights

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Sarah Rose is USAID’s Senior Advisor for Localization.18489309079_305cef6011_k_c2fd73d0f0

In November 2021, Administrator Samantha Power set forth in a speech, “A New Vision for Global Development,” two ambitious goals for supporting locally led development. First, by the end of FY 2025, USAID will channel 25 percent of its funding directly to local partners. And second, by 2030, at least 50 percent of USAID programs will create space for local actors to exercise leadership over priority setting, activity design, implementation, and defining and measuring results. 

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