Remembering the lessons of COVID-19 to build resilience for future shocks in Europe and Central Asia

From January 2020 until recently, COVID-19 dominated international headlines and ourserbiacovidtesting.jpg thoughts. Europe and Central Asia were severely hit by COVID-19, facing among the highest excess death rates in the worldAs we start to mask less and come together more, we should reflect on the ramifications of COVID-19 and how we are helping the most vulnerable in Europe and Central Asia address the human capital losses it induced.   

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Tackling violence against women is essential for economic growth in Central Asia

“Where are all the women?” I asked my team after assuming the duties of the World Bankkazakhstan_women_bazaar.jpg director for Central Asia in July 2021. In my introductory meetings with heads of state, governments, and major cities across the region, I and other World Bank officials were usually the only women in the room.

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eC2: Opportunities and Benefits of Decarbonization through Enhanced Regional Electricity Trade in Central Asia

Deadline: 10-Aug-2022 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.)

U.S. Electricity Output Rose 6.2% From A Year Earlier

The objective of this assignment is to review and assess country level energy demand and supply resources for the period of 2022-2060, develop/update regional power system optimization model, examine potential and benefits of electricity trade among Central Asian countries, and identify interconnection upgrades and potential new cross-border transmission projects that would support decarbonization in the region through scaling up of regional electricity trade in Central Asia. The assessment has to be carried out through comparison of the nationally optimized plan and the regionally optimized plan on each countrys generation development, including considering the latest commitments to carbon neutrality/NDCs, as , as well as World Bank Country Climate and Development Reports (CCDR) where applicable, nature of energy security considerations vs integration of regional options.

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eC2: Decarbonizing Transport Connectivity in Central Asia

Deadline: 14general-transport-mosaic-main-Jul-2022 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.) 

The overall objective of this project is to support decision makers to prioritize transport decarbonization policies and projects that would reduce carbon emissions, energy consumption and improve connectivity.

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eC2: Europe and Central Asia Regional Water Security Initiative: Development of an Assessment Methodology and preparation of Diagnostic reports

Deadline:   14-Dec-2020 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.)water

Objective: The objective of the assignment is to identify and benchmark current and future challenges around water security in the Europe and Central Asia region; and, to develop a methodology to prepare country and regional water security assessments as well as to provide country specific recommendations. The assignment will also support (a) the assessment and description of a broad story of current and future water security (taking into account inter alia climate change and changes in socio-economic development patterns) that is relevant to policy makers both within and outside of the water sector; and, (b) through the development of the referred platform, contribute to discussions around potential actions to enhance water security and reform agendas through the definition of best-fit practices and international comparison.

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Europe and Central Asia: Health Systems, Safety Nets, and Support to Businesses All Critical to Protecting Lives and Livelihoods

WASHINGTON, 8 April 2020 – Decisive policy measures that prioritize investments in medical-appointment-doctor-healthcare-clinic-health-hospital-medicine[7]health care systems and provide safety nets for people, especially the most vulnerable, are critical to mitigating the impacts of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic in Europe and Central Asia, says the Spring 2020 Economic Update for the region.

In addition, countries in the region can help sustain economic activity by supporting the private sector with temporary business credits, tax cuts, or tax payment deferrals. Small and medium enterprises that are impacted could benefit significantly from targeted government subsidies.

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Can technology help mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on education systems in Europe and Central Asia?

The last few weeks have witnessed heightened awareness of the threat from the blog1-herooutbreak of COVID-19 (coronavirus). As the virus spreads around the world, we also need to understand what it means for the education systems of Europe and Central Asia.

With the need to contain the virus, many countries are implementing measures to reduce gatherings of large crowds. Our schools are not immune to these actions, nor to the spread of the virus. Many countries have now implemented measures in their education systems – from banning gatherings to the temporary closing of schools.

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eC2: Assessment of water-related academic and research capacity in Central Asian countries and development of recommendations for improvement

waterDeadline:  18-Apr-2018 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.)

Objective:  During the past few years, all CA countries have introduced main principles of the Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) into their national policies and practices at central and local levels. Practical implementation of IWRM principles required higher quality of background education and skills among water professionals at all levels. Trying to meet these new demands some universities in CA countries have introduced elements of IWRM curriculum in their academic programs. However, these efforts remain scattered and uneven across the region.

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Modest Growth Amidst Growing Polarization in Europe and Central Asia

Article published on http://www.worldbank.org

BUCHAREST, November 22, 2016 – There will be a modest increase in GDP growth in 2016 Imagefor countries in the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region. Low oil and other commodity prices in the eastern half of the region, a decline in investment rates in the European Union, and ongoing structural challenges in all countries are hampering growth in the region and contributing to an increase in populism and polarization, says the latest World Bank ECA Economic Update.

According to the report, launched today in Bucharest, Romania, the region is expected to grow a modest 1.6 percent in 2016 – up slightly from 1.4 percent in 2015 – but declines in both incomes and consumption will likely mitigate this modest growth. This trend is projected to continue into 2017 and 2018, with growth forecast at 1.5 percent and 1.8 percent, respectively. Continue reading

Webinar: World Bank PPP learning event

Legal and Regulatory Frameworks in PPPs: Europe and Central Asia
Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2015 ( Tomorrow )
Time: 10:00AM EST – 3PM GMT
Speakers:
Name: Lorik Fejzullahu – Head, Central PPP Department Ministry of Finance, Kosovo
Name: Filip Drapak – Consultant, East and Central Asia PPP Transaction Advisory, International Finance Corporation, The World Bank Group
Name: Shyamala Shukla -Senior Consultant, PPP Cross-Cutting Solution Area, The World Bank Group