Job posting: Water economist

WORLD BANK’S WATER GLOBAL PRACTICE

WPE now seeks an Economist with wateroutstanding analytical and communication skills with experience in preferably both infrastructure economics and natural resource economics.  The Economist will be expected to work closely in developing the WPE GSGs analytical program of activities and support to operations.

The Economist will report to the WPE GSG Global Lead Economist, and will work closely with Global Programs World Bank operational staff in the Water GP, Poverty GP and the Country Management Unit.  This position is designed to take advantage of the synergies that can be achieved through seamlessly linking across the operational and WSP teams. Continue reading

eConsultant2: STCs for IFC PPP Advisory Services – Asia Pacific

Deadline: September 20, 2015

IFC Seeks to hire up to five (5) Short Term public-Private-PartnershipConsultants (STCs) to help originate and execute Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects across the Asia pacific Region. These consultants will work as core team members in IFC Business Develop Initiatives and PPP Project Execution related activities. The consultants will be based across Asia-Pacific region with the following tentative locations, which are subject to change: Continue reading

Examining the World Bank’s radical procurement overhaul

Article published by the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) magazine Supply Management on September 8, 2015.

Will Green looks at how the World Bank’s radical overhaul of its procurement processes will affect the organisation and its clients.

Construction works for the Panama Canal expansion project – one of the infrastructure projects financed by the World Bank. © Gerardo Pesantex/World Bank

Construction works for the Panama Canal expansion project – one of the infrastructure projects financed by the World Bank. © Gerardo Pesantex/World Bank

How many organisations spend $44 billion each year in 178 countries, including the most war-torn nations, finance enormous infrastructure projects such as the Panama Canal expansion scheme and support social development in the poorest countries?

Then ask, how would you go about developing a procurement strategy for such an organisation? This is the challenge the World Bank faced as it set about reforming a procurement system unchanged since the 1970s.

Continue reading

World Bank to extend loans to Greek companies

Article originally published in Het Financieele Dagblad on September 7, 2015 by Gerben van der Marel. This is an abstract, full article available through the FD website.

The World Bank will offer more help to relatively wealthy countries going through a crisis, like Greece. Talks are underway with the Greek private sector regarding a ‘substantial’ package of investments, according to Frank Heemskerk, Executive Director at the development bank in Washington.

FotoBehind the scenes, the World Bank has been active in Greece for some time, says Heemskerk. ‘Many institutions don’t work. The country is corrupt. We have allowed that to happen in Europe. We have all looked the other way.’ The Greek crisis has a large impact in the region, he says. Countries like Bulgaria, where the World Bank has been a player for a long time, feel the pain.

Remainder in Dutch.

Continue reading

Symposium: The value of groundwater

Original announcement for symposium on VVM website. World Bank speaker participating.
Only 100 spots available, so don’t wait!

In the Netherlands we pay on average bottled vs ground€1 per cubic meter of tapwater coming from groundwater. If surface water or infiltrated groundwater comes out of the tap, a few dimes or half a Euro is added. A bottle of water is up to a thousand times more expensive.

Date: September 23, 2015
Location: Nieuwegein, the Netherlands

Remainder in Dutch. Continue reading

‘Dutch development aid is effective and efficient’

Original article posted in the Volkskrant on September 2, 2015

Taxpayers’ money spent well

Useless waste of money, is more andVolkskrant more often the verdict about development aid. To the contrary, is the conclusion after the largest evaluation ever: development organizations are effective and efficient.

Remainder of article in Dutch. Continue reading

IGRAC hosted a World Bank partnership roundtable on groundwater

Article originally published on the IGRAC website.

Together with NWP (Netherlands IGRACWater Partnership) IGRAC organised a ‘Roundtable on Netherlands Groundwater Expertise in Integrated Delta Management’. Mr. Junaid Ahmad, Senior Director Water at The World Bank, met representatives of Dutch groundwater sector to hear about groundwater management practice in the Netherlands and to explore possibilities to implement related knowledge into World Bank operations.

Continue reading

September 2015 issue of NL4WorldBank newsletter published

This morning the fifth edition of the NL4WorldBank email campaignnewsletter was published. Those subscribed to the newsletter automatically received it in their inbox. If you did not receive the newsletter, you will find it here.

If you would like to automatically receive the next newsletter when it is published, please subscribe here.

A (welcome) word from Ambassador-designate Schuwer

I am honored to present you with the fifth schuwer-henneedition of the NL for World Bank newsletter on my first day as the newly appointed ambassador to the United States. As Ambassador-designate, I am keenly aware that the Embassy’s resort includes not only the 50 American states, but also the largest development bank in the world: the World Bank Group.

At first glimpse, the contrast between the work of the embassy’s World Bank team and the staff focused on the United States could hardly be starker, perhaps only exceeded by the contrast of the World Bank being a mere two blocks away from the White House. Continue reading

IFC & Dutch firm help Kenyan farming co-operatives get access to financing

Article originally published by Business Daily Africa on August 23, 2015.

A rating agency has come up with a formula that Printranks agriculture-focused co-operative societies and small-scale businesses in a move that will make it easier for them to access loans and social investor funds.

SCOPEInsight, the company supported by the Embassy of Netherlands and partnering with International Finance Corporation (IFC), has developed a rating system that identifies the strengths and weaknesses of co-operative societies. This will prepare them to get financial support. Continue reading