World Bank Group Announces $200 billion over Five Years for Climate Action

Funding for 2021-2025 includes a significant boost for adaptation and resilience World Bank building

Washington DC – 3 December, 2018 —The World Bank Group today announced a major new set of climate targets for 2021-2025, doubling its current 5-year investments to around $200 billion in support for countries to take ambitious climate action. The new plan significantly boosts support for adaptation and resilience, recognizing mounting climate change impacts on lives and livelihoods, especially in the world’s poorest countries. The plan also represents significantly ramped up ambition from the World Bank Group, sending an important signal to the wider global community to do the same.

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eC2: Preparation of Drought Risk Mitigation Investment Plan for Sindh Province

Deadline: 18-Dec-2018 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.) bf-hauling-water-on-bike-cifor-flickr

The main objective of this study is to prepare a drought mitigation investment plan informed by a comprehensive assessment of climate induced drought risks for Sindh province. Identification of drought prone areas at regional and local scales as well as adaptive and mitigation interventions will be recommended based on scientific drought assessment. Along with other methods, this study will explore the remote sensing potential in terms of data and methods in order to quantify drought and assess drought features. Satellite data driven quantitative and spatio-temporal approach will be investigated for the development of the study resulting in data that could be used for generating climate change scenarios through the Global Climate Change Model.

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Time to ask the tough questions about transport and climate

Last month, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change drew global attention by th-bangkok-traffic-bernard-spragg-flickr_0providing fresh and overwhelming evidence about the urgency of the climate situation. According to the agency’s latest report, global temperatures will reach 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels within the next 12 years—unless we act now.

Transport bears a huge responsibility in the current situation: the sector contributes to nearly a quarter of global energy-related greenhouse gas emissions, and 18% of all manmade emissions in the global economy.  Under a business-as-usual scenario, this figure will continue rising to reach 1/3 of all emissions by 2040.
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eC2: Port Community System

Deadline: 13-Dec-2018 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.) general-transport-mosaic-main

The Macroeconomics, Trade and Investment (IFC MTI) Global Practice of the World Bank Group is seeking the services of an experienced consultant (the firm) individual or firm to support the PNSW initiative by conducting a Situation Analysis of the logistics and international supply chain related activities taking place at the ports (including airports seaports , off-dock terminals as well as inland dry ports and land border crossing points selected by the Client)in collaboration with the relevant regulatory authorities (Customs, Ministry of Ports and Shipping, Civil Aviation Authority, Karachi Port Trust, NLC, Pakistan Railways etc.) and private sector operators, collectively referred to in this document as the Stakeholders.

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COP24 Kicks off in Katowice next Week: Here’s What You Need to Know

STORY HIGHLIGHTSuntitled

  • The 2018 UN Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP) will take place at the International Congress Centre in Katowice, Poland, from December 3 to 15.
  • The priority outcome from negotiations at COP24 will be the finalization of the “Paris rulebook”, namely, the framework of rules that will guide the implementation of the Paris Agreement.
  • The World Bank Group will announce new climate targets for 2025, including a major boost on adaptation, as well as analytical work on new mobility, transport, the energy sector, and the just transition, focusing on delivering low carbon pathways to development.

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3 hard truths about the global sanitation crisis

Today when you go to the toilet, be it in someone’s basic latrine in a rural village you untitledmight be visiting, in a public toilet where you work, or on a comfortable water-flushed ‘loo’ at home, take a moment to think about those not as fortunate as yourself.

As you sit (or squat) and contemplate, consider these three hard truths about sanitation:

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Rewarding water-responsible companies is key to success in addressing global water security

Over the past fifteen years, I have seen a rapid evolution in corporate actors in blue_certificate_awarding_cfonsecarecognizing water risks to their operations. In response, some have taken measures to ensure that all water is returned to its originating watershed while making sure that returned water is as clean or cleaner than it was before. But to keep the momentum going, we need to think about how we can encourage and motivate companies that will push them to collaborate more with governments, other companies, and civil society toward realizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Equally as important, we need to bring forward those companies that unfortunately have yet to prioritize water.

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eC2: TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO STRENGTHEN THE EARLY WARNING SYSTEM FOR FOOD INSECURITY IN ETHIOPIA AND ITS LINKS TO A SCALABLE RURAL PRODUCTIVE SAFETY NET PROGRAMME

Deadline: 14-Dec-2018 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.)resized-food-insecurity_orig

Objective: The main objectives of this consultancy assignment are to (1) conduct a review on the design and operation of early warning systems operating in Ethiopia which are used to trigger and inform food and cash support to drought affected households; (2) advise on improved protocols and monitoring systems and tools for alert triggering; and (3) provide concrete options for the design of an enhanced and scalable social safety net system based on early warning information.
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High-Growth Firms: Facts, Fiction, and Policy Options for Emerging Economies

November 16, 2018—Policies to create jobs, promote entrepreneurship and growth are FCI-780-x439-thumbnailkey priorities for many emerging economies. Designing and implementing reforms is particularly challenging as policy makers attempt to strike a balance across sectors, firm size and incentives that can sustain growth in a rapidly changing global economy. High-growth firms (HGFs)–accounting for approximately 3-20 percent of the manufacturing and service industries—are of particular interest as a growth model considering their contribution to more than 50 percent of new jobs and sales in in these sectors. Analysis of high-growth firms in Brazil, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa, Thailand, Tunisia, and Turkey is offering evidence that challenges some of the conventional views defining HGFs and the sectors where they can prosper. Continue reading

eC2: Merchant Acquisition and Management Firm

Deadline: 18-Dec-2018 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.) financial-inclusion-gender

A key objective of the project in Tanzania is to promote financial inclusion, by increasing access to mobile money and by digitizing payments to merchants. Although mobile money access has improved in Tanzania, levels of usage of digital financial services, including payments, in general remains low. To address this challenge and offer a mass market payment solution, IFC and its partner, a mobile network operator, are building on a merchant proposition to increase the number of merchants offering the product and increase customer usage of the product. This project will build capacity and improve performance of the MNO in creating a sustainable and vibrant mobile money ecosystem in Tanzania.

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