eC2: Integrated Water and Hydropower Development in the Drina River Basin

Deadline: 07-Feb-2019 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.)images.jpg

Historically, two approaches have been used to assess the options for utilization of the HPP potential in the DRB:

1. Development of the basin-wide studies, followed by
2. Development of the technical design documents and environmental and social impact assessments for identified priority projects.

At this stage, in order to evaluate the options for construction of greenfield and rehabilitation of existing hydropower plants in the wider DRB, the WBG intends to conduct a detailed review of existing river basin studies as well as technical and environmental and social studies, reports and assessments developed for candidate HPP projects.

Continue reading

Bracing for climate change – a matter of survival for the Maldives

For low-lying island states, the impacts of global warming and climate change can be a maldives-blog-hart1matter of survival. The irony is that while these states have not contributed much to greenhouse emissions, as they produce very little, they may face some of the worst consequences.  The Maldives is no stranger to the risks from climate change. It is already witnessing an increase in intense rainfall and resultant flooding, cyclonic winds and storm surges. As one of the lowest-lying countries in the world, with all its people living a few meters above sea level and over two thirds of its critical infrastructure lying within 100 meters of the shoreline, a sea level rise of just a few meters will put the nation further at risk, endangering its relative prosperity.

Continue reading

World Bank Group Announces $50 billion over Five Years for Climate Adaptation and Resilience

WASHINGTON, January 15, 2019 – The World Bank Group today launched its Action global-warming-climate-change-tree_1big_stock2Plan on Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience. Under the plan, the World Bank Group will ramp up direct adaptation climate finance to reach $50 billion over FY21–25. This financing level—an average of $10 billion a year—is more than double what was achieved during FY15-18. The World Bank Group will also pilot new approaches to increasing private finance for adaptation and resilience.

Continue reading

Views from Silicon Valley: Helping client countries keep up with changing technology

It is time to tell you a secret my friends. I am a girl who codes. Before joining the Worldsilicon_valley Bank, I was fluent in ASCII, developing systems and applications to make it easier to get things done.

Nearly 20 years after writing my first lines of code, I stepped onto the Microsoft Campus in Redmond, Washington, representing the World Bank Governance Global Practice and the GovTech Global Partnership task team. Along with a delegation representing leadership across the Bank, we visited Redmond and Silicon Valley to meet with some of the top players in Big Tech.

Continue reading

Competition and the rise of the machines: Should the AI industry be regulated?

A multinational conglomerate uses artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to gather untitled.pngintelligence about the news you peruse, social media activity, and shopping preferences. They choose the ads you passively consume on your newsfeed and throughout your social media accounts, your internet searches, and even the music you hear, creating an incrementally increasingly customized version of reality specifically for you. Your days are subtly influenced by marketers, behavioral scientists, and mathematicians armed with cloud supercomputers. All of this is done in the name of maximizing profit to influence what you’re thinking, buying, and whom you will be electing…

Continue reading

eC2: Supply Chain Management Consultant

Deadline:  05-Feb-2019 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.)supplychain

IFC is seeking to contract a firm which has expertise in improving the productivity of raisin production by farmers and in developing raisin supply chain. The consultant will be working with an IFC client company and grapes farmers to improve the productivity and efficiency of clients raisin supply chain and to set in place a strong supply chain management and development capacity in order to ensure the long-term and reliable availability of raisins from farmers at competitive prices, in sufficient quantities and with the high quality required by the client.
The overall objective of the assignment is to improve the productivity and efficiency of the farmers producing and supplying grapes to the Client.  The Consultant will also support IFC on collecting the data required for monitoring and evaluating the Projects impact on farmers and their livelihoods.

Continue reading

eC2: Piloting sensor driven IOT based precision irrigation technology in Rice Wheat farming system

Deadline: 05-Feb-2019 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.) water

Hiring a commercial firm for design, development and implementation in Punjab.
The firm should provide services by installing suitable equipments for:
1. measuring standing water level in rice crop using suitable sensor and to measure moisture content of soil using soil suction sensors for all crops; and subsequently to determine irrigation schedule (both timing and quantity of irrigation) using algorithms;
2. Mobile based pump control system and a decision support system to implement irrigation scheduling and monitor the pump operation remotely using mobile.
3. Monitor the groundwater levels, power consumption, pump operating hours and volume of water extracted using automatic instruments.
4. Provide cloud based application, mobile apps, training modules and videos for dissemination to the farmers.

Continue reading

eC2: GAP ASSESSMENT ON LAND USE PLANNING AND CAPACITY BUILDING ACTIVITIES FOR GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS ENGAGED IN INTEGRATED LAND USE PLAN & POLICY DEVELOPMENT IN ETHIOPIA

Deadline: 24-Jan-2019 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.) Land-Conference-2017.jpg

The Government of Ethiopia has embarked on the formulation of National Integrated Land Use Planning and Policy (NILUPP) development with an overall objective to strengthen the rational utilization of natural resources in Ethiopia. This will be achieved through enacting effective land use policy framework, preparing and implementing an integrated land use plan, providing capacity building for land use professionals, and improving knowledge and information-sharing among the stakeholders.

Continue reading

Selection of the President of the World Bank Group

WASHINGTON, January 10, 2019—The Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank World Bank buildingmet January 9 under the Chairmanship of its Dean, Dr. Merza Hasan, to discuss the selection process for the next President of the World Bank Group, following the announcement of the current President, Jim Yong Kim, that he will be stepping down from his position on February 1.

Continue reading

Regulatory Indicators for Sustainable Energy 2018

STORY HIGHLIGHTS untitled

  • RISE 2018 charts global progress on sustainable energy policies and shows that policies matter – they are a leading indicator and building block of the world’s transition to sustainable energy.
  • The report finds that the world has seen a huge uptake in sustainable energy policies. However, progress is still far from where it needs to be for the world to reach global climate goals and the Sustainable Development Goal on Energy (SDG7).
  • RISE 2018 rates 133 countries from 2010-17 on electricity access, renewable energy, energy efficiency and access to clean cooking to provide useful data to policymakers and help the private sector make informed decisions about investing in energy projects

Continue reading