Sri Lanka Water Supply and Sanitation Improvement Project

The Sri Lanka Water Supply and Sanitation Improvement Project is on the agenda of the World Bank Board of Directors on Wednesday, June 24. As it is an Absence of Objection piece, it is expected to sail through the board.

The proposed project involves a total of $184 million of which $165 million will be provided by the World Bank. The Project Development Outcome is to increase access to piped water services and improved sanitation, and to strengthen rural service delivery arrangements, in selected Districts. This objective is to be achieved through the following 4 components:

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Pakistan Sindh Barrages Improvement Project

The World Bank Board of Directors will discuss the Sindh Barrages Improvement Project in Pakistan on Friday, June 19. Upon approval, this project will receive a total of $188 million from the World Bank for a grand total of $208 million.

The Project Development Outcome is to improve the reliability and safety of the Guddu barrage and strengthen the Sindh Irrigation Department’s capacity to operate and manage the barrage. The project consists of three different components:

  • Rehabilitation of the Guddu Barrage
  • Improved Barrage Operation
  • Project Management, Monitoring, and Evaluation

Renewed support for infrastructure in developing countries

The Netherlands has renewed its system of financial support for major infrastructure projects in developing countries. “The building and construction of, for example, ports, irrigation systems and coastal protection are crucial to economic development and improve the lives of the population. The new DRIVE program plays an important and innovative way in this,” says Minister Ploumen for Foreign Trade and Development.

It is expected that over the coming years investments in infrastructure will increase enormously in Africa. Reports speak of a ‘boom’ more than $ 100 billion in investments annually over a long period. DRIVE stands for Development and Related Infrastructure Investment Vehicle, and is the successor of the Program for Development-related Infrastructure in Developing Countries (ORIO).

Continue reading the press release (in Dutch).

More information in English at the RVO Website.

Senegal – Urban Water and Sanitation Project

The World Bank Board of Directors has approved the Senegal Urban Water and Sanitation Project, worth a total of $70 million and benefiting 590,000 people.

The proposed Project Development Objective (PDO)Senegal-Woman-at-Well-800 is to improve access to water and sanitation services in selected urban areas in a financially sustainable manner. This goal is to be achieved through the following three components:

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FMO & IFC Partnership to Mainstream Resource Efficiency in Building Construction

Original article published by FMO on June 4th on the FMO Website.

A New Partnership between FMO and IFC to Help Mainstream Resource Efficiency in Building Construction

FMO signed a partnership Memorandum of Understanding with IFC, International Finance Corporation to encourage emerging markets to mainstream resource-efficient building construction with the EDGE (“Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies”) certification system.

An innovation of IFC, EDGE shows Signing+EDGEproperty developers how fast and affordable it is to construct resource-efficient buildings, enabling them to pass value directly to building owners and tenants. The complimentary EDGE software can be used to determine the viability of a project at the design stage, leading to a set of solutions that reduce energy, water, and the energy used to make building materials by at least 20 percent.

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World Bank Group Finances Mobile Application

The World Bank Group Finances free mobile application allows users to quickly access its portfolio of projects, finances, and procurement data.

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Transparency and accountability are essential to the development process at the World Bank Group and central to achieving the bank’s mission to alleviate poverty. The mobile app complements the World Bank Group Finances website.
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World Bank wants to stop anonymous firms winning contracts

Original article posted by Reuters.

WASHINGTON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – The World Bank wants all corporate bidders on bank-funded projects to publicly reveal their true owners as a way of tackling fraud and cronyism in government contracts, a senior official said.

The proposal is part of sweeping reforms to modernize contracting at World Bank for the first time in roughly 50 years, which are due for board consideration next month, Chris Browne, chief procurement officer at the bank, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in an interview on Monday.

“We are very committed to transparency and integrity. We are very keen to take this to the next level,” Browne said.

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Vanuatu signs US$59.5 million aviation agreement with World Bank

Original article at http://goo.gl/cag8HE.

Aviation sector receives critical upgrade

PORT VILA, June 3, 2015–The Vanuatu Government today signed a US$59.5 million credit agreement with the World Bank to improve the safety and efficiency of its aviation sector – a critical pillar in Vanuatu’s continued social and economic development, and a key part of its disaster management and recovery activities.

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Project website: http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P154149?lang=en

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Discussing Green Growth at the Indonesia Green Infrastructure Summit

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Economic growth in Indonesia has been rapid, but it has led to environmental degradation and will be counter-productive in the long-term.
  • Indonesia must shift from a ‘brown’ to a ‘green’ growth model to ensure a sustainable growth that would benefit everyone.
  • The 2015 Indonesia Green Infrastructure Summit will seek ways to mainstream green growth in infrastructure development, with the private sector and government working together.

Four new ambulance boats for Bangladesh

The Dutch firm Dutch Health has delivered four new ambulance boats to Bangladesh.

See the making of these boats!

This delivery is a direct result of the World Bank tender Dutch Health won previously to deliver six boats to Bangladesh:

User and customer of Dutch Heatlh Water Ambulances are very satified with the excellent operations of 6x Rescue Eagle 1 in the remote water rich areas of Bangladesh.
As this are the first of its kind in the country, Dutch Health is developing and adapting its Rescue Eagle 4 for especially Search & Rescue Operations. It will be adapted to the functional requirements of the client and will service in times of flood and evacuations.
It will serve beyond normal patient transport.