• Date:  4/29/2014    Paragraphs: 9

Bolivia, Picar Community Investment in Rural Areas
The objective of the Community Investment in Rural Areas Project is to improve access to sustainable basic infrastructure and services for the most disadvantaged rural communities selected in some of the poorest municipalities of Bolivia. This project has two components. Component one focuses on community capacity building. This component finances: (a) the provision of technical assistance, training and institutional strengthening support to communities in order to enable them to identify, prepare, implement, operate and maintain community investments subprojects under component two; and (b) the provision of limited technical assistance to local entities in participating municipalities in order to support and supervise the planning and implementation of Community Investment Subprojects and to ensure compliance with applicable technical standards. Component two emphasizes community-driven development investment. The Component finances the provision of Community Investment Grants to selected communities in order to carry out community investment subprojects. The project also finances the strengthening of the institutional capacity of the line ministry and its Unidad Desconcentrada Empoderar, in order to carry out the coordination, monitoring and evaluation of the Project. Commitment Amount: US$ 40.00 million.

Activities:
Component 1 - Community capacity building: This component finances technical assistance, training and capacity building for rural communities and community-based organizations to enable and empower them for the identification and implementation of community investments. Component 2 - Community-Driven Development Investment: This component finances small-scale investment subprojects presented by rural communities to respond to their self-identified priorities. Given the demand-driven nature of the project, communities have an open menu of social and economic investments, including but not limited to: rural infrastructure; basic services; vulnerability-reduction, food security and nutrition-enhancement activities; and management of natural resources.

http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P107137/community-investment-rural-areas?lang=en&tab=overview

Beneficiaries: 100,000 Bolivian farmers

Partners and financing: Government of Bolivia

• Date:  4/29/2014    Paragraphs: 2

Dominican Republic Emergency Recovery & Disaster Management
The Project development objectives are to: (i) restore and strengthen priority, irrigation, electricity, water, and sanitation infrastructure damaged by tropical storms Olga and Noel or at risk of damage from future storms, and (ii) strengthen the National Institute of Hydraulics’ (INDRHI’s) and the Dominican Corporation of State Electrical Companies’ (CDEEE's) capacity for future risk management. Commitment Amount: US$ 20.00 million.

Activities:
This Project is designed to provide additional financing in order to complete original project activities in response to the Noel/Olga disaster by (i) restoring and rehabilitating water resources, electricity, water, and sanitation infrastructure damaged by the storms, or at risk of damage from future storms, and, (ii) reducing vulnerability to future disasters INDRHI and the CDEEE. Activities include: - The rehabilitation of the Borrower’s principal water management systems damaged by tropical storms Noel and Olga and strengthening of the borrower’s institutional capacity for risk management. - The reconstruction and rehabilitation of: (i) damaged water control structures, including the rehabilitation of water diversion and conveyance structures; (ii) canal systems; and (iii) water distribution, control, and drainage structures; the restoration of ancillary dam infrastructure, including access roads and monitoring equipment. - The carrying out of works to repair the dams of Maguaca, Villarpando, Dique de Barracote, Tavera, Jiguey, Aguacate, Hatillo, Rincon, Sabana Yegua, Mijo, Sabaneta, Rio Blanco, Arroyon, and Tireito and the removal of flood debris the repair and replacement of damaged flood control structures.

http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P126840/af-emergency-recovery-disaster-management?lang=en&tab=overview

Beneficiaries: 600,000 Poor Households in the Dominican Republic

Partners and financing: Government of the Dominican Republic

• Date:  4/29/2014    Paragraphs: 3

Modernization of the National Meteorological Service for Improved Climate Adaptation (MOMET)
The objective of the Modernizing the National Meteorological Service to Address Variability and Climate Change in the Water Sector in Mexico (MOMET) Project is to strengthen the human resources, institutional, and infrastructure capacity of the National Meteorological Service (SMN) to meet the increasing demand for timely and accurate weather and climate information for the purposes of water resources and disaster risk management in the face of climate change and climate variability.

Activities:
The project has four components: (1) Strengthening institutional capacity and client communications through institutional redesign, human resource recruitment and training, and improved communications with clients. (2) Modernizing observation infrastructure to support the redesign of SMN's observation networks, the installation of modernized infrastructure, and the procurement and use of updated data processing technologies. (3) Improving meteorological forecasts by financing the development and upgrading of SMN’s data assimilation systems and professional capacity in the use of the latest meteorological, climate modeling and forecasting tools. (4) Development of climate regional capacity supporting the strengthening of regional capacity to maintain the surrounding observation networks and carry out specialized monitoring and forecasting functions responding to the particular hydrometeorological characteristics and needs of their respective regions and basin organizations.

http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2012/05/17/Mexico-modernization-national-meteorological-service-for-improved-climate-change-adaptation

Beneficiaries: Vulnerable populations in Mexico

Partners and financing: Government of Mexico

• Date:  4/29/2014    Paragraphs: 2

Rebuilding Energy Infrastructure and Access, Haiti
The objectives of the Rebuilding Energy Infrastructure and Access Project for Haiti are to (a) strengthen the recipient's energy policy and planning capacity; (b) improve the sustainability and resilience of the recipient’s electricity sector and restore and expand access to reliable electricity services; and (c) provide financial assistance in case of an energy sector emergency. The project has three components: (1) Strengthening energy sector institutions and improving energy access. (2) Enhancing Electricite d'Haiti (EDH's) performance and rehabilitating and expanding infrastructure. (3) Energy sector risk and emergency response contingent reserve component will provide support upon occurrence of an energy sector emergency through: (a) the carrying out of emergency recovery and rehabilitation activities; and/or (b) technical assistance to support Ministry of Public Works, Transport, Energy and Communication (MTPTEC) and EDH in its response to an energy sector emergency. Commitment Amount: US$ 90.00 million.

Activities:
Component 1- Strengthening of energy policy, planning and implementation capacity of the MTPTEC: This includes: development of a renewable energy framework and preparation of implementing regulations, presentation of an updated electricity law to Parliament, preparation of an energy sector master plan and the improvement in monitoring and transparency of financial flows in the sector. This component increases capacity and improve governance in the sector through capacity building support to the main sector players: the Government, EDH, and consumers. It finances the provision of technical assistance (through consulting services, and training) and the purchase of office equipment and related expenses to support to the implementation capacity of both the Government and EDH. The activities contributes to a broader energy sector Governance Enhancement Program discussed and agreed with the Authorities. - Component 2 - Increase in the number of rehabilitated and new connections to electricity in Port au Prince: This component improves the electricity service quality in Port au Prince. - Component 3 - Increase in the number of new connections to electricity in rural areas of Haiti: This component increases the connections to electricity outside of Port au Prince and provide access to more efficient and healthier cooking appliances throughout Haiti through enhancing grid-based access for electricity services in secondary urban and rural areas.

http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P120895/infrastructure-institutions-emergency-recovery?http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P127203/rebuilding-energy-infrastructure-access?lang=en&tab=overview

Beneficiaries: Improves access to electricity for 600,000 Haitians

Partners and financing: Government of Haiti

• Date:  4/29/2014    Paragraphs: 2

Regional Disaster Vulnerability Reduction - Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines
The Regional Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project aims at measurably reducing vulnerability to natural hazards and climate change impacts in the Eastern Caribbean sub-region. The restructuring is aligned with the current Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Regional partnership strategy 2010-14 and its strategic objectives of building resilience, enhancing competitiveness and stimulating sustained growth.

Activities:
This sub-regional project supports regional agencies and interested government agencies in 6 island states (Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent) to develop capacity and tools to assess and communicate disaster risk to the general public and to the decision makers in different sectors. Furthermore the project finances investments in disaster vulnerability reduction of public infrastructure and private housing. Climate change models and scenarios are used to inform risk assessments and assist with the development of improved engineering designs and cost benefit analyses of development activities. The project helps strengthen existing project implementing units, enabling them to execute substantial investments in climate resilience The sub-regional project, is a two-tier engagement, which builds on ongoing sub-regional collaboration and result in national investments targeted at risk reduction. Tier 1: Sub-regional Collaboration: At a sub-regional level, the engagement builds on the ongoing collaboration among OECS countries (and in particular, the sub-regional states) with respect to climate monitoring, hazard identification and monitoring, institutional strengthening and capacity building. Activities include (i) data collection and establishment of data sharing protocols, (ii) capacity building for generating and interpreting risk assessments, (iii) development and sharing of risk assessment application for policy purposes, and (iv) critical infrastructure risk identifications. Tier 2: National Investments: The second tier provide investments for national level infrastructure projects identified through risk assessments, which integrate climate change models and scenarios with existing hazard and vulnerability data.

http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P120895/infrastructure-institutions-emergency-recovery?http://http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P120895/infrastructure-institutions-emergency-recovery?lang=en&tab=overview

Beneficiaries: Improves access to electricity for 600,000 Haitians

Partners and financing: Government of Haiti

• Date:  4/29/2014    Paragraphs: 2

Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF)
TThe objective of this initiative is to enable Caribbean countries access to affordable and high quality catastrophic risk insurance by transferring risk to international reinsurance markets via the CCRIF and facilitating the uptake of the new excess rainfall product for Caribbean and Central American states. Countries enjoy access to fast-disbursing liquidity for relief and recovery efforts in the aftermaths of disasters generated by natural events, which enhances fiscal resilience and help reduce the long-term economic losses from these events.

Activities:
CCRIF is the world’s first multi-country catastrophe risk pooling mechanism. Registered as an insurance company, CCRIF is also the first facility to develop and successfully offer its members parametric insurance against tropical cyclones and earthquakes. Backed by both traditional reinsurance and capital markets, CCRIF functions as a joint reserve mechanism and enhances its members’ financial resilience to natural disasters by providing a policy payout (in cash; in 14 days or less) in the event of a tropical cyclone or earthquake of sufficient financial impact to reach pre-agreed financial trigger levels. CCRIF membership provides parametric insurance coverage, where payouts to countries are based on the modeled loss to a government from an event for which the characteristics are independently and objectively measured. The estimated government financial loss is derived from a catastrophe risk model developed specifically for each country and operated by CCRIF. Since 2007, CCRIF has made eight payouts to its current members, and these have proven useful to manage budget volatility in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.

http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P108058/caribbean-catastrophe-risk-insurance-facility?lang=en

Beneficiaries: Primary beneficiaries of CCRIF are the 16 member governments

Partners and financing: Governments of Caribbean Nations, Global Facility for Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery, CCRIF donors (Government of Canada etc)

• Date:  6/23/2011    Paragraphs: 61

In 2010 and 2011, the World Bank Group assisted Haiti in key reconstruction activities in the aftermath of the massive earthquake that destroyed large parts of Haiti's capital and killed 230,000 people. Among other initiatives, the Bank supported safety inspections on 400,000 homes, provided grant financing for repair and reconstruction, helped stabilize government operations, addressed the cholera epidemic and helped thousands of children get back to school. To date the World Bank Group has provided US$479 million in grants and other financing to Haiti, including private sector support by the IFC to the tune of US$49.6 million. A special IDA allocation for Haiti was approved during the World Bank Spring Meeting in 2011.

In addition, the World Bank has supported a series of other countries in the region affected by natural disasters, including Chile after the February 2010 earthquake, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines after Hurricane Tomas in October 2010, and Brazil after the January 2011 mudslides in Rio de Janeiro state that killed over 800 people and left thousands homeless. The Bank’s support has ranged from damage assessment to the rehabilitation of key infrastructure and capacity building to help better manage disaster risks and improve planning and territorial growth.

• World Bank's Website

• Date:  5/25/2017    Paragraphs: -

Regional Collaboration on Tertiary Education in Latin America and the Caribbean

The World Bank Education team has been working to follow up on the commitment World Bank Vice President Jorge Familiar made at the Summit of the Americas to support improvements in the quality of education. The World Bank has participated and/or facilitated a series of regional gatherings since February 2016, including a summit in Buenos Aires in December and the Ministerial Meeting in Bahamas in January, 2017. In Buenos Aires, 25 countries representatives, as well as major multilateral organizations (OEI, OAS, UNESCO IESALC and OREALC, IBD, CAF) convened their support around the Summit’s declaration. Among other things, the declaration: supports the creation of a Regional Program for the Development of the Teacher Profession; stresses the crucial importance of the professional development of teachers; empowers the World Bank to set up a Steering Committee to advance the design of the proposal; seeks to procure funding for the initial implementation from multilaterals and a medium-term financing strategy based on agreements with governments to make the program self-sufficient; and thanks the World Bank for its leadership, support and convening capacity.

• Date:  6/8/2016    Paragraphs: -

Regional Collaboration on Tertiary Education in Latin America and the Caribbean:
The main focus of the initiative is to build momentum to raise quality standards, foster academic partnerships, and strengthen international (professor and student) exchanges. It ties in with the work program set out in the education initiatives supported in Panama, drilling down on the Education Quality agenda. To prepare a set of recommendations for a regional project on tertiary education, two regional forums have been held at Colombia and Mexico, in collaboration with the Government of Colombia and the University of Puebla respectively. These involved focused discussions around four key topics: quality assurance, internationalization, advanced human capital, and teacher training.

Education Web Platform:
This OAS-led, Panama-based Virtual Platform for Education Cooperation in the Americas is being road-tested across the region. It is a website organized to accommodate discussion and content sharing across three lines of initiatives agreed in Panama: Quality, Inclusive and Equitable Education; Strengthening the Teaching Profession; and Comprehensive Early Childhood Care. The World Bank supports the Platform with relevant content to these three areas. Other areas for World Bank support will include linking and cross-referencing
activities of the Out of School and Out of Work: Risk and Opportunities for Latin America’s Ninis report, which will be extended to other activities by the World Bank Education Global Practice. The Ninis report will be presented during the OAS General Assembly in the Dominican Republic this year. The World Bank will also support a discussion forum related to its work on supporting regional collaboration on the quality and internationalization of Tertiary Education.

• Date:  11/9/2015    Paragraphs: -

Iniciative: Enhancing regional collaboration for tertiary education in Latin America and the Caribbean
While education coverage in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) has expanded rapidly, it is student learning—which depends on the quality and relevance of education—that produces most of the economic benefits from investments in education. Students in LAC remain more than two years behind their OECD counterparts in math, reading and critical thinking skills—and even further behind East Asian countries. To ensure recent gains in poverty reduction in LAC are not rolled back it is critical to enhance human capital and develop skilled and productive workers to innovate and drive economic growth. Education – and particularly its quality and relevance – is critical in this regard.

Building on the rich dialogue from the 7th Summit of the Americas, the World Bank is developing a major initiative meant to improve regional collaboration in tertiary education. This initiative seeks to (i) foster a productive space for active regional collaboration, (ii) further work towards the consolidation of a regional agenda for tertiary education, (iii) promote public policy best practices among governments and organizations, and (iv) support innovation and knowledge sharing across the region.

Activities:
Activities foreseen under this initiative include:

• Convening: a series of regional fora that gather education experts and country authorities to diagnose, debate, and consolidate a regional agenda around four key themes: a) quality assurance, b) international mobility, c) research cooperation, and 4) teacher training. The first forum, scheduled for March 2016, will summon authorities and technical experts to produce a preliminary agenda for regional collaboration. The second forum is proposed for the fall of 2016 and would gather government decision-makers from all countries in the region to translate the recommendations and acquired knowledge from the first forum into a regional agenda of results. The establishment of a regional portal in alignment with the necessities articulated in the fora would be another expected outcome of these meetings.

• Knowledge building: The discussions will be informed by targeted expert studies. An initial set of studies will be commissioned prior to the first forum to frame the discussions and provide a state-of-art review of the topic’s key issues. A second set of studies will follow the first forum and consolidate the recommendations and conclusion of the event.

• Complementing: The discussions will be designed to leverage synergies and complement ongoing regional activities that relate to tertiary education, inter-governmental dialogue, and other core components of the initiative to enhance regional collaboration for tertiary education in the LAC region.

Beneficiaries: All countries throughout the Americas; international development partners active in the human development field; civil society community focused on enhancing quality of education outcomes; other relevant stakeholders.

Partnership and financing: Core inception funding has been identified and set aside to finance these convening and knowledge building. Planned activities are envisioned in the form of partnership with relevant organizations in the region.

• Date:  4/29/2014    Paragraphs: 3

Uruguayan Public Schools Project
The objective of the Support to Uruguayan Public Schools Project is to improve the quality, equity and internal efficiency of primary education, through the expansion of the full time school model. There are two components to the project, the first component being expansion and rehabilitation of school infrastructure. The second component is the strengthening of learning systems. Commitment Amount: US$ 40.00 million.

Activities:
There are two components to the project, the first component being expansion and rehabilitation of school infrastructure. This component consists of the following: i) expansion of the full-time school model through: (a) the construction, transformation and/or rehabilitation of approximately forty schools located primarily in disadvantaged locations; and (b) the acquisition of equipment and education materials for the full-time schools mentioned in (a) herein; and ii) carrying out of preventive and corrective maintenance activities in full-time schools. The second component is the strengthening of learning systems. This component helps achieve the Project Development Objective (PDO) through strengthening systems for improved learning and instruction, in the classroom and beyond. The establishment of a new entity within Preschool and Primary Education Council (CEIP) to provide systematic and permanent in-service teacher training to the entire teaching body in preschool and primary grades, as well as school directors and inspectors, leads to a more efficient operation of teacher training by National Administration for Public Education (ANEP).

http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P126408/full-time-school-expansion-project?lang=en&tab=overview

Beneficiaries: 45,000 children in Uruguay

Partners and financing: Government of Uruguay

• Date:  4/29/2014    Paragraphs: 3

Peru, Basic Education
The development objective of the Basic Education Project for Peru is to improve the Ministry of Education’s (MINEDU) capacity to evaluate student learning, instructional practice, and school leadership in basic education. There are three components to the project. The first component is evaluating student learning. This component includes provision of support for the implementation of eligible budget activities supporting the program, including, inter alia: (a) the scale up of the existing second grade student assessment to cover additional grades and subject areas in primary education and secondary education schools; (b) the introduction of internationally validated methodologies for measuring child development outcomes and quality of services in preschool education; and (c) provision of support for the borrower's continued participation in international assessments managed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in order to compare trends in national results with international benchmarks. The second component is evaluating instructional practice and school leadership. This component includes provision of support for the implementation of the eligible budget activities supporting the program, including, inter alia, activities to strengthen MINEDU's capacity for monitoring and evaluating the quality of instructional practice at the classroom level, as well as, for implementing a competency-based system for selecting and training candidates to school management positions. The third component is strengthening MINEDU's implementation capacity. This component includes provision of support for the implementation of the eligible budget activities, supporting the program, including, inter alia, activities to strengthen MINEDU's capacity to improve its education management and monitoring capacity for the activities supported by the program and its operational and fiduciary capacity for the implementation of the program, including the carrying out of independent technical, financial and procurement reviews. Commitment Amount: US$ 25.00 million.

Activities:
The project includes three components: - Evaluation of student learning, including increasing the number of school grades participating in the Student Evaluation Survey; introduce internationally-validated methodologies to measure early childhood development and the quality of preschool services; and support MINEDU to continue Peru’s participation in international evaluations, allowing it to compare its results with those of other countries. - Evaluation of pedagogical practices, which includes supporting MINEDU in following up and evaluating in-classroom teacher practices, as well as implementing a competitive selection and training system for school principals. - Strengthen MINEDU’s administrative and fiduciary practices in order to improve program capacities, including the undertaking of independent evaluations, both technical, financial and acquisitions.

http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P123151/pe-basic-education?lang=en&tab=overview

Beneficiaries: 5.7 million Peruvian students

Partners and financing: Government of Peru

• Date:  4/29/2014    Paragraphs: 3

Education Quality Improvement Project
The objective of the Education Quality Improvement Project for El Salvador is to improve access, retention and graduation rates for students in the lower secondary education and the upper secondary education of the Borrower's public schools adopting the Inclusive Full Time School (IFTS) model. The project has 2 components. (1) Adoption of the IFTS Model. This component supports the creation of appropriate teaching and learning conditions in selected schools to convert them to IFTSs. (2) Improvement of the Institutional Capacity of the Ministry of Education (MINED) and the Schooling System's Governance. This component supports the introduction of selected governance reforms at the central, departmental and cluster level. Commitment Amount: US$ 60.00 million.

Activities:
Component 1 - The Inclusive Full-Time School Model (IFTS): This component provides: -Training and Professional Development of actors in the new model. Support to orientation workshops of school directors, teachers, students and families and communities leaders on the new model; workshops for curriculum planning for each grade and subject by teachers; professional development days for teachers of each "nucleus;" training of teachers in student-centered pedagogy and new methods of student evaluation in the classroom; training of school directors on their new roles and responsibilities; workshops for planning at the school level and the design of early warning systems for detecting at risk students. - Materials, furniture and equipment for improved teaching, learning and extracurricular activities. Finance of additional books to cater to the diversity of learners; classroom and school libraries; furniture, materials and equipment for laboratories; furniture and equipment, including computers, for classrooms to facilitate collaborative and student- centered learning; materials and equipment for painting, music and physical education; additional resources for students with special needs. - Improvement of school infrastructural facilities. Finances rehabilitation, repair, re-design of classrooms, teachers’ rooms, water and sanitary facilities, art and sports facilities, and transfers to schools for building maintenance. Component 2 - Strengthening Governance and Institutional Capacity of the Education System: This component aims to enhance the efficiency, effectiveness, and management of the implementation of the Inclusive Full-Time School Model by improving the governance of the education system and strengthening capacity in the Ministry of the Education. It consists of: - Elaboration and implementation of the Governance Structure for the IFTS. New roles, responsibilities and functions are envisaged for the MINED, Dirección Central of each network, and the school, focusing on student outcomes and the rationalization in the use of resources. This component finances technical assistance to define the organizational framework for each network, including the types of functions carried out at the school, network and MINED levels; define the activities and capacities of the Dirección Central of each network; create the framework for information collection, supervision and pedagogical and technical assistance; define the standards of operation, teaching and student learning that implemented in the schools; and operationalize community involvement in the schools. The component also finances furniture and equipment for critical organizational units of the MINED (Dirección Nacional de Educación, Dirección Nacional de Gestión Departamental, Dirección de Planificación Educativa), and the 28 Direcciones Centrales and the design and implementation of a communication strategy for all stakeholders, and especially to involve the community in the school.

http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P126364/education-quality-improvement-project?lang=en&tab=overview

Beneficiaries: 41,000 Salvadoran students

Partners and financing: Government of El Salvador

• Date:  6/23/2011    Paragraphs: 67

Responding to regional demands, the World Bank’s climate change program has contributed to mainstream climate and disaster management concerns in public policy. The vast majority of LAC countries focus on both adaptation and mitigation. An increased awareness of climate change paved the way for key initiatives in Mexico, Brazil and Peru, among others, that cemented the region’s green leadership—despite accounting for only about 6 percent of total global greenhouse emissions from the power sector. Against the backdrop of the COP16 United Nations Climate Change Summit held in Cancun in November 2010, LAC led other regions in the search for a comprehensive approach to addressing mitigation and adaptation to climate change—an endeavor that can cost developing nations US$100 billion per year through 2050. Currently more than 170 “green” programs are active in the region with Bank support totaling more than US$5 billion.

• World Bank's Website

• Date:  4/29/2014    Paragraphs: 15

Provincial Public Health Insurance Development Project, Argentina
The objectives of the Provincial Public Health Insurance Development Project for Argentina are to: (a) increase utilization and quality of key health services for the uninsured target population; and (b) improve institutional management by strengthening the incentives for results in participating provinces and among authorized providers. There are three components to the project; the first component supports provincial public health insurance. This component includes financing to assure capitation payments by National Ministry of Health (MSN) to participating provinces on a declining basis. The health service package contributes to improving the quality of services as well as extending coverage on a per capita basis. The second component is the institutional and management strengthening of the national and provincial ministries of health. This component provides the health ministry's at the national and provincial levels with the tools and information they need to improve governance and their organizational or stewardship capacity. Finally, the third component is the building capacity of the MSN and provincial ministries of health to deliver services. Commitment Amount: US$ 400.00 million.

Activities:
Component 1 - Supporting Provincial Public Health Insurance: Making of capitation payments for Provincial Public Health services for the provision of: (a) general health interventions; and (b) selected health interventions for catastrophic diseases. This component includes financing to assure capitation payments by MSN to participating provinces on a declining basis. The health service package will contribute to improving the quality of services as well as extending coverage on a per capita basis. - Component 2 - Institutional and Management Strengthening of the National and Provincial Ministries of Health: This component provides the health ministries at the national and provincial levels with the tools and information they need to improve governance and their organizational/stewardship capacity. It will comprise the following two subcomponents: (a) improving the management capacity of national and provincial ministries of health, and (b) supporting management, monitoring and evaluation practices. - Component 3 - Building capacity of the National Ministry of Health and Provincial Ministries of Health (MSP) to deliver services: This component strengthens the supply capacity of the MSN and the MSPs through: (a) the provision of equipment (medical, transportation, information technology and communications); and (b) maintenance services needed to upgrade and expand MSN and MSPs’ information and communication systems.

http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P106735/provincial-public-health-insurance-development-project?lang=en&tab=overview

Beneficiaries: 10 million Argentinian citizens

Partners and financing: Government of Argentina

• Date:  4/29/2014    Paragraphs: 15

Essential Public Health Functions Programs Project, Argentina
The objectives of the Essential Public Health Functions and programs Project are to: (i) improve the stewardship role of the federal public health system, through the strengthening of the essential public health functions, and (ii) increase the coverage and clinical governance of priority public health programs in Argentina. The Project has two components. Component one comprises of the strengthening of the National Ministry of Health (MSN) and provincial ministries' stewardship capacities and improving the public health infrastructure of the priority public health programs. Component two involves improving results at the provincial level in priority public health programs. Commitment Amount: US$ 461.00 million
- Component 1 - Strengthen the MSN’s and provincial Ministries’ stewardship capacities and improve the public health infrastructure of selected priority programs: This component contributes to improving the national and provincial stewardship capacities, using the essential public health functions framework and modernizing management of selected programs and further strengthens the epidemiological surveillance of chronic diseases, through reengineering the MSN to address non-communicable diseases and providing technical assistance and training. This component also strengthens the public health infrastructure, including human resources, for public health labs, blood banks, cold chain and supply monitoring systems. - Component 2 - Improve results of selected public health priority programs at the provincial level: This component contributes to the achievement of results in seven selected programs at the provincial and municipal levels, through two sub-components: (i) Financing public health results in provinces; and, (ii) Improving the efficiency and performance of the programs.

Activities:
Component 1 - Strengthen the MSN’s and provincial Ministries’ stewardship capacities and improve the public health infrastructure of selected priority programs: This component contributes to improving the national and provincial stewardship capacities, using the essential public health functions framework and modernizing management of selected programs and further strengthens the epidemiological surveillance of chronic diseases, through reengineering the MSN to address non-communicable diseases and providing technical assistance and training. This component also strengthens the public health infrastructure, including human resources, for public health labs, blood banks, cold chain and supply monitoring systems. - Component 2 - Improve results of selected public health priority programs at the provincial level: This component contributes to the achievement of results in seven selected programs at the provincial and municipal levels, through two sub-components: (i) Financing public health results in provinces; and, (ii) Improving the efficiency and performance of the programs.

http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P106735/provincial-public-health-insurance-development-project?lang=en&tab=overview

Beneficiaries: Argentinian population

Partners and financing: Government of Argentina

• Date:  4/29/2014    Paragraphs: 7

Caribbean Regional Communications Infrastructure Program
The objective of the Caribbean Regional Communications Infrastructure Program for Latin America and the Caribbean is to increase access to regional broadband networks and advance the development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) enabled services industry in the Caribbean Region. The project has four components. (1) Regional connectivity infrastructure component to address the: (i) physical connectivity infrastructure including submarine cable infrastructure, terrestrial broadband backbone fiber networks and terrestrial or submarine cross-border links, leveraging government networks as needed, and national and regional Internet Exchange Points (IXPs), and (ii) enabling environment that ensures Public Private Partnership in the ownership, management and competitive access to the infrastructure. (2) ICT-led innovation component supports activities that leverage the regional broadband infrastructure to foster growth of the regional IT/IT Enabled Services (ITES) industry. (3) Implementation support component supports implementation, institutional and capacity building as well as monitoring and evaluation. (4) This component is aimed at improving government and private sector efficiency and transparency by leveraging the regional broadband infrastructure towards the delivery of a wide variety of e-services. Commitment amount: US$ 25.00 million.

Activites:
Component 1 – Regional Connectivity Infrastructure: This component addresses the: (i) physical connectivity infrastructure, and (ii) enabling environment that ensures Public Private Partnership in the ownership, management and competitive access to the infrastructure. Physical connectivity infrastructure activities includes support to develop missing regional infrastructure links such as submarine cable infrastructure, terrestrial broadband backbone fiber networks and terrestrial or submarine cross-border links, leveraging government networks as needed, and national and regional Internet Exchange Points (IXPs). Enabling environment activities include (a) support to structure/promote public-private partnerships in the deployment of submarine cable infrastructure, including landing stations, (b) telecoms regulatory support to ensure appropriate governance structures and competitive access to connectivity infrastructure, (c) harmonization of policies, shared services and institutional capacity building, and (d) strategies and frameworks to promote effective use of ICT for productive activities. - Component 2 - ICT-led Innovation: This component supports activities that leverage the regional broadband infrastructure to foster the growth of the regional IT and IT Enabled Services (ITES) industry. Activities include: (i) development of a regional network of IT and technology incubators, IT parks and technology centers, and investment promotion centers; (ii) targeted skills development and certification programs; (iii) creation of special financing vehicles, such as regional or national Venture Capital Funds for regional IT/ITES industry, as well as (iv) strategies, policies, regulatory and incentive structures to support a multi-lingual regional IT and ITES industry. - Component 3 - Implementation Support: This component supports implementation, institutional and capacity building, knowledge-sharing activities, as well as monitoring and evaluation of the program to ensure that the program delivers results, both at the national and regional level.

http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P119725/adaptation-impact-rapid-glacier-retreat-tropical-andes-http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P114963/caribbean-regional-communications-infrastructure-program?lang=en&tab=overview

Beneficiaries: Populations of the Caribbean countries

Partners and financing: Governments of Caribbean Nations

• Date:  4/29/2014    Paragraphs: 3

Sustainable Financing & Management of Eastern Caribbean Marine Ecosystem Project
The objective of the Sustainable Financing & Management of Eastern Caribbean Marine Ecosystem Project is to contribute to enhancing the long-term sustainability of protected area networks in the Eastern Caribbean Sub-region by (i) establishing sustainable financing mechanisms; (ii) strengthening of the Marine Protected Area networks; and (iii) deploying a regional monitoring and information system for the protected area networks.

Activities:
Component 1 - Establishment of sustainable financing mechanisms: The aim of this component is to establish a sustainable financing mechanism for national PA systems through (a) the formation of a regional endowment fund and support in setting up of country-specific national PA trust funds (NPATFs); and (b) the establishment and strengthening of a policy, legal, and institutional framework for sustainable financing. - Component 2 - Strengthening and phased expansion of Marine Protected Area Networks: The aim of this component is to strengthen and expand PA networks, representing coastal and marine ecosystems, by supporting the gazetting of at least five new MPAs and establishing demonstration sites to showcase good management practices in at least two MPAs within the group of OECS countries. The component supports a phased expansion of existing regional MPA networks by obtaining endorsement in participating countries for inclusion of new high priority sites which contribute to the overall representativeness and resilience of MPA networks in the Eastern Caribbean. The expansion of the MPA networks to ensure that they include all priority ecosystems is an important objective, but the implementation of this expansion depends on, among other things, the availability of resources from the financing mechanisms. The project aims to kick start the expansion process by supporting the gazetting of at least five new high priority MPAs which would lead to the legal establishment of the MPAs as funds come online from the NPATF in each participating country. - Component 3: Deployment of a regional monitoring and information system: The aim of this component is to establish a robust and user-friendly database on status and trends in the protected area systems of the OECS countries, which could serve as a decision support tool to natural resource managers and policymakers. Although the emphasis of this component is on Coastal and Marine Protected Area networks, the methods and indicators developed are highly relevant to terrestrial protected areas. The systems include a monitoring and an information management component for the storage and analysis of data, and associated training as needed. The project finances consulting services, equipment, and training under this component.

http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P103470/sustainable-financing-management-eastern-caribbean-marine-ecosystem?lang=en&tab=overview

Beneficiaries: Populations of the Caribbean countries

Partners and financing: Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)

• Date:  4/29/2014    Paragraphs: 2

Honduras, Safer Municipalities
The objectives of the Safer Municipalities Project for Honduras are to support: (i) to improve the capacities of national and local authorities in violence prevention, (ii) to address risk factors of crime and violence in selected municipalities, and (iii) to improve the authorities’ capacity to respond promptly and effectively to an eligible emergency. There are four components to the project, the first component being institutional strengthening of national-level violence prevention. This component includes two subcomponents: strengthening Secretariat of Security (SEDS) capacity to guide, coordinate, and oversee violence prevention activities, and strengthening the capacity of SEDS and selected municipalities to collect and process violence data. The second component is the integrated crime and violence prevention at municipal and community levels. The third component is the project administration and monitoring and evaluation. Finally, the fourth component is the Immediate Response Mechanism (IRM) contingent component. This component includes the provision of support to respond to an eligible emergency. Committed Amount: US$ 15.00 million.

Activities:
The Safer Municipalities Program aims to strengthen the capacity of municipal governments to plan and manage citizen security in an integrated manner and following evidence-informed practices. It is a coordinating or umbrella program that strengthens the role of other partners needed to implement services. Its role is not to implement specific subprojects or services at the municipal level. Instead, it has a normative, catalytic/coordinating, and learning/oversight function: - to develop norms and tools that are evidence-informed and evidence-based (on municipal planning, youth violence programming, etc.) - to promote their adoption among local governments through partnerships with public agencies (i.e., facilitating agreements between local government and community policing efforts) and private sector actors (i.e., facilitating agreements between youth at risk employability programs and local businesses), and - to monitor and evaluate results to provide a feedback loop into program design, and incentives/disincentives for performance.

http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P130819/hn-safer-municipalities?lang=en

Beneficiaries: Honduran population

Partners and financing: Government of Honduras

• Date:  4/29/2014    Paragraphs: 2

Addressing Youth Violence through Cultural and Music Learning in El Salvador
To offer kids an alternative to gang life, a Bank supported project attempts to keep at-risk youth busy through cultural and musical activities. The initiative also encourages them to develop skills in music and the arts. The program’s goal is to create a music academy and a choir for young people. The project is also creating a youth symphony orchestra and implements participatory cultural dissemination activities in San Salvador risk zones.

Activites:
Creation of a music academy for teenagers - Creation of a symphony orchestra composed by teenagers from selected schools - Cultural and community engagement activities to foster community participation of teenagers - Institutional strengthening of the implementing agency to ensure a sustainable program execution.

http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P116646/addressing-youth-violence-through-cultural-music-learning?lang=en&tab=overview

Beneficiaries: 175 at-risk students in El Salvador

Partners and financing: Government of El Salvador, Asociación Proarte

• Date:  4/29/2014    Paragraphs: 4

Colombia Protection Land and Patrimony of Internally Displaced Persons
The main objective of the Third Phase of the Protection of Land and Patrimony of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Project is to diminish the risk of impoverishment of displaced persons and contribute to the peace-building process in Colombia by promoting the application of measures to protect their patrimonial assets, provision of land titles for those IDPs whose rights have been protected but do not have legal titles, and proposing public policy initiatives for restitution of properties to IDPs.

Activities:
The Project has two main components: - Component 1 - Supporting reparation and restitution of land and assets to IDPs: - Formalization of restitution of land and territory to the victims of violence: a. Strengthen the knowledge management system to collect good practice and lessons learned and disseminate these throughout the Restitution Unit (including local offices) and other key government institutions. b. Strengthen the information system and interconnectivity of land administration and national information network. c. Strengthen the strategies for violence prevention and security for the implementation of restitution policy. d. Strengthen the training/capacity building strategy and corporate communications of the Restitution Unit; includes the transfer of tools, methodologies and procedures for restitution through outreach, training and advice to officials at the national and territorial levels. e. Support the development and testing of institutional plans (security, communications, training, and quality and risk management) in order to ensure sufficient organizational capacity at the administrative and judicial stages of the restitution process. f. Design and implement a land restitution “observatory” as a tool for monitoring land policy. g. Strengthen the coordination with the Victims Unit for integrated reparations to the victims. - Component 2 - Assisting and supporting communities to safeguard their rights to land and territory: - Accompanying communities to safeguard their rights to land and territory: a. Design and implement a communications strategy designed to inform communities and organizations on key issues, aimed at ensuring their participation in the process of restitution of land rights under the Victims Law. b. Disseminate materials and differential approaches (gender, age, ethnicity) to inform and train victims and community actors on mechanisms for the enforcement of their rights to land and collective territories. c. Train leaders, representatives and community authorities to understand and manage the different routes to restitution.

http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P115630/co-protection-land-patrimony-idp?lang=en&tab=overview

Beneficiaries: IDPs in Colombia

Partners and financing: Government of Colombia, International Organization for Migration

• Date:  4/29/2014    Paragraphs: 2

Solutions to Violence Network (RESOL-V)
On initiative of the World Bank, a regional network, RESOL-V, was created which brings together authorities and experts from different sectors (governments, academia, private sector, international organizations and civil society) to jointly design and implement solutions to citizen security challenges. The initiative promotes the ongoing exchange of ideas for addressing citizen insecurity across the region and aims to strengthen the capacity of Central American institutions to conduct evidence-based policymaking.

Activities:
RESOL-V facilitates the generation, translation, assessment, and use of evidence for crime prevention policy and programming, and builds the capacity of institutions to carry out more effective programming. By connecting and strengthening centers of expertise in Central America and linking them to decision-makers and practitioners, it promotes the use of evidence-based approaches to citizen security in the region. The primary audience for RESOL-V includes mayors and their technical teams, officials of line ministries, the private sector, and academics and professionals involved in violence prevention and citizen security.

Beneficiaries: Populations of Central American States

Partners and financing: State- and Peace-Building Multi Donor Trust Fund, Governments of SICA

• Date:  4/29/2014    Paragraphs: 2

Strengthening the Capacity of the Central American Integration System
The objective of this project is to strengthen the capacity of the Sistema de Integracion Centroamericana (SICA)'s Democratic Security Unit (the Unit in charge of developing the Central America Citizen Security Strategy) to coordinate regional initiatives on citizen security through improved strategic planning, coordination, and monitoring and evaluation. The specific objective of this project is to support SICA's efforts to revise and operationalize further its Central American Democratic Security strategy, particularly by ensuring that it incorporates elements from the various sectors needed to successfully prevent/reduce crime and violence (i.e. education, social protection, criminal justice, etc.), and that it follows an inclusive process (i.e. involves not only national governments, but local governments, civil society, the private sector, and the donor community). It ensures that the strategy includes a major emphasis on the collection of accurate, reliable, and comparable data/information systems on crime and violence in the region, both by strengthening the Regional Observatory on Crime and Violence (OBSICA), as well as by strengthening the network of national and local violence observatories.

Activities:
Component 1 - Support to development of SICA's Citizen Security Strategy for Central America: This component finances activities aimed at supporting the revision and development of the Citizen Security Strategy for Central America. Support to SICA is provided in two specific areas: (i) assistance with revision and development of the Strategy; (ii) assistance in following-up with the implementation of the strategy by providing technical assistance to national governments and financing follow-up meetings. 2. Component: Coordination efforts with Civil Society and the private sector: This component finances activities to ensure that there is ongoing dialogue and coordinated actions among all key stakeholders, and that the strategic planning process being carried out by SICA in the area of citizen security is inclusive and represents all of the key stakeholders, such as national and local governments, donor agencies, and civil society, thereby increasing coordination and the likelihood of sustainability and success of the regional Strategy and Action Plan.

Beneficiaries: Populations of Central American States

Partners and financing: Institutional Development Fund, Governments of SICA

• Date:  4/29/2014    Paragraphs: 5

Nicaragua - Sustainable Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Sector
The development objectives of the Sustainable Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (WSS) Sector Project for Nicaragua are to: (a) increase the access to sustainable WSS services in selected poor rural areas of Nicaragua through the consolidation of rural WSS sector institutions and the provision of adequate infrastructure; and (b) to improve Nicaragua's capacity to respond promptly and effectively to an eligible emergency. The project has four components. The first component, strengthening of the rural WSS sector finances the following sub-components: institutional strengthening of the rural WSS sector; strengthening of an integrated structure for sustainability of rural WSS services - "sustainability chain"; project management, monitoring, and evaluation. The second component, increase sustainable water supply and sanitation coverage in rural areas, supports the increased coverage of rural WSS services through the financing of sub-projects to provide technical solutions and level of service tailored to each beneficiary community. The third component, innovations in rural water, sanitation, and hygiene supports developing, carrying out, monitoring and evaluating pilot subprojects in selected municipalities aimed at testing new approaches to needs in the areas of water quality; resilience to climate change and natural disasters; operation and maintenance strategies; and innovative technologies for rural WSS access. The fourth component, immediate response mechanism - contingent component (IRM-CC) improves Nicaragua's capacity to respond promptly and effectively to emergencies by providing immediate response to an eligible emergency, as needed. Commitment Amount: US$ 30.00 million.

Activities:
Component 1 - Strengthening the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Sector: This component strengthens the rural WSS sector through institutional support to the national rural WSS agency and by building capacity to plan and manage WSS at municipal and community level. - Component 2 - Increase Sustainable Water Supply and Sanitation Coverage in Rural Areas: This component increases sustainable WSS coverage, especially in municipalities with lowest coverage and highest extreme poverty, in both Atlantic and Pacific areas of the country. - Component 3 - Innovations in Rural Water, Sanitation and Hygiene: This component undertakes pilot projects to test new methodologies that enhance the sustainability of rural WSS investments in an innovative way. Component 4 - Immediate Response Mechanism (IRM) contingency: This component provides immediate response to an Eligible Emergency, as needed.

http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P147006?lang=en

Beneficiaries: Poor inhabitants of selected rural areas in Nicaragua

Partners and financing: Government of Nicaragua, Emergency Social Investment Fund

• Date:  4/29/2014    Paragraphs: 5

Jamaica Integrated Community Development Project
Also addressing thematic area: Citizen Security and Transnational Organized Crime - The development objective of the Integrated Community Development Project for Jamaica is to enhance access to basic urban infrastructure and services, and contribute towards increased community safety in selected economically vulnerable and socially volatile inner city communities of Jamaica. The project has three components. The first component, basic infrastructure and access to services develops infrastructure investments across project communities according to identified community priorities, including: (i) widening, rehabilitating, and paving existing roads; (ii) improving storm water drainage; (iii) installing water supply and sanitation household connections and promoting behavioral change for the use and maintenance of water supply and sanitation infrastructure; and (iv) improving electricity connections and lighting. The second component, public safety enhancement and alternative livelihoods focuses on supporting the development and roll-out of programs that focus on key safety concerns and high risk groups. The third component supports institutional strengthening for urban management and public safety through carrying out capacity building activities for selected entities of the Government of Jamaica responsible for urban management. Commitment Amount: US$ 42.00 million.

Activities:
Component 1 - Basic Infrastructure and Access to Services: Improving existing roads; improving storm water drainage; installing water supply and sanitation household connections and promoting behavioral change for the use and maintenance of water supply and sanitation infrastructure; and improving electricity connections and lighting. - Component 2 - Public Safety Enhancement and Alternative Livelihoods: Supporting the development and roll-out of programs that focus on key safety concerns and high risk groups. - Component 3 - Institutional Strengthening for Urban Management and Public Safety: Carrying out capacity building activities for selected entities of the Government of Jamaica responsible for urban management.

http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P146460?lang=en

Beneficiaries: More than 80,000 Jamaican citizens in 18 vulnerable inner-city communities

Partners and financing: Government of Jamaica, Jamaica Social Investment Fund

• Date:  4/29/2014    Paragraphs: 1

Strengthening Service Delivery for Growth, Poverty Reduction and Environmental Sustainability in the State of Ceará Program for Results
The objective of the Program to Strengthen Service Delivery in Skills Development, Early Childhood Development, and Water Quality Project for Brazil is to support the Government to improve public service delivery particularly in the areas of skills development, family assistance and water quality. The operation has two complementary components, a Program using the Program-For-Results, or PforR instrument (Program), and a technical assistance component using the Investment Project Financing (IPF) instrument. The program consists of government expenditure programs in vocational training, family assistance and water quality. The technical assistance component consists exclusively of high quality firm and individual consulting services and non-consulting services and comprises support for: i) cross-cutting public sector management functions; ii) sector-specific public sector management functions; and iii) strengthening fiduciary systems. Its purpose is capacity building. In several cases, technical assistance inputs are required to meet Disbursement Linked Indicator (DLIs). The Government's record in executing technical assistance is sound and it prioritizes the processing of those activities necessary for DLI compliance. Commitment Amount: US$ 350.00 million.

Activities:
The project consists of two complementary components – a Program-for-Results Program, and a technical assistance component. The Program consists of government expenditure programs in vocational training, early childhood development and water quality. The technical assistance component consists exclusively of high-quality firm and individual consulting services and comprises support for: i) cross-cutting public sector management functions; ii) sector-specific public sector management functions; and iii) strengthening fiduciary systems. The development objective of the operation is to support the Government to improve public service delivery particularly in the areas of skills development, family assistance and water quality. The operation continues the broad approach pioneered under the Sector-wide approach, combining support for select sector interventions with capacity building to strengthen the efficiency and quality of public service delivery. The thrust of Bank support in each area is to align the incentives of sector secretariats with the Government’s strategic objectives, to reinforce collaboration among public agencies and with the private sector and to strengthen evaluation and feedback loops, including through citizen participation and impact evaluation.

http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P127463?lang=en

Beneficiaries: Millions of people facing poverty in Brazil’s northeastern Ceará State

Partners and financing; Government of Brazil, State of Ceará

• Date:  4/29/2014    Paragraphs: 2

Improving Maternal and Child Health through Integrated Social Services, Haiti
The objective of the Improving Maternal and Child Health through Integrated Social Services Project for Haiti is to increase the access and use of maternal and child health, nutrition and other social services in the Recipient’s territory. The Project supports services in three departments with a total catchment population of around 1.8 million people, targeting pregnant women, children under five and vulnerable families. Progress on the objectives of the project is measured by the following: (i) percent of children under five immunized; (ii) percent of institutional deliveries; (iii) contraceptive prevalence rate; and (iv) decrease in percentage of families categorized as extremely vulnerable. The project has two components: (1) Providing maternal and child health, nutrition and social; and (2) Strengthening the stewardship and management capacity. Commitment Amount: US$ 70.00 million.

Activities:
The objective of the proposed Project is to increase the access and use of maternal and child health, nutrition and other social services. The Project supports services to pregnant women and children under five and increase use of social services for vulnerable households. The project has two components. Component 1: Increasing Utilization of Maternal and Child Health, Nutrition and Essential Services. Component 2: Strengthening Government’s Capacity to Manage Service Delivery.
http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P123706/ensuring-health-nutrition-social-services-vulnerable?lang=en&tab=overview

Beneficiaries: 1.8 million women and children in Haiti

Partners and financing: Government of Haiti

• Date:  4/29/2014    Paragraphs: 6

Honduras, Social Protection
The project development objectives are to: (a) improve the management of the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Program; (b) provide income support to eligible beneficiaries; (c) increase the use of preventive health services and school attendance in rural areas; and (d) improve emergency response through an Immediate Response Mechanism (IRM). The project consolidates and expands the Bono 10,000 Program, as well as addresses its implementation bottlenecks by: (a) supporting the de-concentration of program operations; (b) strengthening the information system; (c) supporting reliable payment systems; and (d) investing in beneficiary registries to guarantee fiscal sustainability. Commitment Amount: US$ 40.00 million.

Activities:
The project supports the Government's objective of building an improved social protection system mainly by strengthening institutional capacity to design and implement a Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program. Within this context, the Project’s development objectives are to: (a) strengthen the institutional capacity of government’s institutions to manage the Bono 10,000 Program, through the development of transparent mechanisms and instruments for targeting Program beneficiaries, monitoring compliance with Program co-responsibilities, and making payments to Program beneficiaries; (b) increase school attendance among students in grades 1 to 6, and the use of preventive health services among families participating in the Program in rural areas; and (c) improve the Recipient’s capacity to respond promptly and effectively to an eligible emergency.

http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P115592/social-protection?lang=en&tab=overview

Beneficiaries: Population of Honduras

Partners and financing: Government of Honduras

• Date:  4/29/2014    Paragraphs: 5

Ecuador, Manta Public Services Improvement Project
The objective of the Manta Public Services Improvement Project for Ecuador is to support the Municipality of Manta in increasing the quality and sustainability of public services for water, sanitation, and urban mobility. The project has three components. The first component is investments in water supply and sewerage. This component supports: (i) the increase of water storage capacity and rehabilitation of the water network in selected districts through, inter alia, the rehabilitation of primary and secondary networks and the installation of household connections and meter; and (ii) the rehabilitation of the sewerage network in selected districts through, inter alia, the rehabilitation of networks, rehabilitation of a pumping station and the installation of household connections. The second component is investments in road improvement. This component supports the improvement of urban streets in selected districts through, inter alia: (a) the carrying out of urban street upgrading works; (b) the resurfacing of urban streets, including street paving; and (c) the construction and reconstruction of sidewalks with pedestrian facilities. The third component is institutional strengthening. This component supports the institutional strengthening of Empresa Publica Aguas de Manta (Manta Water Utility) (EPAM) through: (a) the development and implementation of a management improvement program, comprising operational and commercial efficiency activities; (b) the development and implementation of a medium-long term institutional strategic plan; (c) the development of a household connections program for both water and sewerage aimed at improving water usage and tariff collection, as well as promoting the health and environment benefits of connecting to the network; (d) the development of a water and sewerage quality control program including, the development of a monitoring plan, the construction of a small laboratory to measure water quality and the provision of technical assistance to improve the maintenance of the existing wastewater treatment plan; and (e) the preparation of a water resources integrated management plan. Commitment Amount: US$ 100.00 million.

Activities:
The Project Development Objective is to support the Municipality of Manta in increasing the quality and sustainability of public services for water, sanitation and urban mobility. The objective is achieved by (i) increasing availability of water supply and efficiency of water and sewerage services; (ii) improving urban mobility and accessibility through improvements to the street network, including sidewalks; and (iii) enhancing the capacity of the municipal government in planning and managing the provision of water and sanitation and urban transport services. The project contains the following components: - Component 1- Investments in Water Supply and Sewerage: This component supports storage capacity increase as well as water and sewerage network rehabilitation, amongst others. - Component 2 - Investments in Road Improvement: This component supports urban streets upgrading, including sidewalks, street furniture, upgraded bus stops, and cycle infrastructure, amongst others. - Component 3 - Institutional Strengthening: This component supports institutional strengthening activities for EPAM, the Traffic Directorate and the Public Works Directorate of the Municipality of Manta.

http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P126364/education-quality-improvement-project?http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P143996/manta-public-services-improvement-proj?lang=en&tab=overview

Beneficiaries: More than 85,000 Manta residents

Partners and financing: Government of Ecuador

• Date:  4/29/2014    Paragraphs: 5

Costa Rica Higher Education
The objectives of the Higher Education Improvement Project for Costa Rica are to improve access and quality, to increase investments in innovation and scientific and technological development, as well as to upgrade institutional management, all in Costa Rica's public higher education system. There are two components to the project, the first component being institutional improvement agreements. The objectives of this component are: (i) to help public universities increase access by investing in infrastructure for teaching, learning and research; (ii) to increase the quality of higher education by, among others, upgrading faculty qualifications and fostering evaluation and accreditation; (iii) to increase relevance in higher education by focusing resources on priority subjects that are key to the country's development; and (iv) to strengthen public universities' management capacity and accountability. Finally, the second component is strengthening institutional capacity for quality enhancement. This component includes three sub-components: (a) strengthening the national system for the accreditation of higher education; (b) developing the labor market observatory and the public higher education information system; and (c) supporting the project's coordination, supervision, and evaluation. Commitment amount: US$ 200.00 million.

Activities:
Improving infrastructure and learning facilities at the following universities: Universidad de Costa Rica, Universidad Estatal a Distancia, Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Universidad Nacional At the above mentioned universities the following activities, among others, are carried out: - Widening access and coverage in the area of Engineering: electric and computer science and multimedia technology, civil, industrial, electric, chemical, naval and industrial, as well as in Biology. The general objective is to increase enrolment in biology and in civil, electric, industrial and chemical engineering, and in the degree in computer science and multimedia technology. This project focuses on the development of infrastructure, equipment, and human resources in these disciplines. - Support the modernization and flexibilization of institutional processes that impact quality management and academic pertinence and, especially, to create a system that articulates the following institutional processes: evaluation and training of staff, curriculum innovation and management, program innovation and management, academic projects and activities, planning, information systems, decision making and accountability, internationalization and access of society to academic production. This is done through a series of management activities, academic mobility activities, and the acquisition of hardware and development of software.

http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P123146/costa-rica-higher-education?lang=en&tab=overview

Beneficiaries: 95,000 students from low-income families in Costa Rica

Partners and financing: Government of Costa Rica

• Date:  4/29/2014    Paragraphs: 2

Pernambuco Rural Economic Inclusion
The objective of the Pernambuco Rural Economic Inclusion Project for Brazil is to promote rural business initiatives and expansion of rural access to water and other complementary infrastructure by supporting the Borrower's Results Management Framework. There are two components to the project, the first component being investments in rural economic inclusion. This component promotes investments in rural economic inclusion in the Borrower's territory, through the provision of support to: (a) pro-rural business plan preparation activities to inter alia, elaborate and implement a communication strategy to strengthen local productive alliances; identify and develop viable business plans with defined territorial strategies; and train and certify local service providers on how to prepare business profiles and business plans, as well as on how to improve management and develop innovative financing mechanisms for the rural economy. The second component is the complementary rural infrastructure. This component promotes investments in complementary rural infrastructure in the Borrower's territory, through the provision of inter alia: support to rural producer-based organizations for the carrying out of complementary rural investments, through matching grants, for the implementation of infrastructure subprojects. Commitment Amount: US$ 100.00 million.

Activities:
Component 1 - Investments in Rural Economic Inclusion: This component finances matching grants (i.e., subprojects), consultants’ services, training and technical assistance, toward the promotion of rural businesses in the Borrower’s territory. Specifically, activities under the Component consists of: (i) Support to Local Productive Alliances (LPAs); and (ii) Productive Investments. 1a. Support to Local Productive Alliances - supports pre-investment activities to: (i) promote the overall project concept and outreach to rural producer-based organizations (RPOs), potential commercial partners, financing institutions and other potential LPA stakeholders; (ii) facilitate territorial forums toward the development of territorial strategies across selected value chains; (iii) consistent with these territorial strategies, create and consolidate LPAs; (iv) identify potential business opportunities on the part of these LPAs; (v) fully prepare the business opportunity into a business plan; and (vi) build capacity among technical service providers to enhance the quality of their services provided to these LPAs. Component 2: Complementary Rural Infrastructure: This component supports the State’s efforts to extend its basic infrastructure network in rural Pernambuco, primarily: (i) access to water supply and sanitation services for both productive use and household consumption; (ii) investments to reduce logistics bottlenecks; and (iii) promotion of innovative management models for decentralized administration and service delivery for water and sanitation services and improved water productivity. The component supports actions to: (i) reduce social, cultural and environmental vulnerability in the communities of participating RPOs, and (ii) complement Component 1 investments in contributing to the productivity and competitiveness of productive chains, including LPAs and RPOs.

http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P120139/br-pernambuco-rural-economic-inclusion-project?lang=en&tab=overview

Beneficiaries: 25,000 family farms in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco

Partners and financing: Government of Brazil

• Date:  6/23/2011    Paragraphs: 8

For more than a decade, the Bank has worked with countries in LAC to develop home-grown CCT programs. With Bank support, CCTs have been implemented in 15 countries in LAC for approximately US$4.6 billion, where the programs are improving the lives of some 100 million people.

More generally, protection for the most vulnerable gained momentum in LAC. About 5 million Mexican families will continue to receive healthcare, food and education for their children thanks to the Conditional Cash Transfer program ‘Oportunidades’ that got an additional US$1.25 billion funding approved in November 2010. ‘Oportunidades’ provides a regular income to poor families on condition their children stay in school and go to medical checks. Since it was launched in 1997, high school enrollment rates have risen 33 percent and high school drop-out rates have fallen 20 percent. Other initiatives include: a US$1 billion loan to Rio de Janeiro to improve the quality of health and education services as part of its overall support to sound economic growth and fiscal policies; a loan to expand conditional cash transfers to 360,000 Jamaicans to help them maintain their purchasing power and ensure that high school students graduate; and a US$200 million loan to bolster Brazil's CCT program, ‘Bolsa Familia’.

• World Bank's Website

• Date:  4/29/2014    Paragraphs: 7

Peru, Social Inclusion Technical Assistance Loan
The development objective of the Social Inclusion Technical Assistance Project for Peru is to strengthen MIDIS's (Ministerio de Desarrollo e Inclusion Social - Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion) systems and capacity to improve the performance of MIDIS's programs and to monitor social inclusion policy. There are five components to the project. The first component is quality improvement of MIDIS's programs. The second component is improving knowledge management, information and communication. The third component is strengthening of MIDIS's capacity on results orientation, monitoring and evaluation. The fourth component is strengthening of human resource management and capacity. The fifth component is support to project administration. Commitment Amount: US$ 10.00 million.

Activities:
There are five components to the project. The first component is quality improvement of MIDIS's programs. This component includes: provision of support to design and pilot activities aimed at improving the quality control of MIDIS's programs by: (i) developing user's participation and accountability mechanisms for the MIDIS's programs. The first component contributes to the Project Development Objective (PDO) by supporting activities that improve the performance of MIDIS's programs through accountability mechanisms that institutionalize channels for user's feedback; and the development of planning, information, monitoring and evaluation tools for MIDIS's decentralized offices that coordinate the provision of social programs in the territory. The second component is improving knowledge management, information and communication. This contributes to the PDO by supporting activities that improve the performance of MIDIS's programs and strengthen MIDIS's capacity to monitor social inclusion policy through the implementation of an integrated information platform that includes data from different programs; the interconnectivity of local targeting units that are strengthened with trained staff on information management, monitoring and customer service; and the development of a national communication strategy that includes different approaches for different population groups. The third component is strengthening of MIDIS's capacity on results orientation, monitoring and evaluation. This contributes to the PDO by supporting activities that strengthen MIDIS's capacity to monitor social inclusion policies through the development of information dashboards to oversee infant malnutrition and development plans; and technical assistance to improve the evaluation of programs processes, potential effects and impacts. The fourth component is strengthening of human resource management and capacity. This contributes to the PDO by supporting activities that strengthen MIDIS's systems and capacity to improve the performance of MIDIS's programs through the introduction of result-oriented human resources management practices. The fifth component is support to project administration. This component finances the activities related to management and implementation of the project, including the strengthening of the UCPS's (Unidad de Coordinación de Prestamos Sectoriales - Coordinating Unit for Sectoral Loans) team to be able to facilitate, coordinate and monitor implementation.

http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P131029/pe-social-inclusion-tal?lang=en&tab=overview

Beneficiaries: Close to 5 million poor in Peru

Partners and financing: Government of Peru

• Date:  4/29/2014    Paragraphs: 7

Mexico, Savings and Credit Sector Consolidation and Financial Inclusion Project
The objectives of the Savings and Credit Sector Consolidation and Financial Inclusion Project for Mexico are to support the: (a) consolidation of the savings and credit institutions (SCIs); and (b) deepening of financial inclusion in selected areas and selected locations. There are four components to the project, the first component being Consolidation and strengthening of savings and credit institutions. This component provides training and technical assistance to strengthen savings and credit institutions; and provides training and technical assistance to the confederation, federations, self-regulatory bodies, auxiliary supervision committees, and deposit protection funds to enhance their performance. The second component is the broadening access to financial services and products. This component expands access to financial services through technical assistance to Savings and credit entities to increase their membership base; and expanding National Bank for Savings and Financial Services (BANSEFI's) client base through support from banking agents. The third component is the strengthening BANSEFI capacity. This component aims to expand the technological capacity of BANSEFI, including its platform's mainframe. Finally, the fourth component is the project management. This component provides technical assistance, training and material support to BANSEFI's staff and consultants in order to assist them in the implementation of the project. Commitment Amount: US$ 100.00 million.

Activities:
The project has two main components: 1. Consolidation and strengthening sector institutions. This component supports: (a) technical assistance to about 385 sector entities for certification, merger/liquidation, or operational performance improvement; (b) technical assistance, and a one-time equipment, and operating cost reimbursement to about 20 sector institutions consisting of federations, supervision committees, and deposit protection funds; (c) studies for strategy and evaluation, and sector database creation; and (d) communication and dissemination activities. This component is designed to meet the sector institutions’ consolidation objective. 2. Broadening access to financial services and products. This component expands access to financial services and products through four main lines of action: (a) expanding membership base in existing entities (825,000 new members) through a combination of project resources to finance technical assistance and leveraging government funds to finance equipment and operating costs of participating entities to sustain the enhanced membership level; (b) mainstreaming new clients in municipalities where there are no other points of access to financial services using agency banking (5,000 access points covering about one million new clients); (c) expanding the range of financial products offered to members by about 70 entities by incorporating them into the L@red network, and to entities by BANSEFI through technical assistance and communication activities; and (d) creating a demand for financial services through an integrated financial education initiative covering building capacity for multiplier effect, and direct communication with existing and potential financial services users. This component specifically addresses the financial inclusion objective.

http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P123367/rural-savings-credit-sector-consolidation?lang=en&tab=overview

Beneficiaries: Population of Mexico

Partners and financing: Government of Mexico

• Date:  6/23/2011    Paragraphs: 7

The WB supports its partner countries in advancing a socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable development path. Reducing inequality and poverty are at the center of this agenda. In response to the financial crisis, the World Bank Group stepped up its commitment to LAC, approving new financing for more than US$15 billion in the last two fiscal years (2009-2010). By June 2011, lending for the fiscal year 2011 is expected to reach around US$12 billion. Emphasis has been given to the economic recovery with a renewed focus in social protection, human development and the environment. The Bank is supporting country efforts to create opportunities for all, while continuing to put solid macroeconomic and financial policies in place.

• World Bank's Website

• Date:  4/29/2014    Paragraphs: 6

Justice Services Improvement Project, Peru
The development objective of the Second Justice Services Improvement Project for Peru is to improve the quality of service delivery by the participating institutions and to enhance access to justice with a focus on citizens' needs for justice services. There are four components to the project. The first component of the project is improved justice services delivery. The objective of this component is to support improvements in procedural processing time and attention to users of justice services through the provision of technical assistance to improve the efficiency and timeliness of services offered by the Judiciary and the Attorney General's Office (AGO), among other institutions. The second component of the project is improved human resources management capacity. This component seeks to enhance the human resources management capacity of personnel in the participating institutions through a performance-based methodology of selection, evaluation, promotion and sanction, and through more integrated training programs. This includes the use of modern concepts of human resources planning and performance, such as the use of performance-based management. The third component of the project is enhanced transparency and access to justice. This component aims to develop a stronger anti-corruption strategy for the Judiciary, including training for magistrates and personnel of the OCMA (Anti-corruption Office of the Judiciary). This component also seeks to enhance access to justice for resource-poor citizens, including support for legal aid and conciliation services through the Ministry of Justice (ALEGRAs) and through promoting participatory campaigns with civil society. The fourth component of the project is project management, monitoring, and evaluation. This component seeks to maintain and to strengthen the Project Coordination Unit (PCU), including strengthening procurement, financial management and monitoring and evaluation capacities within the Judiciary (where the PCU is located) to implement the project on behalf of the five participating institutions. Commitment amount: US$ 20.00 million.

Activities:
Component 1 - Improvement of Justice Service Delivery: Assists the participating agencies to implement the new oral procedures, including modern court management systems. - Component 2 - Human Resource Professional Development: Assists the Judicial Council, Judiciary, Judicial Academy and AGO to recruit and retain quality personnel and provides them with appropriate professional development. - Component 3 - Enhanced Access to Justice: Focuses on strengthening the capacity of the Ministry of Justice, the Judiciary and the AGO as well as the practicing Bar to conduct cases under the new CPC (Código Procesal Civil) and introduce oral proceedings more broadly.

http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P110752/justice-services-improvement-project-ii?lang=en&tab=overview

Beneficiaries: Peruvian citizens

Partners and financing: Government of Peru

• Date:  4/29/2014    Paragraphs: 4

Nicaragua Rural Telecom
The objective of the Rural Telecommunications Project is to increase access to and reduces costs of telecommunications services in rural areas of Nicaragua. The project finances the costs associated with scaling-up activities for providing telecommunications services in Nicaragua's Caribbean coastal region and Rio San Juan; both regions being of high priority for the Government of Nicaragua. The addition of these regions offers telecom coverage to most of rural Nicaragua, thereby filling a significant gap in access. The project includes the expansion of activities under all three components: (a) expansion of telecommunication infrastructure in rural areas; (b) institutional strengthening of the sector regulator and technical assistance to rural communities; and (c) project management and auditing. In addition, the project includes the revision of project indicators, to include, among others, core Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) indicators as required by current guidelines and changes in targets to take the scaled-up activities into account.

Activities:
Component 1 - Rural Access: Under this component, new broadband internet points of presence have been installed in 101 (out of 153) municipalities throughout the country. With the exception of the majority of municipalities in the Caribbean coastal region and Rio San Juan regions, most of Nicaragua’s rural municipalities now have access to broadband services at the same prices as in Managua. Thirty-six radio base stations and 104 telecenters have been installed for access to mobile and internet in rural communities at affordable rates. Two additional base stations will be installed before the end of the original project for a total of 38. Furthermore, an independent impact evaluation found telecommunications infrastructure as well as the telecenters financially and operationally sustainable, and closely monitored by local stakeholders, including TELCOR. In this context, overall management of the telecenters will be handed-over to FITEL (telecom investment fund) to guarantee its long-term sustainability. Additionally, close to 600 public phones have been installed in rural areas that did not have a public access points before. Of these public phones, 100 were installed in communities without access to electrical power by using renewable sources of energy (e.g. solar and wind). - Component 2 - Regulatory Capacity Strengthening and Technical Assistance to Communities: Under this component, a new regulatory framework on microtelcos (small scale telecom operators) was approved in August 2011 to foster local entrepreneurship. Additionally, a new Telecommunications Law has been drafted and is being reviewed by the executive branch of Government (including TELCOR) before presentation to Congress. Furthermore, the Project has been supporting various training activities for TELCOR staff, and following cooperation agreements with the Government of Finland, the Project and TELCOR has been supporting the installation of e-government applications in over 50 municipalities (registry of cattle branding, citizen registry, internal accounting and tax collection).

http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P089989/nicaragua-rural-telecom?lang=en&tab=overview

Beneficiaries: 200,000 Nicaraguans in Rural Areas

Partners and financing: Government of Nicaragua, TELCOR