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23129
January 2001
Alk
a Is
The quarterly newsletter of the Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development Network
January 2001
ESSD
Community Driven Development Anchor now firmly established
The cross-network Community-Driven Development (CDD) anchor unit is alive and kicking. Based in SDV
and sponsored by Social, Rural and Infrastructure networks, the unit is supporting the intensified CDD
effort afoot throughout the Bank. The anchor team wilt assist regional CDD teams, promote tested
approaches, track progress, coordinate analytical work and training with other thematic and regional
groups, and provide cross-support and overall coordination on CDD. The CDD chapter for the PRSP
sourcebook has been finalized and is accessible on the intranet. Watch for the launch of the CDD website
in late January.
Contacts: Philippe Dongier (x88365) or Dan Owen (x3221 1).
ENVIRONMENT
Latest public opinion on the Environment now available
You can read the new Environmental Monitor 2000 from Environics on ESSD's internal website
(http://essd/). This survey of about 1,000 adults in 34 nations represents opinion of about 70 percent of
the world's population. From Monitor introduction: "Findings from this, the largest environmental survey
ever conducted, reveal a growing 'green wave' of top-of-mind concern in Asia. As people become
increasingly concerned about the environment, they feel frustrated by what they see as inadequate
legislation and unsatisfactory efforts by industry on behalf of the environment. The prospect of
increasing activism and its related challenges open up opportunities for leadership by both government
and the private sector." Doug Miller, President of Environics, will make a presentation of the survey to the
Bank in the spring (date to be determined). Contact: Kristyn Ebro (x82736).



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The Environment strategy consultations in San Francisco
Environment Director Kristalina Georgieva and a World Bank team continued the marathon course of
consultations for the evolving Bank-wide environment strategy with a day-long consultation in San
Francisco, November 20, 2000. More than two dozen participants took part in the meeting, hosted by the
World Affairs Council. Participants represented a broad range of affiliations and attitudes towards the
World Bank -- from highly critical NGOs, to representatives of the Goldman Foundation and others, as well
as academics from the University of California, and representatives from the Environmental Protection
Agency and the U.S. Forest Service. Breakout groups dealt with "poverty growth and environment",
"safeguards", "health and environment", and "linking global and local concerns".
Contact: Judith Moore (x89301) or Anita Gordon (x31799).
Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund in full swing
December 12-14 were busy days for the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) -- a joint initiative
between Conservation International (CI), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and the World Bank. On
December 12, 2000 the World Bank Board of Directors approved the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund
(CEPF); on the 13th, the Financing Agreement legally establishing the CEPF and its Donor Council was
signed; and on the 14th the first meeting of the CEPF Donor Council, chaired by President Wolfensohn,
was held. The Donor Council members also include Mohammed EI-Ashry, CEO and Chairman of the GEF;
Peter Seligmann, CEO and Chairman of CI; and Ian Johnson, ESSD Vice President. During the first year of
its operation, the CEPF will focus on three ecosystems: (i) Madagascar and Indian Ocean Islands; (ii) Upper
Guinean Forest ecosystems in West Africa; and (iii) the southern tropical Andes in South America. As a
"Pglobal project," the CEPF will be managed from the central Environment Department. However, it wilt be
crucial that regional staff are involved in the development, review, and supervision of regional ecosystem
activities in order to strengthen links with regional portfolios, local contacts, and to take advantage of
staff's experience with conservation work in their respective regions. To this end, all regions have
nominated focal points who have actively participated in the review of ecosystem profiles and other key
documents. For more information on the CEPF, please see the website at: www.cepf.net
Contacts: Gonzalo Castro (x31107) and Kerstin Canby (x31407).
Work on POPs Convention progresses
The fifth Intergovernmental Negotiation Committee (INC-5) for an International Legally Binding Instrument
for Implementing International Action on Certain Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) met on 4-9
December 2000, in Johannesburg, South Africa. The committee made significant progress in its
preparation of the instrument which will govern twelve POPs (comprising of pesticides, industrial
chemicals and by-products), and which follows in the footsteps of other chemical-based conventions, such
as the Montreal Protocol. Key highlights of the meeting include:
*  The GEF will serve as the interim financial mechanism under the future POPs convention (Article K).
*  Control obligations which countries will sanction in order to reduce and eliminate these twelve
chemicals have been defined (Article D).
* Participants from countries, as well as from multilaterals and NGOs, displayed a strong drive for
compromise, contrasting with the last INC meeting where divisions between the EU and the US, and
developed and developing countries, were evident.
An important issue which will be dealt with at the first COP is the definition of agreed incremental
costs. Articles agreed at this meeting will be put forward at the first COP of the POPs convention
scheduled for May 22-23, 2001, in Stockholm, Sweden.
Contact: Steve Gorman (x35865).
The Prototype Carbon Fund to receive first trainees
The core objective of the Prototype Carbon Fund (PCF) is "learning-by-doing" in the carbon market. To
strengthen this objective, the PCF is sponsoring a training program for stakeholders, host country
participants, and southern NGO specialists. The visitors will come for anywhere between a week to a few
months, depending on their interests and needs. This program will allow the visitors to experience the
work of the PCF unit as members and co-workers in the team.
Contact: Jari Vayrynen (x32161).



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Bridging troubled waters: assessing the water resources strategy since 1993
The draft final report of OED's evaluation of how effectively the Bank's 1993 Water Resources Management
Strategy has been implemented was circulated for Bank management review on December 22, 2000. The
evaluation covers all water and water-related lending and non-lending work included in the water supply
and sanitation, irrigation and drainage, and environment sectors, as well as water-component lending
nested within more general projects (e.g. social funds, rural development, etc.). The report benefited
greatly from feedback received from Bank staff and discussed at a one-stop OED meeting on October 31,
2000 and was, as a result, revised and shortened. It is now in the closing round for feedback and
comments and the objective is to have management's response to the study recommendation by February
14, 2001.
Contact: G.T. Keith Pitman (x81412).
Training workshop on making biodiversity pay in Amazon Basin countries
A Training Workshop on "Making Biodiversity Pay" organized by WBI, ENV, and LCSES in collaboration with
the Ecuadorian Ministry of Environment, IUCN, and Fundacion Futuro Latinoamericano (FLA) was held in
Cuenca, Ecuador, November 8-17. Its objective was to train economists from Amazon basin countries to
analyze the economic costs and benefits of biodiversity, and design ways of making biodiversity
conservation pay, with particular emphasis on the use of payments for environmental services. There is
considerable interest in biodiversity conservation and in the use of economic instruments throughout the
Amazon basin countries, and this workshop is envisaged as a first step in an on-going work program in the
Amazon basin (and other parts of Latin America and other regions). The course was extremely well
received, and a large number of invitations have come in to provide similar or related workshops in
individual countries of the region.
Contact: Stefano Pagiola (x82997) or Gunars Platais (x32627).
RURAL DEVELOPMENT
The World Bank at COP4 - Desertification
Ian Johnson addressed the UN meeting on the Convention to Combat Desertification (COP4) in Bonn in
December. He reported on the Bank's strategic efforts in support of the Convention as weLl as the CGIAR's
scientific research to make agriculture more productive and sustainable in fragile ecosystems such as dry
areas and desert margins. For the full text of Ian's speech, please see
www.cgiar. orq/chairij/ccdbonn .htm or http ://essd.worldbank.org/essd/essd+home.nsf/WebView/Speeches
Agricultural science a technology roundtable with the private sector
On December 5, 2000, the World Bank hosted a roundtable discussion on agricultural science and
technology with 13 CEOs from major agribusiness companies. The meeting identified several issues:
*  Factors affecting Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and options for improving the exchange of
scientific information, especially with developing countries research institutes;
*  Harmonizing the regulatory environment across countries and creating the enabling environment
to conduct and share research findings to meet the global food needs;
*  Undertaking a scientific-based assessment of the opportunities and risks of new technologies; and
*  The establishment of a means to allow the private sector to contribute technology to developing
countries unable to pay for it without impairing their ability to do business in other countries.
A full memo summarizing the meeting can be found on the ESSD website, or at:
http://essd.worldban k.orR/essd/essd+home . nsf/WebView/Agricu lturalScienceTechnology This
meeting was the second of several intended stakeholder meetings on agricultural research, the
first being with Gordon Conway of Rockefeller Foundation. The World Bank will continue to host
meetings with a range of stakeholder groups from different perspectives.
Contact: Shawki Barghouti (x82867).



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Commodity Price Risk Management Team - a new addition to the Rural family
On January 2nd, the Commodity Price Risk Management Team (CPRM) moved into the ESSD network, and
will be housed in the Rural Development Family. The International Task Force for Commodity Price Risk
Management is a unique partnership of private and public sector institutions which have come together to
address the issues of price fluctuations and volatility in the commodities markets. These fluctuations are
devastating for smaliholder farmers who have virtually no means to protect themselves from these price,
and consequent income, shocks. They also create major problems for our client countries at the macro
level in terms of fiscal balance and ensuring a sound economic environment. The CPRM team in the Bank is
pursuing market-based approaches to extend insurance and risk mitigation mechanisms to farmers,
including smaliholders, in our client countries.
Contact: Lynn Brown (x88175).
Rural Week 2001
Mark your calendars!!! April 23-24 is Rural week this year here at the Bank. Yes, it's so action packed we
can do a "week" in 2 daysH The theme will be reaching the 70 percent of the poor who live in rural areas --
critical if the Bank is to achieve it's mission of poverty reduction. A key part of the program will focus on
the new rural strategy for reaching the rural poor. An almost final draft will be presented. What makes it
final? Your input and participation! Look out for exhibitions in the atrium, and other events in the days
immediately preceding Rural Week.
Contact: Lynn Brown (x88175).
CGIAR/FUTURE HARVEST
This year's International Centers Week a success
The CGIAR held its annual International Centers Week (ICW2000) from October 23 - 27 at the World Bank,
with hundreds of participants from around the world. World Bank officials took part in many of the
activities, including:
?  President Wolfensohn gave the opening remarks at a special "issues seminar" on "Frontier Science,
Global Public Goods and the CGIAR."
*  Motoo Kusakabe, VP for Resource Mobilization and Cofinancing, chaired a session on the CGIAR's
role as an instrument for producing global public goods.
-  Robert Watson, Chief Scientist and IPCC Chair, reported on the key issues and decisions at the
COP6 meeting and discussed the importance of CGIAR research on the potential of land use, land
use changes and agroforestry to mitigate climate change in support of the objectives of the
UNFCCC.
*  Hans Binswanger, Sector Director for Agriculture, addressed the plenary on the HIV/AIDS crisis and
its implications for rural development and agricultural research in Africa.
*  Robert Picciotto, OED Director General, informed the CGIAR members about plans to conduct a
review of the public goods aspects of CGIAR's work as part of a larger effort to assess the
development effectiveness of global public goods programs supported by the Bank.
For a full update on the week, please see
http://www.worldban k.org/htm l/cgiar/pub lications/icwOO/icw2000. htmI
Get together to find badly needed cures
This was the title of an International Herald Tribune op-ed by Ian Johnson on the unique public-private
partnership between the CGIAR's International Livestock Institute in Kenya and the Institute for Genome
Research (TIGR) in the U.S. The scientists are working to find a cure for East Coast fever -- a ruinous
livestock disease in sub-Saharan Africa -- with high hopes that the research could lead to a breakthrough in
curing malaria and cancer world-wide. For the full article, please see www.iht.com/articles/6337.htm



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CGIAR -- a good example of what works
Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers, speaking at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International
Studies on the eve of the Annual Meetings of the Bank/IMF meeting in Prague, cited the CGIAR as an
example of why there should be increased support for global public goods: "We have had enough
successes, with the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and the Green
Revolution, the campaign to defeat river blindness in Africa, and the eradication of smallpox, to show
that global public goods can be provided."
Scientists set to defeat milleania-long problem of locust and grasshopper plagues
Scientists from the Nigeria-based International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, recently announced the
development of an environmentally-safe, natural alternative to the chemical insecticides used to combat
locust plagues throughout the developing world. After a decade of development, the first commercial
quantities of the new bio-pesticide were released in what is believed to be the largest aerial spraying of a
bio-pesticide ever conducted in Africa. Preliminary data on the spraying in Niger indicate that the bio-
pesticide provides complete control up to three times longer than current chemical insecticides, making it
less expensive for farmers to protect their crops from locusts and grasshoppers. The new control method
uses a naturally occurring fungus that is deadly to both locusts and grasshoppers but does not harm other
insects, plants, animals, or people. IITA is a Future Harvest Center supported through the CGIAR.
For the full story, visit http://www.futureharvest.org/news/locustpressrelease.shtml
Contact: Jason Wettstein (X33553).
Pearl-farming technology could help save coral reefs and generate new wealth
Amidst ethnic violence and warring militias, scientists from The World Fish Center based in Malaysia and
their partners working in the Solomon Islands recently coaxed a crop of precious black pearls from oysters
off their shores. Black pearl farming may offer hundreds of poor, coastal communities throughout the
region a commercially-viable and environmentally-sustainable alternative to over-fishing. In the Solomons,
where conflict has shattered the economy and rural average income is less than $3 per day, the
breakthrough couldn't come at a better time. In late October, the World Bank delayed support to the
Solomons following an increase in ethnic tensions and doubts about local plans for large-scale
development. The World Fish Center is one of the 16 food and environmental research organizations
known as the Future Harvest Centers and supported through the CGIAR.
For the full story, visit http://www.futureharvest.org/growth/pearl.bkgnd.shtml
Contact: Jason Wettstein (X33553).
Future Harvest centers find that new crops and better management
Farmers in developing countries are helping nature store away vast amounts of atmospheric carbon by
growing high-yielding, land-efficient food crops that save room for forests, according to a report recently
released by the 16 Future Harvest research centers. The report puts the amount of land saved over the
past 30 years at 426 million hectares or nearly 1.0 billion acres. The savings are helping nature to store
atmospheric carbon equal to a third of the amount released annually by all sources in the United States.
"By planting high-yielding varieties, farmers have left untouched vast areas of land that would have
otherwise been needed to grow food," says Pedro Sanchez, director general of the Kenya-based
International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF). The 16 Future Harvest centers recently
approved a three-year, $20 million pilot program for research associated with reducing global warming.
One of the program's major priorities will be to develop rice varieties and water management practices
that can reduce the emission of methane, one of the major greenhouse gasses. Future Harvest builds
awareness and support for international agricultural research on behalf of 16 food and environmental
research centers supported principally through the CGIAR.
For the full story, visit http://www.futureharvest.org/earth/carbon.bkQnd.shtml
Contact: Jason Wettstein (X33553).
SOCIAL



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Updated participation website
The Participation Website has become a global source of information on participation for people who want
to understand more about how to alleviate poverty through participation, empowerment, and inclusion.
The Participation Thematic Team has recently updated the sites' PRSP section with the most recent
country interim PRSPs and full PRSPs, action learning case studies, presentation materials, PRSP learning
tools, resource links, and information on participation in poverty diagnostics, in macroeconomic reform, in
public expenditure management, and in monitoring implementation and results of policies. Check it out at
www.worldbank. or_/participation.
Contact: Parmesh Shah (x85918).
The Bank as a post-conflict player
Mr. Wolfensohn and Mr. Mark Malloch-Brown, UNDP Administrator, co-chaired a one hour videoconference
on December 14th with six sites to discuss the funding gap in the transition from post-conflict
humanitarian relief to long-term reconstruction. Participants were the UN Deputy Secretary, Heads of
UNHCR and WFP, Acting UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, an EU Commissioner on Humanitarian and
Development Aid, senior officials from Norway and the USA, and Ambassadors of the Republic of Congo
and Rwanda. This meeting was part of a review that has come to be called the Brookings Process, first
launched in 1999 by Wolfensohn and Ogata at a meeting in Washington. For a summary of the video
conference, please visit the December 20th edition of Bank's World Today
(http://ispace.worldbank.org/todavarchive/html/1 22000a.htm).
Contact: Kaz Kuroda (x82259) or Frode Davanger (x31658).
Women and women's organizations in post-conflict societies
The Post-Conflict Unit and the Gender and Development (Gad) thematic group of the PREM Gender Family
co-sponsored a brown bag session on December 7, entitled "Women and Women's Organizations in Post-
Conflict Societies". Dr. Krishna Kumar presented the USAID multi-country assessment of gender issues in
post-conflict societies. The purpose of the assessment was to generate a body of empirically grounded
knowledge that could inform the policy and programmatic interventions of USAID and other international
donor agencies. In addition to extensive literature review, fieldwork was conducted in six countries:
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, El Salvador, Georgia, Guatemala, and Rwanda. A synthesis paper drew
from these field investigations as well as from the studies and investigations by individual scholars or
national and international organizations.
Contact: Frode Davanger (x31658).
A restructuring of dialogue with civil society
At the meetings of the NGO-World Bank Committee in early December, a watershed agreement was
reached that will see a major restructuring of the Bank's dialogue with civil society at the global level. The
NGO Working Group on the Bank had been requested by Mr. Wolfensohn to re-think its future role in light
of changes in the global civil society context and in the Bank itself. The main elements of the changes are
the inclusion of broader civil society -- beyond NGOs -- and a sharper thematic focus in the Bank's dialogue
with civil society. In this respect, the NGO-World Bank Committee and its annual meetings will be
replaced by an annual civil society forum which will be managed by a Bank-civil society "facilitation
committee". Regional arrangements for Bank-civil society interaction will be determined at the regional
level.
Contact: Jeff Thindwa (x81112).
SAFEGUARD NEWS
Sustainable development: Sweden's presidency of the European Union
In preparation for their upcoming Presidency of the European Union, Sweden convened a workshop with
their Ministry of Environment and the Swedish International Development Agency, which was run by the
Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI). They decided that their topmost priority during their EU Presidency
should be "Sustainable Development and the Private Sector". Lisa Segnestam and Robert Goodland from
the WBG participated with the Business Council for Sustainable Development, along with UNEP, UNDP,
OECD, and members of civil society. All participants were delighted to hear that the 2002 WDR, "10 Years
After Rio", will be on Sustainable Development. Contact: Robert Goodland (x33203).



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REGIONAL NEWS
Latin America
National seminar on social funds in Brazil
The Brazil CMU held a National Seminar on Social Funds in Brasilia on November 20-21. The purpose of the
event was to present the findings of an independent review carried out by Brazilian researchers of 14
small-grants funds, totaling nearly $1 billion dollars over 7 years, which the World Bank finances in Brazil.
These funds are managed by governments at the federal and state levels and geared to the following
areas: rural poverty, environment, natural resources management, and AIDS. A total of 80 government
managers, civil society technicians, social development specialists, and Bank TMs participated of the
event.
Contact: John Garrison (x34742).
Municipal development in rural Nicaragua: coordination between two World Bank-financed projects
Coordination between two municipal development institutions -- the Social Emergency Fund (FISE) and the
Nicaraguan Institute for Municipal Development (INIFOM) -- has improved significantly. A dialogue has been
established between the two presidents, finalizing the details of an inter-institutional agreement which
would clarify specific responsibilities and complementarities, and define mechanisms for coordination and
collaboration. Arrangements between the two institutions will be supported by a neutral facilitator to
sustain a continued dialogue and information exchange and provide an adequate framework for improving
coordination between the two institutions. The Nicaraguan Government will negotiate in January 2001 a
proposed credit of $28.7 million for the second phase of the Rural Municipalities Project, a project that
would increase the depth and coverage of the ongoing Rural Municipalities (PROTIERRA). The project is an
interesting example of rural development based on a decentralized, multisectoral approach in which
municipal governments play a central role. A recent evaluation prepared by the project team will be
published in the coming month and will be made available on the Internet.
Contacts: Maurizio Guadagni (x87155) or Gabriela Boyer (x33461).
Regional consultations on the environment strategy
The LCR environment team met with stakeholders in Cartagena (September), Rio de Janeiro (October),
and San Jose (November) to discuss the Bank's environmental strategy for Latin America and the
Caribbean. About 30-40 participants from the public, private, NGO, and academic sectors attended each
meeting. The consultations showed fundamental support for the team's general approach but revealed
considerable differences in subregional emphases, difficulty in setting priorities, and some interesting
departures from the Bank's priorities. In addition, consultations via a web site and by e-mail have
generated more than 200 responses since August. The team is now revising the draft strategy, integrating
comments, and addressing issues raised during the consultations, though continued input from all CMUs
and SMUs in the Region is encouraged.
Contact: Teresa Serra (x35754).
Civil society specialists in country offices remapped to CMUs
As part of a recent realignment, the country office Civil Society Specialists in LCR will now be mapped to
their respective CMUs and report directly to Katherine Bain instead of to LCSES. The staff affected are:
*  Jairo Arboledo, Colombia
*  Rosa Maria Blacazar, Bolivia
*  Sandra Cesilini, Argentina
*  Maria Magdalena Colmenares, Venezuela
*  Elizabeth Dasso, Peru
*  Jorge Franco, Mexico
*  Pilar Larreamendy, Ecuador
*  Mario Marroquin, Guatemala
Contact: Katherine Bain (x34708).



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South Asia
Seminar on the structural adjustment participatory review initiative (SAPRI)
A one day seminar was held on December 18, 2000, to review the research findings of the SAPRI in Dhaka,
Bangladesh. The seminar was attended by Josef Ritzen, Vice President, Fred Temple, Country Director,
and other senior Bank officials. The seminar was presided over by Prof. Rehman Sobhan, chairperson of
the SAPRI steering committee, academics, and NGO representatives.
Contact: Nilufar Ahmad, SASSD, Dhaka Office
PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
Francisco Reifschneider will take over as the new CGIAR Director in early February. Francisco comes to
the CGIAR from the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), where he was Head of
International Cooperation. He has had extensive national and international experience, collaborating with
the FAO and the World Bank, and with several national institutes outside Brazil. He received Brazil's
highest award -- the Frederico de M. Veiga Prize -- for major contributions to the development of
agriculture. He holds a degree in agronomy from the University of Brazil and a doctorate in plant
pathology from the University of Wisconsin.
Effective January 1, 2001, Lars Vidaeus was appointed to the ESSD Management Team and as Advisor to
Kristalina Georgieva, Environment Director. Lars will help Kristalina manage the Environment Department
as well as sharing the responsibility for maintaining consultations and policy dialogue with the internal and
external constituents involved and interested in the Bank's environmental agenda. In addition to these
new responsibilities, Lars will take on the ENV Front Office responsibility of overseeing the GEF Program,
together with the other global programs currently under the mandate of the Environment Department (i.e.
Montreal Protocol, climate change, biodiversity, etc.). He will also play the lead role in managing the
implementation process of the Environment Strategy in the next fiscal year.
Welcome to William Partridge (former Sector Leader in LCC7C and Lead Specialist for Social Development
in LCSES) on his return to headquarters and to LCSEO as of November 1. Bill has spent the past 2 years
working on an External Service assignment as an Advisor and Specialist on Resettlement to the UNHCR and
Antioquia Presente in Colombia. Bill will help conduct a review of the LCR Region's experience
implementing programs on behalf of indigenous peoples over the past 10 years.
After five years as Civil Society and Social Development Specialist in the Brasilia Office, John Garrison is
moving back to headquarters as the Civil Society Specialist at the Global Development Gateway where he
will establish information-sharing partnerships with CSOs throughout the world
PUBLICATIONS
EDP #79 "Climate Information and Forecasting for Development: Lessons from the 1997/98 El Nino
This publication -- prepared jointly by the Office of Global Programs, NOAA, and the Environment
Department of the World Bank -- focuses primarily on ENSO (El Nino/Southern Oscillatio)-related natural
disasters, resulting from extreme climatic events. However, many of the forecasting tools discussed in the
report can also be applied to moderate climate variations, and are increasingly used to assist farmers in
their planting decisions, for example in Africa. The Bank has some initial experience with the use of
climate information and forecasting in, for example, Peru and Zimbabwe. These early examples could be
drawn upon to initiate a small number of pilot projects in selected, highly vulnerable countries. Chosen
carefully, such pilot investments would not only demonstrate how climate information and forecasting can
best be incorporated into Bank work, they would also contribute directly to poverty alleviation and
sustainable development in the countries concerned, as well as part of a broader strategy for natural risk
management. Contact: Mahesh Sharma (x32296).



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Developing indicators: experience from Central America - - a toolkit
The World Bank, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), and UNEP produced an
interactive, bilingual English/Spanish indicator toolkit. It helps reveal environmental vulnerabilities that
will assist Central American decision-makers not only analyze past problems, but to also better prepare for
future disasters. Users can explore the potential impact of specific policies, strategies, and actions under
different scenarios, such as "business as usual," "natural disasters," or "sustainable rural development."
Financial support for this 2-year project was provided by the governments of Denmark, Norway, and
Sweden. The packet contains the following:
Two books:
"Developing Indicators: Lessons Learned from Central America", and
"Forest Sector Indicators: An Approach for Central America"
Two Analytical examples:
"Using Information to Improve Decisionmaking: Climatic Risk in Central America", and
"From Indices to Policy Implications: Land Use in Central America"
One CD:
"Indicadores de sustentabilidad rural: Una visi6n para America Central"
and one Poster:
"A One-Stop Shop to Successful Indicator Development"
Contact: John Dixon (x38594).
Involuntary resettlement: comparative perspectives, volume 2.
Since the 1980s, the Bank has implemented guidelines for policies with respect to displacement, social
infrastructure and services, environmental impacts, relocation, compensation, and the restoration of
incomes for those affected by Bank-assisted projects, particularly large dams. This volume builds up on
earlier studies and fieldwork, to offer a broad look at eight dam-building projects in six countries (India,
Thailand, Togo, China, Indonesia, and Brazil) and to review the outcomes of Bank policy, learn from
experience, and assess outside criticism. In addition to its case-by-case analysis of countries and projects,
the book includes detailed lessons and recommendations to strengthen resettlement policy and practice.
Contact: Juicy Qureishi-Guq (x80382).
LCR Sustainable Development Working Papers
The LCR Sustainable Development Working Paper series produced by LCSES published three new papers in
November and December. Papers are available from Peter Brandriss.
*  La Raza y la Pobreza: Consulta Interagencias sobre Afrolatinoamericanos (edici6n preliminar).
Proceedings of the June 19, 2000 roundtable in Washington, DC. Various authors. Paper No. 9
*  Strengthening Indigenous Organizations: The World Bank's Indigenous Capacity-Building Program in
Latin America." Jorge E. Uquillas and Teresa Aparicio Gabara. Paper No. 10.
*  Local Governments and Sustainable Rural Development: Effects and Potential Sustainability of the
Rural Municipalities Project (Protierra) in Nicaragua. Maurizio Guadagni, Gabriela Boyer, Aidan
Gulliver, Paola Perez-Aleman, and Dagoberto Rivera. Paper No. 11.
TRAINING
Urban air quality management in Latin American cities - - a distance learning course
December 15 saw the successful conclusion of the first delivery of a new and exciting component of the
Clean Air Initiative for Latin American Cities: the Distance Learning Course on Urban Air Quality
Management. The course was developed by the World Bank Institute's Clean Air team, together with
colleagues from LCSES, the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), and the United States
Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). The eight two-hour sessions were broadcast out of the Bank's
distance learning center in Washington to 17 sites in Latin America through the digital network of the
Asociaci6n de Televisi6n Educativa Iberoamericana (ATEI). The course, delivered entirely in Spanish,
presented an overview of the main topics in air quality management, and policy issues regarding air
pollution prevention and control from the transport, industrial and energy sectors, making maximum use
of locally relevant issues and constraints in the discussions, exercises and assignments. A second delivery
of the course is tentatively scheduled for May/June 2001. For further information, please visit our
website at www.worldbank.ory/cleanair or contact us at clean-air@worldbank.org
Contact: Alexandra Klopfer (x34645).



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UPCOMING SEMINARS AND WORKSHOP
Policy, legal, and technical aspects of IT application to land administration:
A case study of the automation of Saskatchewan's (Canada) land titles and registry system.
Seminar date: Thursday, January 11, 2001
Time: 12:30 - 14:00
Site: World Bank Main Complex
Room: MC10 - W150
The seminar will be delivered by the Chief Operating Officer of the Saskatchewan Information Services
Corporation -- Ron Hewitt -- and his team who run the land titles and registry systems. Saskatchewan
enjoys a stable land administration system based on solid fundamental principles of the Torren's Land
Administration system that was developed over 100 years ago. However, totally paper-based, regionally-
based, and highly labor reliant, the system has not been able to keep pace with customer demands.
Rather than simply automating the existing system, as had been done in all other Canadian (and other
worldwide) jurisdictions, Saskatchewan took the bold step of taking a major leap forward. In addition to a
radically innovative and technologically advanced computer system, Saskatchewan completely re-
developed its land titles system from the bottom up. Extensive policy re-development, process re-
engineering and legal review were undertaken. This resulted in simplified, customer-focused, new
legislation, regulations, and policies for surveys and land titles and consequential amendments to more
than 70 other statutes.
Contact: Frank Byamuguisha (x34198).
Agriculture, SPS, and the environment: capturing the benefits of the WTO round for South Asia
Workshop date: January 1 1-13, 2001
Site: New Delhi, India
This World Bank, UNCTAD, and South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) event continues
the series of World Bank regional workshops on agricultural trade problems and opportunities facing
developing countries. The aim is for countries to share experience, and to identify key objectives and
strengthen local capacity to achieve these objectives in international negotiations. The agenda will cover
the WTO negotiations on agriculture (including tariff policy, access to export markets, and subsidies), and
sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) and environmental standards. Related issues will also be raised, such as
special treatment options for developing countries, food security issues, strategies for rural poverty
alleviation, export promotion, and market liberalization. Regionalization as a strategy for achieving
negotiating objectives will be evaluated, and areas of further external analytical support and assistance
needed by the countries of the region will be explored. Contact: Merlinda Ingco (x33860).
Governing the GM crop revolution: policy choices for developing countries
Seminar date: Thursday, January 18, 2001
Time: 3:30-5:00 pm
Site: IFPRI -- 2033 K Street, NW (entrance on 21st Street, between K & L streets)
Presenter: Prof. Robert L. Paarlberg, Wellesley College
Commentator: Dr. Calestous Juma, Harvard University
Farmers have benefited from advances in agricultural technology for centuries, but the latest innovation,
transgenic modification of crops has generated considerable controversy. In this 2020 Vision Policy
Seminar, Prof. Robert Paarlberg will present an up-to-date snapshot and analysis of developing-country
policies towards GM crops from four countries: Brazil, China, India, and Kenya, using a system he has
devised for classifying policy choices toward GM crops in the areas of intellectual property rights, food
safety, biosafety, trade, and public research investment. He will explain the differences among the four
countries in these policy areas, and will offer lessons for other developing countries grappling with these
controversial issues. Prof. Paarlberg is a professor of political science at Wellesley College and an
associate at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University. Copies of his 2020
discussion paper, Governing the GM Crop Revolution: Policy Choices for Developing Countries (December
2000), will be available at the meeting. Dr. Juma is with the Center for International Development,
Kennedy School of Government, at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Visit the IFPR web site
(www.ifpri.org) for the latest IFPRI news and to download hundreds of food policy research publications.



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Contact: Simone Hill Lee (202) 862-8107 or s.hill-lee@cgiar.org
Poverty Et Environment
Workshop date: January 18, 2001
Time: 12:30-2:00 p.m.
Site: Room 1 12-420.
Julia Bucknall will present the Environment Strategy Background paper on "Poverty and Environment,"
which uses a framework of health, livelihoods, and vulnerability to describe the link between
environmental conditions and poverty. The paper tries to show the impacts to the Bank of changing from
the current, implicit environmental strategy which maximizes environmental benefits, to one which
maximizes benefits to the poor.
Contact: Karen Ravenelle
Principles of environmental compliance and enforcement
Workshop date: January 25, 2001
WBI and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) are pleased to announce a one-day
executive workshop on Principles of Environmental Compliance and Enforcement which is open to all Bank
staff. There will be no chargeback fee for this course and staff time should covered by the respective
units. The objective of the course is to empower Bank staff to assist client countries in designing effective
compliance strategies and enforcement programs. The course defines the terms compliance and
enforcement, introduces basic principles, and explores different approaches for implementing each
element of the framework. It introduces participants to the various approaches different countries have
found useful in developing their own enforcement programs, and it provides participants with the tooLs to
successfully carry out this task in their unique settings. The course also examines strategies for designing
an effective program with limited resources -- a continuing challenge for all of the Bank's clients. The
course will be taught by USEPA instructors.
Contact: Eileen Heffern by January 15, 2001 to register (x82416).
Choice at a macro level: increasing the value of Participation in country-owned PRSPs
Workshop date: April 3-6, 2001
Site: World Bank Headquarters
An international workshop on participatory processes at the macro level, with a focus on PRSPs, will be a
platform from which principal members of PRSP working groups from 8-10 countries will launch their
participatory strategies. Participants will learn from, and interact with, a key group of pioneers of
participatory work in contexts such as:
*  assessing poverty (including self-rated poverty and PPAs);
*  macroeconomic policy formulation (including social partnerships and sectoral reforms);
*  managing and monitoring public expenditures (including budget formulation, analysis and
monitoring); and
*  monitoring the implementation and impact of economic and social policies (participatory
monitoring and evaluation).
More than 100 participants are expected, including representatives of 3-4 countries who have
experience with participation in their own PRSP processes and donor agency representatives.
Contact: Sue Jacobs (x31611).



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CALENDAR
25-30    World Economic Forum
Venue: Davos, Switzerland
13-23    Commission for Social Development
Sponsor: UN
Venue: New York
21-23    ESSD Tokyo Forum
Venue: Tokyo, Japan
25-27    World Commission on Dams Forum
Venue: Capetown, South Africa
26-30    Commission on Population and Development
Sponsor: UN
Venue: Geneva
22       Earth Day
16-27    Commission on Sustainable Development
Sponsor: UN
Venue: New York
23-27    Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
Sponsor: FAO
Venue: Rome
Contributors: Nilufar Ahmad, Shawki Barghouti, Peter Brandriss, Lynn Brown, Kerstin Canby, Jim
Cantrell, Gonzalo Castro, Frode Davanger, Mary-Ellen Foley, John Garrison, Shirley Geer, Robert
Goodland, Anita Gordon, Maurizio Guadagni, Eileen Heffern, Caryl Jones-Swahn, Alexandra Klopfer,
Kazuhide Kuroda, Vidhya Muthuram, Ken Newcombe, Daniel Owen, Stefano Pagiola, Jason Jacques
Paiement, G. T. Keith Pitman, William Reuben, Susan Scurlock Theiler, Jeff Thindwa, Robert L.
Thompson, Jason Wettstein, Deborah Youssef
"ESSentials" is the quaterly internal newsletter of the Environmentally and Socially Sustainable
Development Network of the World Bank Group. Its purpose is to unify the 800 network staff, including
100 in field offices, and to share important news on sustainable development with network staff and
interested Bank colleagues. Please send ideas or articles to Kristyn Ebro, editor, MC4-119, x82736.
To obtain prior issues of "ESSentials" or more information on ESSD, check our website: http: / /essd