Each day, more than 41,000 girls worldwide are married while still children, often before they may be physically and emotionally ready to become wives and mothers.
... See More + Child marriage, defined as marriage or a union taking place before the age of 18, endangers the life trajectories of these girls in numerous ways. Child brides are at greater risk of experiencing a range of poor health outcomes, having children at younger ages, having more children over their lifetime, dropping out of school, earning less over their lifetimes and living in poverty than their peers who marry at later ages. Child brides may also be more likely to experience intimate partner violence, have restricted physical mobility, and limited decisionmaking ability. Most fundamentally, these girls may be disempowered in ways that deprive them of their basic rights to health, education, equality, non-discrimination, and to live free from violence and exploitation, which continue to affect them into adulthood. These dynamics affect not only the girls themselves, but their children, households, communities and societies, limiting their ability to reach their full social and economic potential.
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The five countries covered in this report share a number of characteristics and are facing similar challenges that justify their being monitored jointly.
... See More + First, they face critical demographic issues that require immediate action to enable them to experience a population dividend rather than a population burden that might foreshadow interminable political and social conflicts in the future. Second, with the exception of Guinea, these are landlocked, low-income Sahelian economies, heavily reliant on the agricultural sector, their main source of revenue and means of subsistence, with a significant livestock sub-sector based in part on traditional pastoral nomadism. Third, they are economically non-diversified. These five countries rely on natural resources exploitation industries-gold for Mali, uranium and oil for Niger, bauxite for Guinea, diamonds for the Central African Republic, and oil for Chad-that account for a rural portion of their output, export income, and public revenue. This dependence on the primary sector makes these economies highly vulnerable to climate-related shocks and to volatility in the price of raw materials. Fourth, each one is struggling to overcome a legacy of political instability and violence, exacerbated by fragile sociopolitical conditions and the severity of regional currency tied to the euro and exerts considerable influence on the macroeconomic policies of its Member States.
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The objectives of the Social Assistance Reform Program Project for Indonesia are to support the conditional cash transfer program coverage expansion, strengthen its delivery system, and improve its coordination with other complementary social programs.
... See More + Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelagic state, the fourth most populous nation, and the tenth largest economy with regard to purchasing power parity. It is a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations group of countries that have a combined population of 608.4 million and is also a member of the G-20. With more than 17,500 islands, of which 6,000 are inhabited, Indonesia has a population of over 250 million, with 300 distinct ethnic groups and over 700 languages and dialects. With a gross national income per capita of about US$3,440 (2015), Indonesia is currently classified as a lower-middle-income country and will transition to an upper-middle-income country with continued economic growth. The World Bank is well positioned to support the Government of Indonesia through the Social Assistance Reform Program. The integration of family-based SA schemes for poor and vulnerable families through CCTs is one of the key strategies in the National Medium-term Development Plan (Rencana Pembangunan Jangka Menengah Nasional, RPJMN) 2015–2019. The three main criteria for selecting these DLIs are that (a) the desired results are within control of the implementing agency, MoSA; (b) the DLIs are achievable in the program period; and (c) the DLIs are verifiable. The DLIs are designed combining both scalability (financing proportional to the progress toward achievement) and floating (disbursements made when they are met) features.
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The ability to prove one's identity is a cornerstone of participation in modern life, yet over 1.5 billion people lack proof of legal identity.
... See More + As a first step in assisting its client countries to close this identity gap, the World Bank Group's ID4D initiative conducts Identity Management Systems Analyses (IMSAs) to evaluate countries' identity ecosystems and facilitate collaboration with governments for future work. To date, analyses have been conducted in 17 African countries, including Botswana, Chad, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Guinea, Lenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Zambia.
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The objective of the Statistical Capacity Building Project for Haiti is to (i) assist in the production, analyses and dissemination of the findings of the fifth population and housing census and (ii) strengthen the human and technological capacities of the IHSI.
... See More + There are three components to the project, the first component being human resources and technology. This component will support implementation of activities linked to the census to strengthen the technical and managerial capacity of the IHSI through (a) the appointment of long-term and punctual expertise to support the IHSI in managing the census operation; (b) the recruitment of technical staff (statisticians and ICT specialists) who will work on census-related activities; (c) on-the-job training for existing and new IHSI technical staff with a focus on learning-by-doing; and (d) upgrading of information and communication technology systems, data management and archiving systems, and other equipment to meet the immediate needs of the census and for future surveys. The second component is the data production, dissemination, and use of statistics. This component will implement activities designed to improve the quality, timeliness, and usefulness of census data. While the data collection phase requires a lot of temporary staff, the project will focus on engaging citizens, training permanent IHSI staff, purchasing equipment that will remain at the IHSI, and disseminating and using census data. This component includes three sub-components: preparation of census; execution of the census and data collection; and analysis, dissemination, and use of census data. Finally, the third component is the project management. This component will support the IHSI in its day-to-day project management functions: coordination; implementation; and management (including fiduciary aspects, monitoring and evaluation, carrying out of audits, and reporting as required or needed) of project activities and results.
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The development objective of the Uttarakhand Health Systems Development Project for India s to improve access to quality health services, particularly in the hilly districts of the state, and to expand health financial risk protection for the residents of Uttarakhand.
... See More + The project will have two components. The first component, Innovations in engaging the private sector will finance engagement with the private sector in the delivery of health care services, as well as in health care financing. This component will expand access to services by creating integrated, technology-enabled health system architecture with enhanced focus and availability of primary care, emergency care, and necessary referral services. It will also expand financial protection by defining a benefit package of primary care services for child and adolescent care and for the management of National Competitive Bidding (NCDs). The first component includes two subcomponents. (i) innovations in integrated delivery of healthcare services (primary, referral,and emergency care); (ii) innovations in healthcare financing;The second component, Stewardship and System Improvement will strengthen the Government’s capacity to engage effectively with the private sector, and therefore, enable the Government to provide effective stewardship to improve the quality of services in the entire health system, particularly in its capacity to effectively pursue the innovations being planned under this project. The component will focus on strengthening the institutional structures for stewardship and service delivery and augmenting the state’s human resource capacity, so that the necessary skillsets required for effective implementation of the project and the state’s health programs are available. The strengthened capacity will serve beyond the activities of this project, as it will contribute to the Government’s stewardship role for the health system as a whole. This component will finance research and evidence generation, use of evidence for strategic planning, and improved information systems for data generation and management, including timely feedback to providers.
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Afghans have been enduring the adverse consequences of forced displacement for decades, way before the current “refugee crisis” gained the international spotlight with the surge of asylum seekers trying to escape conflict in Syria.
... See More + Afghanistan is not only the country with the largest number of refugees in protracted exile, but it is also facing a sharp increase in displacement trends due to the escalation of internal conflict. Despite the continuous deterioration of the security situation within Afghanistan, a shrinking asylum space within the international community and changes in the geopolitical equilibrium at the regional level have recently spurred the return (mostly involuntary) of thousands of refugees and asylum from Pakistan and, in lower numbers, from Iran and Europe. The need for managing and protecting displaced populations is taking place in a country lacking a system of safety nets and suffering from a severe economic crisis that has pushed at least 1.3 million additional Afghans into poverty, and triggered a three-fold increase in unemployment between 2012 and 2014. Can Afghanistan manage the ongoing displacement challenge? Can the country absorb and successfully reintegrate displaced populations under the current security and economic circumstances? What priorities should the government and the international community address?
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Health services (HS) are crucial for development. HS include all services dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of disease, or the promotion, maintenance and restoration of health.
... See More + They include personal and non-personal health services. Ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity sustainably require, among others, access to social services, including HS. The World Bank Group (WBG) works with the public and private sectors, and development partners to improve HS in client countries through finance, knowledge and convening services. The purpose of this evaluation is to collect evidence, develop lessons, and propose recommendations that could enhance WBG support to client countries as they move toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC). The global coalition for UHC urges government and development partners to accelerate progresses toward the goal that all people receive the quality HS they need, without suffering financial hardship. UHC is one of the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all (SDG3). Access to HS is closely linked to the Millennium Development Goals and SDG targets of reducing preventable maternal and child mortality; reducing stunting and improving nutrition for infants and children; strengthening health systems; and preventing and treating communicable (e.g. AIDS, Tuberculosis, malaria) and non-communicable diseases. To ensure that the evaluation has a manageable scope, the analysis will focus on those activities that support directly the provision and the demand for HS. Therefore, WBG support that affects HS indirectly (e.g. through improved income, education or the environment) will not be part of this evaluation. The evaluation will cover both learning and accountability aspects of WBG support.
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Ratings for the Wetlands Conservation Project for Sierra Leone were as follows: outcomes were satisfactory, the risk to development outcome was low, the Bank performance was satisfactory, and the Borrower performance was also satisfactory.
... See More + Some lessons learned included: the project played a vital role in solving the conflict of cattle grazing within the Mamunta-Mayosso site. There was a situation that two out of the ten Town Chiefs at MMWS allowed Fula cattle ranchers to settle illegally and graze their livestock in communal lands including the Sanctuary in exchange of ‘gifts’ such as livestock, while the majority of village residents surrounding the Sanctuary condemned these bi-lateral agreements (for the damages caused). Therefore surrounding village farming populations were calling on third parties, such as the GoSL and NPAA and Paramount chiefs to play an active mitigation role to reach consensus and conservation targets. It seems feasible to attract private sector resources, for example in the area of ecotourism as well as for processing and marketing of high value agricultural crops as long as the market alternatives are available. For example, intercropped cashew plantations, honey production combined with appropriate processing and marketing, or pineapple production with secured market outlet could increase smallholders’ income and reduce pressure on natural resources in the PAs. Furthermore, particularly in the case of Sierra Leone River Estuary, operating mining companies might be interested to reach agreements that could include financial support for conservation site management as part of the companies’ responsibility to mitigate and compensate for environmental damages caused (offsetting).
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Implementation Completion and Results Report ICR3927 SEP 27, 2016
The demographic transition in the Sahel region has been slower than that in the rest of the world. Although child mortality rates have declined in recent decades, they are still higher in West Africa than in other regions.
... See More + Furthermore, the fertility decline has progressed very slowly, with some countries seeing stalls and others even an increase in birth rates. The speed with which this transition takes place has a critical impact on a population’s age structure and future potential for economic productivity. The current rates of change in the Sahelian sub region will make it unlikely that countries will achieve an age structure that will create a youth bulge of a healthy, well-nourished, and educated cohort ready to enter a modern labor market to capture a sizable demographic dividend. Once missed, this opportunity for a demographic dividend will not return. This analysis uses quantitative data triangulated with the qualitative findings and policy analyses to identify the triggers necessary to accelerate the demographic dividend in this sub region.
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Central America is undergoing an important transition, with urban populations increasingat accelerated speeds, bringing pressing challenges as well as opportunities to boost sustained,inclusive and resilient growth.
... See More + Today, 59 percent of Central America's population lives in urban areas, but it is expected that within the next generation 7 out of 10 people will live in cities, equivalent to adding 700,000 new urban residents every year. At current rates of urbanization, the region’s urban population will double in size by 2050, welcoming over 25 million new urban dwellers, calling for better infrastructure, higher coverage and quality of urban services and greater employment opportunities. As larger numbers of people concentrate in urban areas, Central American governments at the national and local levels face both opportunities and challenges to ensure the prosperity of their country's present and future generations.
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Working Paper 106268 JUN 01, 2016
Maria,Augustin; Acero Vergel,Jose Luis; Garcia Lozano,Marisa; Aguilera De Llano,Ana IsabelDisclosed
Faced with a large and increasing obesity epidemic, the Mexican Government in the last years has increased efforts to prevent and control it. In October 2013, Mexico’s Congress passed legislation imposing taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and calorie-dense foods of low nutritional value.
... See More + These taxes were part of a comprehensive strategy to prevent and control obesity, overweight and diabetes. In addition to fiscal policy and regulation, this strategy included other health promotion and prevention interventions as well as measures to ensure better access to effective health care services. The decision to implement this fiscal policy was the result of a long advocacy process in which different actors participated, including civil society organizations and government agencies, which provided needed evidence on the status of the epidemic and options to fight against it. The taxes were designed to avoid, as much as possible, the substitution of consumption of the taxed goods for other unhealthy foods and beverages not subject to taxation. These taxes have been successful in increasing both the fiscal revenues and the price of the products taxed. There is also evidence that they have reduced consumption, particularly of SSBs. The taxes seem to have the highest impact among people in the poorest quintiles of the income distribution, who had experienced the highest increase in consumption of the goods under taxation in the last years. A debate remains on the actual impact of the taxes, particularly on health outcomes. Thus it is important to continue monitoring the impact of the taxes through the development of price and volume indicators, based on publicly available data, as well as health outcome indicators.
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The IDA Results Measurement System (RMS) is a framework with quantitative indicators to monitor and aggregate the results of development activities in countries supported by IDA funds.
... See More + Currently consisting of 85 indicators, the IDA RMS provides a snapshot of country-level development outcomes, development results directly supported by IDA, and the operational and organizational effectiveness of IDA. Recent developments point to a need to revise the content and structure of the IDA RMS. The IDA18 Replenishment provides an opportune moment to align the IDA RMS with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to streamline and clarify the RMS indicators, and to further harmonize the RMS with the World Bank’s Corporate Scorecard (CSC). This document describes the proposed changes to the IDA RMS. Part two outlines the key considerations and guiding principles for the IDA18 RMS that were shared with IDA Deputies during the first IDA18 Replenishment Meeting. Part three highlights support to data collection and statistical capacity building for IDA countries, particularly the effort to enhance data coordination across the WBG to support the IDA18 Special Themes. Part four describes the specific changes proposed to the indicators in each of the tiers for the IDA18 RMS. Annex one summarizes the implementation status of the IDA17 policy commitments, and annex two lists the indicators proposed for the IDA18 RMS.
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At a time of great global opportunity and risk, this paper sets out the extremely high demand for IDA18 resources and the strategy for their effective use.
... See More + This paper is organized as follows. Section two examines the global development context, including the newly agreed global ambitions and the challenges for achieving them. This section also describes IDA’s unique capacities as part of the WBG to enable IDA clients to achieve these goals. Section three presents a summary of the regional strategies, as supported by the GPs, to implement IDA’s core program and deliver results for clients in IDA18. Section five outlines the financing scenarios for IDA18, including the proposals to most effectively capture the benefits provided by leveraging IDA’s equity, and explains the range of options and trade-offs related to those scenarios. Section five sets out issues for discussion.
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The trade at a glance tables for Uttar Pradesh provide a snapshot of key aspects of population, poverty and inequality, income and growth, jobs, health, education, infrastructure and amenities, and recent growth and fiscal performance.
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The trade at a glance tables for Chhattisgarh provide a snapshot of key aspects of population, poverty and inequality, income and growth, jobs, health, education, infrastructure and amenities, and recent growth and fiscal performance.
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This series of policy briefs focuses on four key areas for action (or pillars): pillar one. Keeping girls in school; pillar two. Equipping out-of-school girls with skills; pillar three.
... See More + Beginning a family and adopting a healthy lifestyle; and pillar four. Addressing the early childhood development needs of children born to teenage mothers. The first three pillars focus on delaying marriage and pregnancy and ensuring that adolescent girls have a healthy pregnancy if they do become pregnant. The fourth pillar focuses on the specific needs of children born to teenage mothers as a way to promote better opportunities for the next generation, while allowing teenage mothers to engage in further education or skill-building opportunities. Under each of the four pillars, the series includes two policy briefs: one that documents the current situation and trends in Malawi and one that summarizes the global evidence on what has worked to promote positive impacts in this particular area.
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The Country Opinion Survey in Chile assists the World Bank Group (WBG) in gaining a better understanding of how stakeholders in Chile perceive the WBG.
... See More + It provides the WBG with systematic feedback from national and local governments, multilateral/bilateral agencies, media, academia, the private sector, and civil society in Chile on 1) their views regarding the general environment in Chile; 2) their overall attitudes toward the WBG in Chile; 3) overall impressions of the WBG’s effectiveness and results, knowledge work and activities, and communication and information sharing in Chile; and 4) their perceptions of the WBG’s future role in Chile.
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This brief has provided a basic profile of child marriage in Burkina Faso. Measures of child marriage are high. The share of women ages 18-22 who married as children is 49.8 percent and it has not declined substantially over time.
... See More + The share of girls marrying very early, before the age of 15, has also not changed much (it has increased slightly versus 25 years ago). Child marriage is associated with lower wealth, lower education levels, and higher labor force participation. These are however only correlations, not necessarily causal effects. Other briefs in this series look at potential causal effects.
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