Johannesburg and other cities in South Africa are rolling out integrated rapid public transport networks as part of an overall effort to address significant urban mobility challenges and to increase the use of public transport.The initial phases of these networks used a traditional Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) trunk and feeder approach, patterned after the successful Latin American systems developed in the 2000s.
... See More + The Rea Vaya BRT in Johannesburg is South Africa’s first such system, with 43.5 km of trunk bus corridors in operation by 2016. But the results in ridership and operating cost recovery from fares were approximately one-third of initial estimates. Urban form and travel demand patterns for transport in South African cities differ greatly from those in Latin America. South Africa’s national government, with World Bank support, has been examining these differences to reassess how South African metropolises could interpret and rethink their rapid transit operations, services, and finances.
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The development objective of East West Highway Project for Kazakhstan involves the rehabilitation, upgrading and substantial new construction of long road section which traverses a variety of environments and landscapes.
... See More + Some of the negative impacts were as follows: (i) all vehicles and equipment used in construction must be up-to-date, regularly undergo maintenance and used according to recommendations of manufacturers; (ii) all plants have to work according to recommendations of the manufacturer and located at distance away from residential areas; (iii) areas of potential pollution of rivers will be designed to prevent accidental spills and runoff and protected by sediment settlement ditches; (iv) storage of topsoil and topsoil management; (v) illegal hunting near the project area will be prohibited; (vi) ensure safety of cultural resources by observing conservation zones of 50 m from the borders of the respective objects; (vii) compliance with occupational safety rules during construction to minimize potential impact on local communities; (viii) household waste should be regularly disposed at designated land-fills; and (ix) training of the entire personnel in safety using their language.
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The development objective of the Cheesemanburg Landfill and Urban Sanitation Project for Liberia is to support increased access to solid waste management (SWM) services in Greater Monrovia.
... See More + The project proposes to support the Government of Liberia to undertake requisite studies and the construction of a sanitary landfill at Cheesemanburg to serve as a regional SWM facility for the Greater Monrovia. Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures are includes : (i) minimize the amount of precipitation coming into contact with the waste during all stages; (ii) provide the facility with an adequate Solid Waste storage area (roofed, impermeable paving, proper drainage and ventilation) with a capacity of at least two consecutive days throughput; (iii) maintain good housekeeping practices including elimination of mud/dirt carried out on paved roads at the construction site, periodic removal of dust-producing materials; (iv) provide training to staff about the fundamentals of occupational health and safety procedures; (v) use material stockpiles and other structures to screen noise from on-facility construction and site preparation activities; (vi) use to the extent possible the generated construction debris in filling activities or stockpile and store for future use as daily cover within the landfill; (vii) store general refuse generated on-site in enclosed bins or compaction units separate from construction and chemical wastes; (vii) select construction materials, architectural designs and colour schemes that will naturally blend into the landscape for all project facilities including buildings, fencing, and signs; (viii) manage the compost to attend and then maintain a sufficiently high internal temperature for the duration required to reduce pathogens; (ix) ensure that vehicles and containers are appropriate to the quantity and quality of waste transported and that they are adequately maintained; (x) Clean continuously litter within closed facilities as well as on all roads within the site including access roads.
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A substantial literature has examined the impact of stress during the early stages of life on later-life health. This paper contributes to that literature by examining the later-life health impact of stress during adolescence and early adulthood, using a novel proxy for stress: risk of military induction in the United States during the Vietnam War.
... See More + The paper estimates that a 10 percentage point (2 standard deviation) increase in induction risk in young adulthood is associated with a 1.5 percentage point (8 percent) increase in the probability of being obese, and a 1 percentage point (10 percent) increase in the probability of being in fair or poor health later in life. These findings do not appear to be due to cohort effects; the associations exist only for men who did not serve in the war, and are not present for women or men who did serve. These findings add to the evidence on the lasting consequences of stress, and indicate that induction risk during the Vietnam War may, in certain contexts, be an invalid instrument for education or marriage, because it appears to have a direct impact on health.
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Policy Research Working Paper WPS8063 MAY 16, 2017
Cawley,John Horan; De Walque,Damien B. C. M.; Grossman,DanielDisclosed
The development objective of the Transport Sector Improvement Project for Ghana are to: (i) reduce travel time on selected parts of the classified road network in Northern Ghana, (ii) promote road safety, and (iii) strengthen the institutional management of the transport sector.
... See More + The project has three components. The first component,road asset preservation aims at improving the sustainable management of the Ghana roads network with support for the establishment of a network-wide Road Asset Management System (RAMS) and the introduction of Performance-based Contract (PBC), in the form of long-term performance-based road contracts based on design-build-operate maintain- transfer principles. This component has three sub-components, (i) development of a road asset management system; (ii) improved asset management on the trunk road network; (iii) improved asset management of the feeder road network; and (iv) improved asset Management of the Urban Road Network. The second component, improved road safety supports activities implemented by both the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA). The third component, institutional strengthening and capacity building will support the implementation of the several updated policies, the most important being the updated National Transport Policy (NTP) and Tolling Policy. The Government has a vision to modernize the transport sector in general while improving the management efficiency of the road subsector, in particular, in response to the rapidly increasing demands for reliable and safer road infrastructure. This component has three sub-components, (i) institutional strengthening, (ii) supporting capacity building, (iii) supporting project implementation.
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This factsheet surveys multisectoral nutrition assessment in Sri Lanka's estate sector where malnutrition is an issue of public health concern; under nutrition in children under five years and among pregnant women has far-reaching consequences for them and society at large; several risk factors prevail in the estate sector that lead children to be malnourished; problems have been identified in food utilization and feeding practices; knowledge is not translated into practice; gaps in quality of service provision for children were noted; significant space for improving nutrition service delivery for women both before and during pregnancy; poor standards of Child Development Centers; provision of safe water and sanitation facilities prevents malnutrition and diarrhea.
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Working Paper 115196 MAY 13, 2017
;000299428:Dilinika Peiris:dpeiris@worldbank.org; 000232652:Phoebe M. Folger:pfolger@worldbank.org; ;000250282:Yi-Kyoung Lee:ylee1@worldbank.org;Disclosed
The development objectives of the Public Health Sector Support Project for Chile are to: (i) improve the efficiency of the public health care sector; and (ii) improve the quality of non-communicable diseases-related health care services.
... See More + The project comprises of three components. The first component will improve the efficiency of public health service delivery networks with a focus on its better integration. It consists of following sub-components: (i) improving the integration of public health care services for patients with non-communicable diseases and chronic conditions; and (ii) improving managerial capacity at the public hospital level. The second component, optimizing the procurement and logistics of drugs and medical supplies in the public sector will support strategic objective 7, strengthening the health sector, (specifically its financing) of the national health strategy. The third component, technical assistance (TA), coordination and monitoring will provide TA activities to generate missing information needed to risk-stratify patients insured by National Public Health Insurance Fund (FONASA), develop management tools, and provide training to health managers and staff that are key to support the implementation of components 1 and 2.
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The development objective of Lake Victoria Transport Program Project is to improve the efficient and safe movement of goods and people along the regional corridor from the border crossing at Rusumo to the border crossing at Nemba and Rusizi together with upgrades to road asset management and road safety in Rwanda.
... See More + This project has two components. 1) The first component, Improving the physical infrastructure, aims for the improvement of the primary infrastructure through design, build and multi-year maintenance has the following two subcomponents: (i) Road Infrastructure - Upgrading Ngoma-Nyanza road Lot 2: Kibugabuga-Shinga - Gasoro (66.55 kilometers); and (ii) Implementation of the Resettlement Action Plans (RAPs). 2) The second component, Improving the institutional infrastructure and implementation assistance, aims to provide support to strengthen and harmonize the institutional framework to ensure safe and efficient operation of private and public transport including cargo and transit traffic, and capacity building and assistance to support implementation of the project. It has the following two subcomponents: (i) Monitoring/supervision of Upgrading Ngoma-Nyanza road Lot 2: Kibugabuga- Shinga - Gasoro (66.55 kilometers); and (ii) Technical Assistance (TA) to Rwanda Transport Development Agency (RTDA) and Ministry.
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The development objective of Dakar Bus Rapid Transit Pilot (BRT) Project for Senegal is to enhance urban mobility between Dakar and Guédiawaye through the development of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor.
... See More + This project has four components. 1) The first component, BRT Infrastructure, Fleet, and Systems, aims to finance goods, works, and services for detailed design, construction, and supervision of the BRT core infrastructure including the road infrastructure and its drainage system, landscaping, depot, terminals, stations, intersections, corridor traffic management systems, pedestrian crosswalks, sidewalks, and some bike lanes along the corridor. 2) The second component, Public transport network restructuring and road works, aims to finance goods, works, and services for road works along feeder routes, road works on vicinal roads to support diverted traffic due to suppressing of left turn movement as well as reduction of the ROW, and provision of urban furniture for public transport along feeder routes. 3) The third component, Capacity building and project management, aims to finance provision of technical assistance, operational costs, and capacity building in project implementation as well as in sustainable monitoring and supervising of BRT operations (including a mirror system), fiduciary and safeguard activities, monitoring and evaluation (M and E), and financial audits. 4) The fourth component, Road safety, aims to finance provision of road safety technical assistances, education and sensitization campaigns of local communities to the BRT operations, and training and equipment.
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The development objective of the Xinjiang Yining Urban Transport and Environment Project for China is to improve the urban road network and transport management, and establish a sustainable and efficient urban transport system.
... See More + Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures are includes : (i) construction will affect nearby stores’ operations and nearby residents’ rest due to noise and traffic interruption, thereby potentially affecting nearby stores’ operating revenue; (ii) Construction will affect the traffic of nearby residents, students and vehicles mainly, and construction vehicles will threaten the personal safety of local residents, especially old people, children and women; (iii) difficult adaptation during early-stage operation of road-crossing safety facilities; (iv) the improved transport infrastructure will improve traffic efficiency, but high driving speed will pose greater traffic safety risks to pedestrians, and faster buses will pose risks to some passengers, especially old people, pregnant women, children and other special groups; (v) improve the logistics efficiency of local enterprises, and reduce their transport costs, thereby improve their overall economic efficiency and attracting more external investment; (vi) construction dust and noise may affect women’s physical and mental health, and increase their medical expenses; (vii) road maintenance and management should be conducted in consultation with women, old people, etc.; (viii) traffic signal setup, road passing mode, position and convenience, and streetlamp setup should be determined in consultation with women, old people, etc.; (ix) Skills training for women should be given at such time and venue, and in such form that women’s needs are fully met;
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This note discusses avenues for multi-sectoral approaches and strategies to address adolescent and youth health. Successful application of any multi-sectoral approach requires strong and continuous partnerships with different stakeholders including within the Bank.
... See More + It requires building effective multi-sectoral teams with dedicated resources that can build bridges across different sectors within the Bank and at the country level. While opportunities for collaboration depend on country contexts, keeping adolescents and youth at the center of an intervention will help align and define multi-sectoral actions across different areas. For more information on this topic, go to: www.worldbank.org/health.
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The development objective of the Guiyang Rural Roads Project for China is to provide improved transport accessibility in Guiyangthrough upgrading and rehabilitation of selected priority rural roads from the sector developmentplan, and to build the maintenance capacity of Guiyang.
... See More + Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures include: applying advanced construction technique, select and use machinery and transportation facilities meeting national related sanitary standards; make sure waste gas meet national relevant standards; implementing measures of watering and dust prevention to construction sites and roads during construction, reduce air storage of materials and set up space enclosing structure for concrete mixing stations to reduce pollution to ambient air; pioneer road for construction materials transportation should avoid passing through a dense residential area, and water it to reduce dust; sand and gravel transport vehicles should be covered by paulin to prevent material flying upward, scattering and leaking to pollute environment; during construction period, operable measures of plant protection must be made to minimize the destruction of vegetation of forest; no casual logging is allowed; engineering or vegetation measures should be taken for bare land formed during project construction; vegetation destruction caused by permanent land occupation should be repaired by road greening, tree and lawn planting in other places; temporary storage yard should be built on wasteland or land with poor farming condition and be cleared and vegetation recovered; trying best to avoid occupying cultivated land. Corresponding compensation should be made to occupied cultivated land according to related policies, help farmers with industrial restricting and ensure farmers who lose land maintain no lower life level than before; and after projection completion, temporary occupied land and spoil ground should be reclaimed to reduce occupation of cultivated land.
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Turkey’s government increased tobacco tax revenue and lowered tobacco consumption by increasing tobacco tax rates significantly between 2003 and 2013.
... See More + However, both per capita tobacco consumption and total cigarette sales in Turkey have begun to increase again in recent years. Although the recent rise in cigarette sales may be attributed to the influx of Syrian refugees into Turkey, the analysis reveals other factors. First, average cigarette price increased more slowly than inflation. Thus, cigarettes became relatively cheaper compared to other goods and services. Second, cigarette affordability has increased. Turkey’s economy has grown steadily, and the demand for cigarettes has risen as the population has become wealthier over time. Turkey’s experience in managing these challenges offers lessons for successful tobacco taxation. Turkey also provides a good example of the feasibility of increasing tobacco taxes, while combatting the illicit tobacco trade.
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Pandemics pose a serious threat to both global health and economic security, as well as to our ability to end extreme poverty and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
... See More + Against this background, the Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility (PEF) has been designed by the World Bank, in collaboration with public and private partners, to tackle a financing challenge critical to managing severe disease outbreaks with pandemic potential. The PEF is an innovative, insurance-based financing mechanism designed to finance response efforts in IDA-eligible countries to tackle rare, high-severity disease outbreaks, with the aim of preventing such outbreaks from becoming pandemics. The 50 million US dollars IDA allocation would be provided as a grant from IDA toIBRD as Trustee of the PEF FIF. The allocation would be sourced from the IDA17 RegionalProgram. For IBRD as Trustee of the PEF FIF to receive the IDA grant, IBRD (as Trustee) willenter into a Financing Agreement with IDA. This Pandemic Emergency Financing facility (PEF) is designed to help fill a critical gap in the international aid architecture, as one part of the global solution to strengthen pandemic risk management. The PEF will help fill the financing gap that occurs after the initial outbreak occurs and before large-scale humanitarian relief assistance can be mobilized. Funds made available quickly in this timeframe are essential to preventing a severe outbreak from becoming a pandemic.
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The development objective of the Road Asset Management Project for Liberia is to support the Recipient's efforts to reduce transport costs along the road corridor from Monrovia to the Guinea border and to maintain the road in good condition over a 10-year period.
... See More + Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures are include : (i) loss of Soil for Agriculture Production Soils and Geology – Erosion ; (ii) stabilization of downstream slopes with concrete, rock gabions or walls to avoid erosion where warranted; (iii) design engineering to ensure that road drainage provisions and rehabilitated embankments that do not alter the current status of natural water bodies and irrigation structures adjacent to alignments; (iv) contract provisions will ensure that construction camps and other potential sources of secondary impacts are properly sited and provided with drainage and wastewater facilities; (v) requirements to spray for dust control; (vi) use of pollution control devices checked at regular intervals; (vii) some small scale localized impacts may occur to roadside vegetation during rehabilitation of culverts and cleaning of ditches; (viii) contractor is required to construct, maintain, remove and reinstate as necessary temporary drainage works and take all other precautions necessary for the avoidance of damage by flooding and silt washed down from the works.
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The development objective of the Road Asset Management Project for Liberia is to support the Recipient's efforts to reduce transport costs along the road corridor from Monroviato the Guinea border and to maintain the road in good condition over a 10-year period.
... See More + The additional financing is fully aligned with the strategic themes of the World Bank Group’s country partnership strategy (CPS) 2013-2017: (a) to rebuild core state functions and institutions; (b) to rehabilitate infrastructure to jump-start economic growth; and (c) to facilitate pro-poor growth. The additional financing will finance two new components consisting of: (a) road safety activities and right-of-way (RoW) preservation, and (b) involuntary resettlement along the 6.5 km urban section of Suakoko highway in Monrovia. The project closing date will be extended by 24 months, from June 30, 2022, to June 30, 2024. The results framework will be revised to better measure outputs related to the road works, gender impacts, citizen engagement, and road safety.
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The objective of the Health Reform Program-for-Results Project for China is to improve the quality of healthcare services and the efficiency of the healthcare delivery systems in Anhui and Fujian provinces.
... See More + China has made impressive gains in improving overall health outcomes in past decades, along with its rapid economic development. In 2009, China unveiled an ambitious national health care reform program with the goal of providing affordable, equitable and effective health care for all by 2020. The government defined comprehensive reforms in five priority areas: basic health insurance, health service delivery at grassroots level, essential public health service, an essential drugs program, and public hospital reform. After seven years of implementation, China has achieved near universal health insurance (HI) coverage at a speed that has few precedents globally or historically. Health insurance historically mainly covered inpatient services, and hospitals were paid by insurance through a fee for service system. Service providers therefore were incentivized to produce more, often unnecessary services, driving up investment and recurrent cost, and sometimes endangering human life. China now has more hospital beds per capita than the USA, Canada or the UK, and hospital services account for 54 percent of China’s total health expenditure compared to less than 10 percent for primary care. Average lengths of hospital stays, a key driver of costs, is high in China relative to OECD countries (9.8 days compared to 7.3 days). As a result, total spending on health increased fourteen-fold in the last two decades from about 220 billion yuan to 3,170 billion yuan in real terms, raising affordability and sustainability concerns. At the same time, human resource shortages and poor capacity at the grassroots have weakened the delivery of primary healthcare services. China faces a massive shortage of general practitioners (GPs) and nurses, and the primary health care (PHC) workforce declined from 40 percent of total workforce in 2009 to 36 percent in 2013. Integration of health services across provider tiers (e.g., tertiary, secondary and primary) and between preventive and curative services is weak. Providers at different levels have an incentive to compete with each other in order to maximize their revenues, rather than managing population health in a coordinated and cost-effective manner. Weak primary care systems, poor provider integration and a lack of gate keeping and screening systems have contributed to premature mortality due to NCDs in China being almost double that of Japan. Finally, insufficient coordination among institutional actors is a major impediment to innovation and sustained reform implementation in the health sector. There are over ten government agencies involved in the decision-making and administration of the health sector, all the way down to the provincial and local levels, which constrains coordinated and coherent policy formulation and implementation.
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The development objective of the East Africa Public Health Laboratory Networking Project for Rwanda is to establish a network of efficient, high quality, accessible public health laboratories for the diagnosis and surveillance of tuberculosis and other communicable diseases.
... See More + Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures include: (1) waste removed by the constructor should be disposed following municipality’s regulations; (2) Kibungo hospital shall make sure that the identified space and anti-erosive grass is planted; (3) construction vehicles should be assigned specific access road to the site; (4) construction noise should be limited to official working hours; (5) asbestos should be handled and disposed by skilled and experienced professionals; and (6) recycling of plastic waste and biodegradable waste should be ensured.
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