The context for WBG partnership with the Philippines has evolved since the launch of the CPS in 2014, driven by several key factors. First, the election of President Rodrigo Duterte in 2016 marked an important political transition.
... See More + Grounded in a strong election mandate, the government is aiming to leverage the solid position of the Philippine economy to scale up public investment for poverty reduction, job creation and economic growth. While inclusive growth and poverty reduction remain at the center of the Philippine development agenda, the government has proposed new approaches for attaining these objectives in the context of a wide-ranging legislative agenda. Second, the Philippines has emerged as one of the fastest growing economies in Asia, with growing access to finance for development. As the Philippine government’s demands for WBG services evolve, there is increasing focus on the need to maximize WBG comparative advantages to help address the most complex development challenges facing the country, including deep poverty in areas that are conflict-affected, remote, and/or highly vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters. Third, the new Philippines Development Plan (PDP 2017-2022), launched in June 2017, reflects heightened ambition and aims to lift roughly six million Filipinos from poverty and to achieve upper middle income status by 2022. The PDP 2017-2022 also highlights a prominent priority of the government: delivering a comprehensive agenda for peace and development in conflict-affected areas. Challenges associated with conflict and internal security add urgency to the focus on accelerating gains in peace and development in the Philippines, particularly in conflict-affected areas in Mindanao. The CPS aims to promote inclusive growth, poverty reduction and shared prosperity across five Engagement Areas (EAs): (i) transparent and accountable government; (ii) empowerment of the poor and vulnerable; (iii) rapid, inclusive and sustained economic growth; (iv) resilience to climate change, environment, and disaster risk management; and (v) peace, institution building, and social and economic opportunity, with focus on conflict-affected areas in Mindanao. Dialogue with the government, partners and stakeholders affirm strong strategic alignment between the CPS and the PDP 2017-2022. WBG engagement for peace and development in Mindanao is also gaining new prominence. Looking ahead, WBG partnership for delivery on the PDP 2017-2022 will require building on the strengths of the WBG program, tackling implementation weaknesses, maximizing synergy across IBRD, IFC and MIGA, and addressing key risks.
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Country Assistance Strategy Document 117771 AUG 31, 2017
The development objective of the Dedicated Grant Mechanism (DGM) for Indigenous People and Local Communities (IPLC) Project for Mexico is to strengthen the capacity of forest-dependent people from selected states to participate in local, national, and international reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) related processes.
... See More + The project comprises of three components. The first component, financing mechanisms for community forestry management will support IPLC subprojects for conservation and integration of sustainable productive activities in forest landscapes management activities. It consists of following sub-components: (i) demand-driven community projects; and (ii) training and sustainability assistance. The second component, capacity building, communication, and advocacy will support technical assistance and financing of operational cost for: (a) training to local community promoters (promotores comunitarios locales); (b) conduct knowledge-sharing and know-how workshop and exchanges among IPLC, associations of producers, and community forest enterprises (CFEs) through community schools (comunidades instructoras or ejido-escuelas); (c) develop and adapt training modules on financial inclusion to complement and fill the gaps in already existing training materials; and (d) develop a culturally appropriate communication and advocacy strategy for the DGM activities and REDD processes. It consists of following sub-components: (i) capacity building; and (ii) communication and advocacy. The third component, management, monitoring, and evaluation will support two main areas. First, it will support activities that increase the capacity of IPLC to oversee and assess their forest resources and to monitor and evaluate project activities using a participatory approach. Second, it will cover the incremental management costs of the national executing agency (NEA) to implement the subprojects and facilitate capacity building. It consists of following sub-components: (i) participatory monitoring and evaluation; and (ii) management.
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The development objective of Amaravati Sustainable Capital City Development Project for India is to build sustainable urban services and capacity of urban institutions for the development of Amaravati Capital City.
... See More + Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures include: (i) temporary Interruption to water supply in case of road alignments cross the water supply lines, OHTs, Ground level Storage Tanks, Hand Pumps, Bore wells etc; (ii) loss of flora and fauna; (iii) dust emissions at site affects the construction team; (iv) noise emissions on site and along transport routes and affects the construction team, the settlement and fauna close to the construction sites and along the routes; (v) waste water with organic load and pathogens will pollute recipient water bodies and ground water; (vi) cutting of trees and removal of other vegetation in the alignment will affect the habitat of selected local species; (vii) spillage, fugitive emissions from the stock piled materials will affect the local environment; (viii) usage of hazardous materials will create pollution of soil and air; (ix) embankment measures might lead to high turbidity levels during the construction period which might impact aquatic life; and (x) lack of segregation and dumping of organic waste will attract rodents, birds and other animals.
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This paper looks at the impact of members' ability to switch pension fund provider and /or portfolio on the allocation of pension funds to long-term investments.
... See More + The level of annual turnover in pension fund portfolios was compared with the amount of short-term investments (using government treasury bills and bank deposits as proxy). The investment regulations around switching and other market conduct were then considered. The paper finds that greater movements between pension fund providers and between portfolios is linked to increased holdings of short-term and more liquid assets. Switching appears to be driven by competition, market structure, and investment advice, and, unfortunately, frequently results in poor investment returns for members. The paper makes six recommends for regulators. First, use administrative controls to prevent fraudulent switching between pension providers. Second, provide clear performance and cost comparisons to inform members' choice of provider/fund and encourage informed decision making, which is beneficial for members and the system. Third, supervise and control advertising and marketing (including reporting of performance periods) carefully, to avoid switches based on misleading advice. Fourth, control financial incentives for sales agents, so that switching advice is given in members' interest and not for commercial gain. Fifth, concentrate issuance in government securities, to create more liquid instruments. And sixth, conduct further research on the concept of a central liquidity pool to manage unexpected outflows.
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Policy Research Working Paper WPS8143 JUL 11, 2017
The potential for pension funds to contribute to capital markets and thereby economic growth has been argued on a theoretical basis and demonstrated empirically.
... See More + However, reforms fostering the development of funded pension systems have not had the economic impact hoped for in some countries. Pension fund portfolios in some cases have remained highly exposed to shorter-term assets, such as bank deposits and shorter-term government bonds. This, in turn, has led to relatively low investment returns, thereby potentially affecting income adequacy in retirement. This paper looks at the potential regulatory hurdles to long-term investment by pension funds, while also proposing international diversification and the creation of domestic investment opportunities to help portfolio diversification and ultimately improve the delivery of secure, adequate pensions.
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Policy Research Working Paper WPS8136 JUL 05, 2017
Bolivia faces a unique opportunity to harness the benefits of urbanization and avoid the pitfalls that other countries have made in the past. The urbanization process in Bolivia is one of the last to occur in the region of Latin America and the Caribbean, while its rapid pace requires expeditious action in addressing the challenges associated with this transformation.
... See More + This note analyzes the urbanization process in Bolivia, proposes a new definition of intermediate cities, evaluates challenges and opportunities common to intermediate cities, and provides recommendations for action.
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The objective of the Social Investment and Local Development Project for Armenia is to improve the quality and use of and access to community and intercommunity infrastructure.
... See More + Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures include: the local construction and environment inspectorates and communities have been notified of upcoming activities; the public has been notified of the works through appropriate notification in the media and/or at publicly accessible sites (including the site of the works); waste collection and disposal pathways and sites will be identified for all major waste types expected from demolition and construction activities; mineral construction and demolition wastes will be separated from general refuse, organic, liquid and chemical wastes by on-site sorting and stored in appropriate containers; the approach to handling sanitary wastes and wastewater from building sites must be approved by the local authorities; before being discharged into receiving waters, effluents from individual wastewater systems must be treated in order to meet the minimal quality criteria set out by national guidelines on effluent quality and wastewater treatment; monitoring of new wastewater systems (before/after) will be carried out; construction vehicles and machinery will be washed only in designated areas where runoff will not pollute natural surface water bodies; and if the building is a designated historic structure, very close to such a structure, or located in a designated historic district, notification shall be made and approvals/permits be obtained from local authorities and all construction activities planned and carried out in line with local and national legislation.
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The objective of the Social Investment and Local Development Project for Armenia is to improve the quality and use of and access to community and intercommunity infrastructure.
... See More + Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures include: the local construction and environment inspectorates and communities have been notified of upcoming activities; the public has been notified of the works through appropriate notification in the media and/or at publicly accessible sites (including the site of the works); waste collection and disposal pathways and sites will be identified for all major waste types expected from demolition and construction activities; mineral construction and demolition wastes will be separated from general refuse, organic, liquid and chemical wastes by on-site sorting and stored in appropriate containers; the approach to handling sanitary wastes and wastewater from building sites must be approved by the local authorities; before being discharged into receiving waters, effluents from individual wastewater systems must be treated in order to meet the minimal quality criteria set out by national guidelines on effluent quality and wastewater treatment; monitoring of new wastewater systems (before/after) will be carried out; construction vehicles and machinery will be washed only in designated areas where runoff will not pollute natural surface water bodies; and if the building is a designated historic structure, very close to such a structure, or located in a designated historic district, notification shall be made and approvals/permits be obtained from local authorities and all construction activities planned and carried out in line with local and national legislation.
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The objective of the Social Investment and Local Development Project for Armenia is to improve the quality and use of and access to community and intercommunity infrastructure.
... See More + Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures include: the local construction and environment inspectorates and communities have been notified of upcoming activities; the public has been notified of the works through appropriate notification in the media and/or at publicly accessible sites (including the site of the works); waste collection and disposal pathways and sites will be identified for all major waste types expected from demolition and construction activities; mineral construction and demolition wastes will be separated from general refuse, organic, liquid and chemical wastes by on-site sorting and stored in appropriate containers; the approach to handling sanitary wastes and wastewater from building sites must be approved by the local authorities; before being discharged into receiving waters, effluents from individual wastewater systems must be treated in order to meet the minimal quality criteria set out by national guidelines on effluent quality and wastewater treatment; monitoring of new wastewater systems (before/after) will be carried out; construction vehicles and machinery will be washed only in designated areas where runoff will not pollute natural surface water bodies; and if the building is a designated historic structure, very close to such a structure, or located in a designated historic district, notification shall be made and approvals/permits be obtained from local authorities and all construction activities planned and carried out in line with local and national legislation.
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The objective of the Social Investment and Local Development Project for Armenia is to improve the quality and use of and access to community and intercommunity infrastructure.
... See More + Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures include: the local construction and environment inspectorates and communities have been notified of upcoming activities; the public has been notified of the works through appropriate notification in the media and/or at publicly accessible sites (including the site of the works); waste collection and disposal pathways and sites will be identified for all major waste types expected from demolition and construction activities; mineral construction and demolition wastes will be separated from general refuse, organic, liquid and chemical wastes by on-site sorting and stored in appropriate containers; the approach to handling sanitary wastes and wastewater from building sites must be approved by the local authorities; before being discharged into receiving waters, effluents from individual wastewater systems must be treated in order to meet the minimal quality criteria set out by national guidelines on effluent quality and wastewater treatment; monitoring of new wastewater systems (before/after) will be carried out; construction vehicles and machinery will be washed only in designated areas where runoff will not pollute natural surface water bodies; and if the building is a designated historic structure, very close to such a structure, or located in a designated historic district, notification shall be made and approvals/permits be obtained from local authorities and all construction activities planned and carried out in line with local and national legislation.
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The objective of the Social Investment and Local Development Project for Armenia is to improve the quality and use of and access to community and intercommunity infrastructure.
... See More + Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures include: the local construction and environment inspectorates and communities have been notified of upcoming activities; the public has been notified of the works through appropriate notification in the media and/or at publicly accessible sites (including the site of the works); waste collection and disposal pathways and sites will be identified for all major waste types expected from demolition and construction activities; mineral construction and demolition wastes will be separated from general refuse, organic, liquid and chemical wastes by on-site sorting and stored in appropriate containers; the approach to handling sanitary wastes and wastewater from building sites must be approved by the local authorities; before being discharged into receiving waters, effluents from individual wastewater systems must be treated in order to meet the minimal quality criteria set out by national guidelines on effluent quality and wastewater treatment; monitoring of new wastewater systems (before/after) will be carried out; construction vehicles and machinery will be washed only in designated areas where runoff will not pollute natural surface water bodies; and if the building is a designated historic structure, very close to such a structure, or located in a designated historic district, notification shall be made and approvals/permits be obtained from local authorities and all construction activities planned and carried out in line with local and national legislation.
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Bolivia faces a unique opportunity to harness the benefits of urbanization and avoid the pitfalls that other countries have made in the past. The urbanization process in Bolivia is one of the last to occur in the region of Latin America and the Caribbean, while its rapid pace requires expeditious action in addressing the challenges associated with this transformation.
... See More + This note analyzes the urbanization process in Bolivia, proposes a new definition of intermediate cities, evaluates challenges and opportunities common to intermediate cities, and provides recommendations for action.
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The development objective of Karachi Neighborhood Improvement Project for Pakistan is to enhance public spaces in targeted neighborhoods of Karachi, and improve the city’s capacity to provide selected administrative services.
... See More + This project comprises three components. 1) The first component, Public Space and Mobility Improvements in Selected Neighborhoods, aims to enhance the usability, safety, and attractiveness of public spaces; improve mobility and pedestrian access to key destinations; and improve traffic safety in public spaces in three targeted neighborhoods of Saddar downtown area, Malir, and Korangi. This component is divided into three sub-components as follows: (i) Saddar Downtown Area Revitalization; (ii) Malir Area Road and Public Spaces Enhancement; and (iii) Korangi Neighborhood Mobility Improvements. 2) The second component, Support to Improved Administrative Services and City Capacity Development, aims to improve selected administrative services to ease doing business in Karachi, lay the foundations for better city management, and support the sustainability of Component 1 investments. This component is divided into two sub-components as follows: (i) Automation of construction permits and business registration in Karachi; and (ii) Laying the foundation for better city management. 3) The third component, Support to Implementation and Technical Assistance, will finance technical assistance and advisory services to the project implementation unit (PIU) and the Karachi Transformation Steering Committee (KTSC), including project management and coordination costs associated with project implementation; consultancy services for feasibility, conceptual, and detailed designs, safeguards instruments for subprojects, and the preparation of follow‐on operations; and consultancy services for the preparation of a study on parking management in Saddar downtown.
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The development objective of Local Development Project for Angola is to improve access of poor households to basic services and economic opportunities, and to enhance local institutional capacities among Angola’s municipalities.
... See More + Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures include: (i) to provide basic social services at the local level in the poorest provinces and municipalities; (ii) to provide capacity to municipal officials for consultative resource allocation and transparent resource management; (iii) to expand the local economic development agenda through the provision of economic opportunities to improve livelihoods and income of poor households; (iv) ensure that investments respond to informed citizens’ articulated demand; (v) enhance local government capacity for planning and management for local development; (vi) employ participatory and accountability mechanisms for improved citizens’ voice, engagement and oversight throughout all phases of the local development planning process; (vii) facilitate access to timely and relevant information to all stakeholders regarding program contents and rules and institutional responsibilities; (viii) promote civil society engagement to assess local institutional performance and ensure accountability from the bottom-up; (ix) provide effective and accountable public services in remote and poor regions; (x) scale up the productive inclusion agenda; (xi) build the basic blocks for a new generation of social protection programs; and (xii) promote social and gender inclusion.
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The development objective of the Local Development Project for Angola is to improve access of poor households to basic services and economic opportunities, and to enhance local institutional capacities among Angola’s municipalities, which remains unchanged with the implementation of additional financing (AF).
... See More + Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures include: (1) permanent coverage of construction waste and materials to avoid air pollution; (2) proper disposal of containers and tires; (3) proper drainage for rain event protection and erosion avoidance; (4) maintenance on work site premises should be avoided; (5) equipment and vehicle must have maintenance records and be in good condition; (6) except to the extent necessary for establishing the construction site and carrying out the construction works, vegetation shall not be removed, damaged, or disturbed; and (7) traffic plan agreed with authorities and socialized with community should be followed.
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The Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Belize covers the period from July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2022 (FY18-22). It presents the World Bank Group’s (WBG) program and the anticipated results framework.
... See More + It builds on the results and lessons of Belize’s first Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) that covered the period FY12-15. This CPF is well aligned with the Government’s long-term development vision, Horizon 2030: National Development Framework 2010-2030, and the thematic priorities emerging from the 2016 Belize Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD). The overarching goal of the proposed CPF is to support Belize in strengthening its economic resilience. Recognizing the special characteristics of a small state with associated capacity and absorptive constraints, the CPF proposes a consolidated and focused program. This will be the second full strategy for Belize, with the engagement still maturing, and it factors in lessons from the implementation of the first strategy. Therefore, the CPF will retain flexibility in some elements of the engagement that will be further defined with the Government during implementation. The Performance and Learning Review (PLR) at mid-point will incorporate necessary adjustments including in the Results Framework. The CPF is organized around two focus areas: (a) fostering climate resilience and environmental sustainability; and (b) promoting Financial Inclusion and social resilience. To support these focus areas, the CPF envisages the implementation of a program that could reach up to US$30 million in new loans, subject to how program performance evolves in the course of the CPF period, continued Government interest in IBRD financing, and on IBRD’s lending capacity and demand from other borrowers. It will also be supported by non-lending instruments, notably Analytics and Advisory Services (ASAs), regional initiatives and trust fund resources.
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Country Assistance Strategy Document 106630 APR 28, 2017
