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''The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens.''

July 2004

The monthly Newsletter brings you News for International Cooperation Professionals.
Edited by Karsten Weitzenegger.
Comments and suggestions: editor @ weitzenegger.de

Content
  1. World Development Report 2005
  2. MDG Series: Entrepreneurship
  3. Status of IMF & WB PRSP Evaluations
  4. Chronic Poverty Report 2004
  5. New World Bank Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Database
  6. Guide to Civil Society Engagement in PRSP, Trocaire
  7. Rethinking participation in PRSPs
  8. A Guide to Community Multimedia Centres
  9. Helping small business grow through responsible entrepreneurship
  10. Privatisation: guidelines for water and sanitation
  11. ICT Literacy Resources
  12. Broadband Access in Rural and Remote Areas
  13. Microfinance at the University
  14. Wanted: Local governance case studies
  15. Bradmans Travel Guides

1. World Development Report 2005

Improving the Investment Climate for Growth and Poverty Reduction

The forthcoming World Development Report for 2005 deals with how to improve the investment climate, also referred to as the business environment. The World Bank's strategy for long-term growth and poverty reduction has two pillars: improving the investment climate; and empowering and investing in people. The 2005 World Development Report (WDR) will focus on the first of these pillars. It will also build on the Bank Group's new Private Sector Development Strategy. A draft report is now available.
http://econ.worldbank.org/wdr/wdr2005/


2. MDG Series: Entrepreneurship

The Development Gateway's topic pages on key development issues will look at how a competitive private sector can impact poverty reduction in developing countries and emerging economies, and ways that programs, policies, and initiatives can overcome barriers to a vital private sector. Related to Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 8, which calls for national cooperation with the private sector, the Cross-Topic Special reflects the new action plan of the G8 nations to promote entrepreneurship for poverty alleviation. Starting July 13, read the new Development Gateway Cross-Topic Special on Entrepreneurship at:
http://www.developmentgateway.org/topics/special/entrepreneurship


3. Status of IMF & WB PRSP Evaluations

(Eurodad) The IMF evaluation, which is being undertaken by its Independent Evaluations Office (IEO), looks specifically at the IMF's role in the implementation of PRSPs and the degree to which the PRGFs (the IMF's central lending instrument to low income countries) are aligned to PRSPs. It will cover both process and content questions and highlight key areas in need of reform. It is more critical of the process than the forthcoming review by the World Bank's Operations and Evaluations Department (OED), which is exclusively focusing on process, both in terms of country design and implementation. The World Bank's evaluation has gone to its executive board this week, but will not be officially released until the end of July. IMF PRSP evaluation:
http://www.imf.org/external/np/ieo/2002/prsp/index.htm OED World Bank PRSP Evaluation: http://worldbank.org/oed/prsp


4. Chronic Poverty Report 2004

This report by Chronic Poverty Research Centre (CPRC) examines what chronic poverty is and why it matters, who the chronically are, where they live, what causes poverty to be persistent and what should be done about it. A section of regional perspectives looks at the experience of chronic poverty in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, transitional countries and China.
http://www.chronicpoverty.org/chronic_poverty_report_2004.htm


5. New World Bank Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Database

The World Bank has completed a new database on technical barriers to trade and standards, based on a survey of 689 firms in 17 developing countries. The World Bank Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Database includes information on both mandatory technical regulations, as well as the use of voluntary standards. For example, the data include information on the costs of meeting standards and technical barriers required in major export markets. The data also include firms' experiences with product testing and their responses to questions regarding mutual recognition agreements. Preliminary analysis that draws on the database is underway at the Bank and the data set with additional information, including the survey instrument and background description, are available at: http://www1.worldbank.org/wbiep/trade/st-db/. For additional information, please contact: John S. Wilson at jswilson @ worldbank.org or Tsunehiro Otsuki at totsuki @ worldbank.org


6. Guide to Civil Society Engagement in PRSP, Trocaire

(Eurodad) This new guide produced by Trocaire (the overseas development agency of the Catholic Church in Ireland) aims to help civil society organisations build their capacity to engage with the PRSP process. Organised into four sections, the guide opens with an overview of PRSPs and the opportunities they provide for participation, followed by a section on participation in poverty diagnostics and a section on Participatory Public Expenditure Management (PPEM). Finally, there is also a section on participatory monitoring and evaluation. The guide contains links to further reading for all sections and looks set to be a useful resource for civil society organizations wanting to engage in the PRSP process.
http://www.trocaire.org/policyandadvocacy/debt/Guide to Civil Society Engagement in PRSP/Introduction.htm


7. Rethinking participation in PRSPs

This discussion paper by ActionAid Uganda aims to inform and provoke discussion among civil society organisations engaged in PRSP consultations. It argues that there are serious limitations and constraints to the process as it currently exists, and that the IMF and the World Bank focus on poverty is limited to ameliorating the social damage done by the negative impacts of their structural adjustment policies and not actually changing the basic framework or the policy reforms.
http://www.actionaidusa.org/images/rethinking_participation_april04.pdf


8. A Guide to Community Multimedia Centres

How to Get Started and Keep Going

This handbook gives an overview of all the different aspects in setting up and operating a Community Multimedia Centre (CMC). It was developed by UNESCO to complement a series of workshop-ready, open access tranining materials called the Multimedia Training Kit (some of it already available on www.itrainonline.org).
http://www.unesco.org/webworld/cmc/handbook/full_book.pdf


9. Helping small business grow through responsible entrepreneurship

If small firms are to be inspired to tackle their environmental and social impacts, it has to be framed in the mindset of millions of sole-traders, owner-managers and entrepreneurs. It has to address the fears of small firms that tackling environmental and social impacts will be time-consuming, costly, difficult and potentially opening a Pandora's box of further legal obligations. A study found that fear of bureaucracy, time and cost are the main barriers to further engagement, but that interestingly, these problems are not actually experienced by those SMEs who are engaged. In other words, barriers tend to be built on perceptions rather than reality. The research also identified a lack of knowledge of the issues - and that SMEs wanted information to be made available through the organisations they already work with, rather than through new organisations being created just for this purpose. http://www.bitc.org.uk/resources/viewpoint/entrepreneur.html


10. Privatisation: guidelines for water and sanitation in developing countries

(UNDP/PPPUE) The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (seco), and the global reinsurer Swiss Re have launched an initiative on Policy Principles and Implementation Guidelines for Private Sector Participation in Sustainable Water Supply and Sanitation Services. The partners' goal is to assist in improving the performance of the water sector especially in developing countries and countries in transition by proposing formal approaches for private sector participation (PSP) at the policy, operational and practitioner level. An intensive multistakeholder dialogue started two years ago is still ongoing. Draft versions of the policy principles and implementation guidelines are available on the initiative's web site. Contact: PSPWater - Project Policy Principles: Urban Frei, Verane Loriot, ecos consultancy, water @ ecos.ch ; PSPWater - Project Implementation Guidelines: Oliver Johner, BHP, Brugger and Partners Ltd, oliver.johner @ bruggerconsulting.ch
http://www.pspwater.org/


11. ICT Literacy Resources

This website provides a rich, centralized portal for the repository of information and communication technologies Literacy resources, highlights innovative efforts and partnerships promoting ICT Literacy, and facilitates the interaction between researchers, business, government and educational segments. Participants may share information, collaborate for strategic efforts, present leading research and thinking in the area of ICT literacy, and encourage global leaders to dialogue on important issues and consensus building efforts.
http://www.ictliteracy.info/


12. Broadband Access in Rural and Remote Areas

OECD has published a new report called 'The Development of Broadband Access in Rural and Remote Areas'. The report reviews the availability of broadband services in each OECD country, and based on this evidence produces a number of recommendations to policy makers.
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/38/40/31718094.pdf


13. Microfinance at the University

''Micro Finance at the University'' is a Curriculum Development Project Co-Financed by the European Commission with a duration of 36 months. Its main objective is to include Micro-Finance (mostly to women) in undergraduate and postgraduate curricula of business schools and faculties of economics and social sciences, as a strategic subject for the development of the ''Active Poor''. The Consortium joining the Project is formed by 15 Universities: 11 from MEDA countries (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia) and 4 from Europe (Greece, Italy, Spain, U.K.)
http://www.saa.unito.it/meda/index.htm


14. Wanted: Local governance case studies

IDS is putting together a collection of case studies and would be really interested in receiving case studies from you that you think would be relevant on the work that you have done in local governance on a particular theme, area or target group (women, children, indegeneous groups). Please send your contribution to: Jas Vaghadia, LogoLink @ ids.ac.uk. Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, Brighton.
http://www.ids.ac.uk/logolink/


15. Bradmans Travel Guides

(FITA) If you're planning a business trip to a place you've never been before, it's a good idea to do a little research. One good information source is Bradmans Travel Guides. Bradmans has in-depth guides to most major cities and countries worldwide. Want to know a good restaurant in Abu Dhabi? The best way to get to Moscow from the airport? How much to tip in Switzerland? You'll find all these answers at Bradmans. Just click on the name of your destination, and you'll find a detailed guide.
http://www.bradmans.com


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