Citing a large-scale review of projects in India' s health sector, a new World Bank report says it has helped it make significant headway in the fight against corruption during Fiscal Year 2008.
"The India Detailed Implementation Review (DIR) is not only about India," says the report by the World Bank Group's Integrity Vice Presidency (INT) which investigates allegations of fraud and corruption in Bank Group-supported activities.
"It has international implications and helps the Bank Group identify weaknesses and vulnerabilities in public procurement across its entire portfolio, to enhance the enabling environment."
"In response to the DIR, and in light of the Bank's strengthened the Governance and Anticorruption (GAC) Strategy, the Bank's South Asia region and Operations Policy and Country Services (OPCS) have developed a health sector-specific governance and anti-corruption reform agenda," the report, that was couched in the usual Bank officialese, said.
The report noted that completion of the review of projects in India's health sector had led to simultaneous implementation of the 18 recommendations of an Independent Review Panel, headed by former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker.
Since the release of the India DIR, the Bank has started to make other INT reports publicly available, as recommended by the Volcker Panel.
According to the report, Protecting Development's Potential: Fiscal Year 2008 Annual Integrity Report, the implementation of the Volcker Panel recommendations already has begun to dramatically improve the unit's value to the Bank and the Bank's ability to ensure that funds reach their intended beneficiaries.
"I am naturally gratified that the World Bank has adopted the recommendations of the Advisory Panel I chaired. Experience in the last few years has only re-emphasised the importance of dealing with corrupt practices around the world," said Volcker.
As a result of the Volcker Panel recommendations, INT now has an early warning system so that information gathered during investigations helps operational Bank staff make informed decisions about affected projects, the Bank said.
The new Preventive Services Unit helps raise awareness of fraud and corruption risks; provides practical tools, training and advice to Bank staff; and conducts research to distill lessons learned from investigations that are incorporated into future projects.
With its Independent Advisory Board actively in place and the ongoing publication of redacted investigative reports on its website, INT has further increased its accountability structure and transparency.
The report also describes how the Bank holds wrongdoers accountable for fraud and corruption through the debarment of firms and individuals.
"The World Bank continues to take a strong stand against those who misuse funds intended for the poorest," said INT Vice President Leonard McCarthy. "Already in FY09 we've achieved significant results, with four times the number of debarments we had in FY08."
Showing posts with label World Bank. Show all posts
Showing posts with label World Bank. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
World Bank to lend Nepal $782 million
The World Bank on Thursday agreed on a new two-year lending strategy for Nepal potentially worth $782 million.
Under the interim strategy, the World Bank's private sector lender could potentially commit an additional $15 million to $20 million annually during the two-year period.
''The Bank's strategy document supports the promotion of consensus and unity to address key elements of the peace process, including the foundations for state building, growth, and improved basic service delivery for Nepal's poor,'' the World Bank said in a statement.
The bank said it had prepared an interim strategy because Nepal is in a transitional period with a new constitution being drafted and elections expected in 2011.
Nepal swore in moderate Communist Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, last month after his Maoist predecessor quit, plunging the nascent republic into a crisis.
Various ethnic groups are now demanding a greater role in running the government, and some are pressing for separate autonomous states as the Himalayan nation prepares a new constitution after its 239-year-old monarchy was abolished.
Prime Minister Nepal was sworn in on May 25, but is yet to name his full cabinet due to wrangling among coalition partners over positions, leaving the country in limbo.
He is expected to face a difficult year with the Himalayan nation beset by crippling power cuts, poor public security, high inflation, unemployment as well as food shortages.
Under the interim strategy, the World Bank's private sector lender could potentially commit an additional $15 million to $20 million annually during the two-year period.
''The Bank's strategy document supports the promotion of consensus and unity to address key elements of the peace process, including the foundations for state building, growth, and improved basic service delivery for Nepal's poor,'' the World Bank said in a statement.
The bank said it had prepared an interim strategy because Nepal is in a transitional period with a new constitution being drafted and elections expected in 2011.
Nepal swore in moderate Communist Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, last month after his Maoist predecessor quit, plunging the nascent republic into a crisis.
Various ethnic groups are now demanding a greater role in running the government, and some are pressing for separate autonomous states as the Himalayan nation prepares a new constitution after its 239-year-old monarchy was abolished.
Prime Minister Nepal was sworn in on May 25, but is yet to name his full cabinet due to wrangling among coalition partners over positions, leaving the country in limbo.
He is expected to face a difficult year with the Himalayan nation beset by crippling power cuts, poor public security, high inflation, unemployment as well as food shortages.
Friday, February 6, 2009
World Bank to triple health lending to $3 billion
The World Bank expects to triple its lending for health programmes to 3 billion dollar this year to mitigate the impact of the global credit crisis in poor countries, senior officials said.
''The health sector is particularly badly affected,'' Julian Schweitzer, World Bank director of health, nutrition and population, told reporters in Geneva yestrday.
Some developing countries' health budgets are shrinking, while currency devaluations in some mean that imports of drugs are more costly, he said. Remittances from workers living abroad are also normally lower during recessions.
''World Bank lending for health will be up from just less than 1 billion to 3 billion dollar this year,'' Schweitzer said, referring to its financial year which ends on June 30.
Joy Phumaphi, the World Bank's vice president for human development, urged donor countries to honour their foreign aid commitments for health during the slowdown.
''This financial crisis could unravel many of the hard-fought gains in health over previous decades unless we all hold the line on the flow of development aid and health spending,'' she said, estimating that for every 1 per cent drop in gross domestic product, 20 million additional people are pushed into poverty.
''What this means for households is that they will have even less money available for health,'' said Phumaphi, a former health minister of Botswana. It can take up to 10 years for health services to recover even to pre-crisis levels, if services are reduced, she warned.
The World Bank officials were speaking at a meeting of the the International Health Partnership, launched in September 2007 to expand health services in developing countries.
That programme aims to increase the volume of long-term predictable financing for results-oriented health strategies. It is supported by the World Bank, World Health Organisation and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Ivan Lewis, Britain's international development minister, said his government would devote 450 million pounds (657 million dollar) over the next three years to support plans in eight IHP countries. ''Now is not the time to retreat,'' he said.
''The health sector is particularly badly affected,'' Julian Schweitzer, World Bank director of health, nutrition and population, told reporters in Geneva yestrday.
Some developing countries' health budgets are shrinking, while currency devaluations in some mean that imports of drugs are more costly, he said. Remittances from workers living abroad are also normally lower during recessions.
''World Bank lending for health will be up from just less than 1 billion to 3 billion dollar this year,'' Schweitzer said, referring to its financial year which ends on June 30.
Joy Phumaphi, the World Bank's vice president for human development, urged donor countries to honour their foreign aid commitments for health during the slowdown.
''This financial crisis could unravel many of the hard-fought gains in health over previous decades unless we all hold the line on the flow of development aid and health spending,'' she said, estimating that for every 1 per cent drop in gross domestic product, 20 million additional people are pushed into poverty.
''What this means for households is that they will have even less money available for health,'' said Phumaphi, a former health minister of Botswana. It can take up to 10 years for health services to recover even to pre-crisis levels, if services are reduced, she warned.
The World Bank officials were speaking at a meeting of the the International Health Partnership, launched in September 2007 to expand health services in developing countries.
That programme aims to increase the volume of long-term predictable financing for results-oriented health strategies. It is supported by the World Bank, World Health Organisation and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Ivan Lewis, Britain's international development minister, said his government would devote 450 million pounds (657 million dollar) over the next three years to support plans in eight IHP countries. ''Now is not the time to retreat,'' he said.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
World Bank lowers China growth forecast to 9.4 percent
The World Bank has scaled down China's growth rate for 2008 to 9.4 percent from its February forecast of 9.6 percent.
Louis Kuijs, senior economist of the World Bank's Beijing office, said Tuesday the adjustment was made purely on concerns over external factors.
As the world economy had slowed more rapidly in the past two months, this had a negative impact on the growth of Chinese exports, Kuijs said.
The Bank official said he was still optimistic of the domestic performance of the economy and was confident of adequate investment and robust consumption pattern.
The latest report said despite falling US import and rising volatility in global financial markets, China was expected to continue to perform strongly on rising domestic investment and consumption growth.
In 2007, the country's economy grew 11.4 percent, the highest in 13 years and also the fifth year of double-digit growth.
The report said growth in developing east Asia would fall by around 1 to 2 percentage points to around 8.5 percent in 2008 as a result of the unfolding financial turmoil in the United States and the resulting global slowdown.
Economies in the region reported a combined 10.2 percent growth in 2007, the highest in a decade.
According to the report, east Asia, especially China, has increasingly become a "growth pole" in the world economy, acting as a counterweight to the slowing industrial economies.
"The overall growth remains healthy across the east Asia and Pacific region", the Bank said.
Most countries were well positioned to navigate the global slowdown on back of the investments they had made over the past 10 years in structural reforms and putting sound macroeconomic policies in place, it added.
It warned the real challenge for governments in the region was the inflationary effect of mounting food and fuel prices, especially the harsh burden imposed on the poor.
Xinhua
Louis Kuijs, senior economist of the World Bank's Beijing office, said Tuesday the adjustment was made purely on concerns over external factors.
As the world economy had slowed more rapidly in the past two months, this had a negative impact on the growth of Chinese exports, Kuijs said.
The Bank official said he was still optimistic of the domestic performance of the economy and was confident of adequate investment and robust consumption pattern.
The latest report said despite falling US import and rising volatility in global financial markets, China was expected to continue to perform strongly on rising domestic investment and consumption growth.
In 2007, the country's economy grew 11.4 percent, the highest in 13 years and also the fifth year of double-digit growth.
The report said growth in developing east Asia would fall by around 1 to 2 percentage points to around 8.5 percent in 2008 as a result of the unfolding financial turmoil in the United States and the resulting global slowdown.
Economies in the region reported a combined 10.2 percent growth in 2007, the highest in a decade.
According to the report, east Asia, especially China, has increasingly become a "growth pole" in the world economy, acting as a counterweight to the slowing industrial economies.
"The overall growth remains healthy across the east Asia and Pacific region", the Bank said.
Most countries were well positioned to navigate the global slowdown on back of the investments they had made over the past 10 years in structural reforms and putting sound macroeconomic policies in place, it added.
It warned the real challenge for governments in the region was the inflationary effect of mounting food and fuel prices, especially the harsh burden imposed on the poor.
Xinhua
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
