The World Bank on Food & Water, Demographics and Potential Prosperity

| On the Blogs | In Depth | Did You Know?




NEWS
* World Bank, U.S. Cooperate on Water Issues
* Arab Voices and Views: Webcast and Live Chat
* Latin America: Ready for an Aging Revolution?
* East Asia: Preparing for a More Prosperous Tomorrow
* 37,000 Mangroves for Kiribati
* Latin America Makes Major Strides on Climate Change, Growth and Food.
* South Asia and Food Price Crisis
* Gender Equality and Empowerment in the Middle East and North Africa
* Food Security in the Arab World



EVENTS AND DISCUSSIONS
* Put Food First: Open Forum on the Food Crisis
* Live Q&A: East Asia and Pacific Update, April 5 14.00 GMT



REGIONAL NEWS AND PROJECTS

Africa
East Asia and the Pacific
East Europe and Central Asia
Middle East and North Africa
South Asia



RESULTS
*Concentrated Solar Power in Egypt and Morocco



BUSINESS AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
* Emergency Response Coordinator, Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery



ON THE BLOGS
* The Revival of Cookstove Research



IN DEPTH
* Food Crisis



DID YOU KNOW?
* Nigeria has 100 million people under 30, the rough equivalent of the populations of Egypt, Tunisia and Libya combined.




NEWS


World Bank, U.S. Cooperate on Water Issues
World Bank President Robert Zoellick and U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton signed an accord to support developing countries in managing global water crises, including lack of safe drinking water and sanitation, diminishing aquifers, drought, flooding, and climate change impacts. Zoellick Remarks | Video | Water Quiz


Arab Voices and Views: Webcast and Live Chat
In the past three months, people across the Middle East and North Africa have taken to the streets to demand – and in some cases obtain – change. See archive of discussion held March 21 on various aspects of the changes underway in the region, with a focus on jobs and social media. Zoellick Remarks | Replay conversation | Blog


Latin America: Ready for an Aging Revolution?
Latin America’s life expectancy jumped by 22 years in last half-century, with the population now dominated by working adults with fewer children. A new report advises Latin American countries to prepare for a ‘greying revolution.’ Read more


East Asia: Preparing for a More Prosperous Tomorrow
Senior policy makers and development partners gathered to assess where East Asia stands today, identify challenges and opportunities, and explore long term implications for sustained growth in the post-crisis global economy. Read more


37,000 Mangroves for Kiribati
Mangroves can be one of the most effective forms of coastal protection.. More than 37,000 mangrove seedlings have recently been planted on the islands of Aranuka, Butaritari, Maiana, Makin and in North and South Tarawa in Kiribati. Read more


Latin America Makes Major Strides on Climate Change, Growth and Food
Whether on climate change, innovative food production, or growth with equity, Latin America and the Caribbean have made major strides. “Your continued success is a success to be shared; and so we at the World Bank remain committed to support you,” said World Bank managing Director Sri Mulyani Indrawati at the 4th Meeting of Finance Ministers of the Americas and the Caribbean. Read more


South Asia and Food Price Crisis
While South Asia navigated the financial crisis better than most regions, the region suffered during previous food and fuel crises. With global food and fuel prices rising again, South Asia will be affected disproportionally. Read more


Gender Equality and Empowerment in the Middle East and North Africa
The Arab world is currently undergoing profound changes and the World Bank is striving to ensure that women in the region are able to play a greater part in the social and economic spheres in their countries. By building capacity for research and analysis on gender issues, the Bank is helping governments better integrate the gender issues in policy. Read more


Food Security in the Arab World
At the first Arab Development Symposium, World Bank Vice President for Middle East and North Africa Shamshad Akhtar discussed the recurrent rise and high volatility in international food prices. Read more



EVENTS AND DISCUSSIONS


Put Food First: Open Forum on the Food Crisis
Rising food prices are causing pain and suffering for poor people around the world, driving 44 million people into extreme poverty in recent months. Join a 24-hour food crisis conversation from April 14-15, and help us find solutions to overcome the food crisis and put food first for the world's 1 billion hungry people. Submit your idea now


Live Q&A: East Asia and Pacific Update, April 5 14.00 GMT
According to the Bank’s latest East Asia and Pacific Economic Update, inflation remains a challenge and the economic impact of the recent earthquake and tsunamis in Japan will be ‘temporary.’. Submit a question for Vikram Nehru, chief economist for East Asia and Pacific, and Ivailo Izvorski, lead economist for the region. They will discuss the economic update via webcast on Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. EDT / 14:00 GMT / 22:00 Beijing time. Ask a question



REGIONAL NEWS AND PROJECTS

Monthly Operational Summary of proposed projects in all regions.

Access to Information Find newly disclosed and declassified documents.


Africa

Banking the Unbanked in Malawi
$28.2 million to increase access to finance for about 3.5 million Malawian adults who are currently unbanked, but bankable. Read more

For more information on the Africa region...


East Asia and the Pacific

Indonesia: Community-Driven Development for the Marginalized
PNPM Peduli is a special program to support Indonesia’s most marginalized population. During the first phase, more than 40,000 marginalized people across 23 provinces are expected to benefit from the program. Read more

For more information on the East Asia and Pacific region...


East Europe and Central Asia

Results of Development Marketplace in Albania
The Bank’s Development Marketplace initiative in Albania recently selected 10 innovative ideas on good governance and accountability as part of its annual competition. Read more

For more information on the Europe and Central Asia region...


Middle East and North Africa

Arab Voices and Views: A Global Conversation
The Middle East and North Africa region is going through a period of change, posing a new set of challenges in several areas: jobs, youth employment, governance and social accountability. A new blog invites participants to contribute to a conversation around these important issues. Read blog

For more information on the Middle East and North Africa region...


South Asia

New Partnership Strategy with Bhutan
A new partnership strategy for Bhutan is aligned with the country’s unique development philosophy of Gross National Happiness and prioritizes Bhutan’s development goals, with a total expected funding of $78 million. Read more

For more information on the South Asia region…


RESULTS


Concentrated Solar Power in Egypt and Morocco
In the Middle East and North Africa, energy consumption increases at the rate of about 7% each year. Concentrated solar power holds potential for reducing CO2 and other harmful emissions in the power sector while supporting growth. Countries like Morocco and Egypt have recently created their own independent agencies for the development of renewable energy projects. Read more

For more Results of Bank-funded projects…



BUSINESS AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES


Emergency Response Coordinator, Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR)
GFDRR is looking for an emergency response coordinator to provide technical assistance and effective mobilization of international disaster recovery assistance to support disaster-stricken countries' immediate recovery needs as well as the development of mid and long term recovery programs. Apply now

For a full list of Open Positions and Scholarships…



ON THE BLOGS


The Revival of Cookstove Research
Half the world uses biomass (wood, agricultural wastes and dung) and coal for cooking. Smoke from domestic fires kills nearly two million people each year, and sickens millions more. Better cookstoves and fuel can save lives, and the climate. Read blog

For more on the Blogs…



IN DEPTH


Food Crisis
Food comes first. See what the World Bank is doing to fight hunger in the face of the food crisis. Read more | Submit your ideas to put food first



DID YOU KNOW?


Nigeria has 100 million people under 30, the rough equivalent of the populations of Egypt, Tunisia and Libya combined.
In the 15-24 year age bracket in Nigeria, unemployment is estimated to be 46%. If the problems underlying these numbers remain unaddressed, there are likely to be strong tensions in the future, says Onno Ruhl, World Bank Country Director for Nigeria. Read blog



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