empleo

Organization: Project Concern International
Country: Nicaragua
Closing date: 14 Jul 2017

Job Description

Anticipated Start Date: October, 2017 (Note: This position is contingent upon award)

**Spanish fluency and English working proficiency are required for this position

Founded in 1961, Project Concern International (PCI) is an international non-profit organization that empowers people to enhance health, end hunger, and overcome hardship. Last year alone, PCI served more than 19 million people in 15 countries across Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Since 1991, PCI/Nicaragua has implemented a diverse portfolio of community-based programs in both rural and urban areas to improve health, improve resiliency, and promote the empowerment of vulnerable communities. PCI currently works in 15 municipalities and in 946 communities throughout Nicaragua. PCI is recruiting for a Grants Manager for an anticipated five year, multi-million dollar USAID-funded project designed to support the existence of an independent Nicaraguan civil society to effectively advocate for democratic principles, processes, and institutions.

The Grants Manager will oversee all aspects of sub-award life cycle management associated with the implementation of grants to local organizations.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Oversee, facilitate and coordinate all aspects of sub-award life cycle management, including the solicitation, start-up, monitoring and accompaniment through to close-out, coordinating all program, operations and finance components.
• Coordinate the pre-award due diligence process with respect to all new sub-awards, including through appropriate vetting and analysis of risks associated with the award.
• Ensure the timely review of partners’ financial reports in accordance with the terms of their sub-award agreements, coordinated with the review of programmatic reports. Ensure appropriate financial documentation in compliance with PCI and donor regulations.
• Maintain and coordinate partner program, finance and compliance monitoring schedules and coordinate proactive support for partners to address any concerns or issues that may arise.
• Coordinate all sub-awardee audits as appropriate and in accordance with the terms of the sub-award.
• Incorporate PCI’s local capacity strengthening approach into sub-award management process.
• Ensure appropriate implementation of Organizational Capacity Assessment and Capacity Change processes and the development of capacity strengthening plans based on those processes.
• Organize quarterly partnership meetings with active sub-awardees, working with technical coordinators to develop content and incorporate feedback into partnership approach.
• Coordinate effective sub-award close out and transition processes, incorporating reflection, lessons learned and future planning.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in International Development or Affairs or related field; advanced degree a plus.
• Minimum of 5 years’ work experience managing grants and working with local CSOs, preferably in Nicaragua or in the region.
• Demonstrated knowledge of U.S. Government rules and regulations as they apply to sub grant management required.
• Excellent communication and coordination skills.
• Strong management skills to work with a range of technical staff, CSOs, private sector, and other partners and donors.
• Experience and skills in reviewing and auditing financial reports.
• Must be a fluent Spanish speaker with working proficiency in English.
• Experience working with innovative grant-making methodologies and social ventures is preferred.

How to apply:

https://pciglobal-openhire.silkroad.com/epostings/index.cfm?fuseaction=app.jobinfo&jobid=516&…

Organization: UN Children’s Fund
Country: Argentina
Closing date: 27 May 2017

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world’s leading children’s rights organization would like to hear from you.

For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children’s survival, protection and development. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

Purpose of the Position

Under the direct supervision of the HR Assistant undertakes administrative and human resources support services, applying the rules, policies and procedures of the organization.

Key Accountabilities and Duties & Tasks

1) Provide administrative support on selection processes of Argentina Country Office.

Prepares and circulates internal and external advertisements for local staff positions.

Liaises with candidates in the various stages of the recruitment process.

Scan and update the selection process documents/information in TMS.

Provide inputs and support to the members of the CRBs

Support the HR assistant to coordinate the onboarding processes with the GSSC.

2) Work in coordination with GSSC on HR processes

Give inputs to GSSC for general Personnel Actions on HR Database.

Provide support to local staff members processing their requests related to Leave and Attendance ( annual/sick leave, etc)

3) Other Administrative Functions

Records and maintains recruitment files, ensuring all necessary documentation has been prepared.

Provide administrative support as requested

Qualifications of Successful Candidate

Competencies of Successful Candidate

Core Values

Commitment

Diversity and Inclusion

Integrity

Core competencies

Communication

Working with People

Drive for Results

Functional Competencies

Analysing [ I ]

Following Instructions and Procedures [ I ]

Planning and organising [ I ]

Learning and Researching [ I ]

Recruitment Qualifications

Experience: 4 years experience in administration and/or human resources.

Language Requirements: Fluency in Spanish, written and spoken English would be desirable.

Education: Completion of Secondary School. Technical or university level courses in administration, human resources, or any other related field of discipline relevant to the job is an asset

Duration of the position: 7 months, from: 01/06/2017 to 31/12/2017

To view our competency framework, please click here.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organization.

How to apply:

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organization. To apply, click on the following link http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/?job=504831

Organization: UN Children’s Fund
Country: Argentina
Closing date: 03 Jun 2017

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world’s leading children’s rights organization would like to hear from you.

For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children’s survival, protection and development. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

Purpose of the Position

Under the close supervision and guidance of the Marketing Information Officer (NOA), supports the individuals fundraising area by providing assistance on implementation and evaluation by understanding the overall individuals PSFR business, including donors’ database & fundraising financial information and market trends.

Key Accountabilities and Duties & Tasks

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

Propose and improve data collection, maintenance and reporting

Be familiar with advanced statistical analysis and research methodologies, along with internal UNICEF systems (DP-O, VISION, COGNOS) and other common computer programs (EXCEL).

Collaborate to propose and validate key elements of a database schema (missing/obsolete data & information, fulfillment mechanisms, reporting architecture).

Collaborate to define different criteria for marketing analysis of current and potential donors (based on behavioral and sociodemographic factors).

Research data anomalies and engage fundraising and operational stakeholders to develop solutions.

Implementation of the database security procedures and ensure quality of donor information.

Provide relevant business information for the preparation of the Individual fundraising workplan

Assist in the analyze database (DP-O), financial (VISION), marketing and fundraising (EXCEL) information and market trends to:

Segment the market.

Rank campaigns and initiatives according to different criteria (e.g. ROI, LTV, donors’ volume, investment, and potential to growth).

Identify short and long term business strategies, cause and effect relationships, future fundraising trends and opportunities, and other relevant information through analytics.

Assist in the analyze potential and current donors’ behavior using internal (e.g. DP-O) and external (e.g. surveys) data sources to find out relevant information (e.g. segmentation criteria, retention factors) to increase individual fundraising results.

Support to provide technical assistance for the design a market and House List research plan.

Ad-Hoc provision of relevant fundraising and economic indicators, metrics and KPIs.

Constant monitor and evaluation of workplan’s implementation and results.

Implement timely and accurate reports preparation and distribution.

FUNDRAISING: Monitor workplan’ key performance indicators (e.g. ROI, LTV, donors’ volume, investment, performance, relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability)

FINANCIAL CONTROL: Monitor fulfillment process analyzing performance of credit cards, banks and other suppliers)

DATABASE: Monitor key database information (House List, new donors, upgrades, stops, average donation, and attrition rate).

MARKET TRENDS: Monitor and regularly reports on economic indicators (e.g. inflation, exchange rate), metrics, etc.

Perform quality assurance functions as they relate to reporting and data validation

Produce periodic and ad-hoc campaign analysis and specific documents on business intelligence issues.

Provide technical support to other PFP colleagues and areas in identifying and use performance indicators and reports.

Assure effective coordination, communication and collaboration with other Individual Fundraising teams and PFP areas.

Support to promote mechanisms to exchange and update information and content needs and information challenges with the Individual PFP Team.

Participate in PFP internal meetings (with the Corporate, Special Events and Marketing specialists).

Qualifications of Successful Candidate

Competencies of Successful Candidate

Core Values

Commitment

Diversity and Inclusion

Integrity

Core competencies

Drive for Results (L1)

Communication (L1)

Working with People (L2)

Functional Competencies

Learning & Researching (L1)

Planning & Organizing (L1)

Analyzing (L1)

Following instructions and Procedures (L1)

Recruitment Qualifications

Experience: 5 years of progressively responsible work experience in in marketing, external relations or direct marketing fundraising areas

Language Requirements: Fluency in Spanish, written and spoken English would be desirable.

Education: Completion of Secondary School. Technical and/or University level courses in Marketing, External Relations, Business Administration, or any other related field relevant to the job is an asset.

To view our competency framework, please click here.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organization.

How to apply:

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organization. To apply, click on the following link http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/?job=504829

Organization: UN Children’s Fund
Country: Argentina
Closing date: 27 May 2017

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world’s leading children’s rights organization would like to hear from you.

For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children’s survival, protection and development. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

Purpose of the Position

The job function of the post, under the general supervision of the Corporate Alliances Officer and the Corporate Alliances Specialist will be to contribute on reaching CRB goals for ACO, focusing on: 1) promoting CSR and children issues through private sector 2) supporting ACO CPD through private sector engagement.

Key Accountabilities and Duties & Tasks

Preparation and monitoring of the annual CRB plan:

Provides technical support on the preparation of the CRB plan and other documents requested by TACRO and Geneva.

Provides technical expertise, research’s and prepares key information about CSR and children rights, to be used as inputs for the annual plans. Performs in depth technical analysis of CSR trends and relevant documentation

CRBplan implementation:

Timely implementation of the CRB plan.

Monitors and regularly reports on progress, for supervisor action.

Provides technical knowledge and prepares relevant information to be used in reports, KPIs and documents, timely updated.

Provides technical expertise on corporate social responsibility and children rights and business related initiatives.

Effective execution of maintenance and prospecting of CRB allies.

Negotiates with actual and potential CRB partners.

Prepares and makes proposals through targeted presentations for potential CRB partners.

Attends appointments and meetings with CRB partners in order to propose new initiatives, provide background, conduct training and engage private sector stakeholders.

Analyses trends, identifies CRB opportunities and potential partners. Obtains all necessary information and provides technical support for decision making.

Effective process for assessment, sign-off and approval of existing and new CRB initiatives. Successful partnerships and relationships with different stakeholders.

Prepares necessary documentation for Salesforce submission. Proposal and agreement’s analysis and preparation: preparation of presentations to companies and other Private and Public Sector actors. Analyzes proposals.

Drafts agreements. Provides technical support on agreement’s content.

Maintains a positive and collaborative working relationship with partners.

Visits partners to see agreement’s execution and suggest improvements.

Provides technical support on the approval of the partners’ communicational activity plans and executions under the supervision of the Corporate CRB Officer.

Effective cross-functional collaboration with corporate colleagues, under the guidance of the Corporate Alliances Officers, as well as within PFP and ACO’s programme areas (necessary coordination for CRB initiatives).

Works with a positive attitude for teamwork within the corporate team and in collaboration with other PFP and ACO’s areas (operations and programme areas)

Carries out tactical administrative and control tasks related with implementation of CRB initiatives.

Coordinates initiatives related with private sector support to ACO CPD with the different programme areas (Heatlh, Education, Protection, Social Inclusion, Communication).

Maintain a positive and collaborative working relationship with partners. Provides technical support in the development and strengthen of links with groups and organizations from the civil society whose support is essential to the achievement of corporate engagement and CSR objectives.

Maintain a close contact with UNICEF CSR Unit (Regional and Global), in order to ensure up to date knowledge of the organization’s global strategy.

Follow directives, instructions and comply with procedures, under the supervision of the Corporate CRB Officer, and in concordance with the organization guidelines and regulations. Administrative tasks and responsibilities are effectively carried out and delivered.

Makes decisions following established procedures on the implementation and monitoring of projects. Decisions will be in relation to the appropriate application of UNICEF policies, rules and regulations and under the supervision of the Corporate CRB Officer.

Search and select reliable and cost effective suppliers (design agencies, printing and mailing companies, CSR consultants, RRHH providers, etc)

Assures UNICEF visual brand identity is consistent across all agreements based on the UNICEF Brand Guidelines and Toolkit.

Follows up on the administrative aspects of the different corporate engagement agreements. Establishes/maintains a technical up-to-date documentation on agreement results, press coverage, use of logo and UNICEF image.

Qualifications of Successful Candidate

Competencies of Successful Candidate

Core Values

Commitment

Diversity and Inclusion

Integrity

Core competencies

Communication

Working with People

Drive for Results

Functional Competencies

Following Instruction and Procedures (L2)

Analyzing (L2)

Planning & Organizing (L2)

Applying Technical Expertise (L2)

Technical Knowledge

Experience: 6 years of progressively responsible work experience in corporate social responsibility and/or sustainability and/or external relations will be an asset.

Language Requirements:Fluency in Spanish is essential. Working knowledge of English.

Education: Completion of secondary school. Technical and/or university level courses in Communication, Sociology, Political Sciences, Corporate Social Responsibility will be an asset.

Duration of the position:12 months, from: 01/06/2017 to 31/05/2018

To view our competency framework, please click here.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organization.

How to apply:

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organization. To apply, click on the following link http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/?job=504852

Organization: Plan
Country: Spain
Closing date: 19 Jun 2017

The “HUB Coordinator” will be a member of the Department of International Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid Programs in Plan International Spain.

The post holder will play a key role in the following priorities: Fundraising and resource mobilization at local level and Assistance in emergencies due to natural disasters, armed conflict or any other humanitarian crisis.

OVERVIEW

Plan is an international child centered community development organization working in 69 countries, 50 of which are developing countries. With a focus on long term sustainable development, Plan works in a participative way with children and families across a range of programs including education, health, household economic security, protection and water/sanitation. Plan also engages in humanitarian work. Advocacy cuts across all programs.

Established in 2001, Plan Spain is a dynamic organization that supports Plan’s work worldwide, with a particular focus on Child protection. Funding is received from a variety of sources including child sponsorship, Spanish Government and Regional Governments and also multilateral donors (ECHO,UE, UN) .

In addition, Plan Spain strives to raise awareness of development issues through development education, advocacy, the media and events.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

· Leading the business development in the HUB assigned supporting to the Director of International Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid, and in strength coordination with the rest of HUB coordinators.

· Enhance the relationship with internal areas at Plan Spain and with Plan International´s countries offices

· Identifying strategic funding opportunities in the priority countries

· Building strategic relationships with different stake holders, including building Consorcio, Global Plan federation and wider stakeholders

· Donors relationship : to line up and reinforce Spanish relationships ( with Spanish Government, ECHo in EU and developing new relationships)

· Supervise & support smooth, timely and compiling the implementation of the projects in that portfolio including Projects full supervision:

· Prioritizing and assigning resources

· Taking actions needed

· Budget following

· Conduct needs assessments

· Projects Evaluation

· Reporting & Information

PROFILE:

· University Degree (Master appreciated)

· 5 years of working experience in technical cooperation in international institutions and/or NGOs. Proved experience in raising funds mainly with multilateral donors (ECHO will be valuable).

COMPETENCIES ASSOCIATED TO THE POSITION*:*

· Excellent communication and negotiation skills, results orientation and intercultural sensitivity, including managing expectations of different stakeholders in a balanced and diplomatic manner

· Proven abilities in decision making and problem solving- to foresee various options and objectively assess viability to these options

· Self-supporting in computing (MS-Windows, spreadsheet- and word-processing

· Ability to work independently and as a team member .Mastering English-Spanish / French-Spanish / English-French.

How to apply:

Applicants should have a valid work permit at the time of applying to enable them to work in Spain.

The candidates must send application and cover letter to recruiting@plan-international.org with the reference PR-HC-17 n1

São necessários incentivos para alinhar resultados às necessidades de estudantes e países CIDADE DO MÉXICO, 17 de maio de 2017 – O número de estudantes em programas de ensino superior quase dobrou na última década na América Latina e no Caribe (ALC). Contudo, apenas a metade deles se forma no período normal, o que indica que ainda há muito a fazer em termos de eficiência e qualidade, revela um novo relatório do Banco Mundial: Em uma encruzilhada: O Ensino superior na América Latina e no Caribe, divulgado hoje. "O ensino superior é fundamental para impulsionar o crescimento e reduzir a pobreza e a desigualdade", disse o Vice-Presidente do Banco Mundial para a América Latina e o Caribe, Jorge Familiar. "Para garantir a igualdade de oportunidades, a região tem que melhorar a qualidade da educação e proporcionar aos alunos melhores informações sobre cursos, incentivos e opções de financiamento adequados e conexões com o mercado de trabalho. Também é necessária uma melhor regulamentação das instituições de ensino superior para melhorar a prestação de contas pelos serviços que prestam". Uma boa educação desempenha um papel importante na melhoria das perspectivas de renda. Em particular, o relatório conclui que, em média, na ALC, um estudante com grau de educação superior vai ganhar mais do dobro do que um aluno com um diploma do ensino médio. Na região, o percentual de indivíduos entre 18 e 24 anos de idade matriculados no ensino superior aumentou de 21% em 2000 para 40% em 2010. Embora o acesso ainda seja desigual, houve progressos substanciais, particularmente entre os grupos de baixa e média renda. Em média, os 50% mais pobres da população representavam apenas 16% dos estudantes do ensino superior em 2000, mas esta proporção aumentou para cerca de 25% em 2013. Ao mesmo tempo, cerca de um quarto das instituições de ensino superior (IES) que existem hoje foram abertas durante esse período – muitas delas pelo setor privado – o que elevou a participação de IES privadas no mercado de 43% para 50% entre o início dos anos 2000 e 2013. Contudo, a região tem apenas cerca de dez IES entre as 500 melhores instituições de ensino superior do mundo, um número superior apenas ao da África. "Houve uma grande expansão das instituições de ensino superior e das matrículas, especialmente entre os estudantes de baixa renda", disse Maria Marta Ferreyra, principal autora do relatório e economista sênior do Banco Mundial. "No entanto, os resultados estão aquém do potencial, e apenas a metade dos estudantes recebe o seu diploma superior entre os 25-29 anos de idade, quer porque ainda estão estudando ou por desistência”. Entre as causas das altas taxas de desistência estão o despreparo acadêmico, devido em parte à baixa qualidade da educação média, e a falta de recursos financeiros de estudantes de baixa renda. Outras causas podem incluir a longa duração de alguns dos cursos e a falta de flexibilidade para transferências entre eles – questões que são especialmente relevantes hoje em dia, quando mais pessoas do que nunca mudam de emprego e de carreira ao longo da vida. Entre as medidas que podem ajudar a resolver alguns desses problemas estão:Gerar e divulgar informações sobre o desempenho das instituições e dos cursos, para que os alunos possam fazer escolhas informadas.Conceber melhores sistemas de financiamento para proporcionar incentivos para que as instituições e os estudantes obtenham bons resultados, e eliminar as barreiras financeiras ao acesso ao ensino superior através de instrumentos como bolsas de estudo, ajudas-de-custo e empréstimos estudantis.Ajudar os estudantes a se conectarem ao mercado de trabalho.Melhorar a supervisão e a regulamentação para assegurar a prestação de contas das instituições por seus serviços. Ainda assim, o relatório conclui que a formação de capital humano qualificado não é suficiente por si só para aumentar a produtividade, o crescimento e a equidade. Também é preciso um ambiente em que as empresas possam criar bons empregos que, por sua vez, possam fazer uso produtivo de uma força de trabalho mais qualificada. — Saiba mais sobre o trabalho do Banco Mundial na América Latina e no Caribe: www.worldbank.org/lac Visite-nos no Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/worldbank Atualize-se via Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BancoMundialLAC Assista ao nosso canal no YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/BancoMundialLAC

Incentives needed to bring education results in line with student and countries’ needs MEXICO CITY, May 17, 2017 – The number of students in higher education programs has nearly doubled in the past decade across Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). But with only half of them graduating on time, there’s still a lot to do in terms of efficiency and quality, according to a new World Bank report: At a Crossroads: Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean, released today. “Higher Education is key to boosting growth and reducing poverty and inequality,” said World Bank Vice President for Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Familiar. “To ensure equity of opportunities, the region has to enhance quality of education and provide students with better information on programs, adequate incentives and financing options, and connections to the labor market. Better regulation of higher education institutions is also needed to improve accountability for the services they provide.” A good education plays an important role in improving income prospects.  In particular, the report finds that on average in LAC a student with a higher education degree will earn more than twice as much as a student with a high school diploma. In the region, the percentage of individuals ages 18 to 24 enrolled in higher education rose from 21 percent in 2000 to 40 percent in 2010. While unequal access still abounds, there has been substantial progress, particularly among low and middle-income groups. On average, the poorest 50 percent of the population only represented 16 percent of higher education students in 2000 but that rose to about 25 percent in 2013. At the same time, about a quarter of the higher education institutions (HEIs) that exist today were opened over that period –many of them by the private sector– lifting the market share of private HEIs from 43 to 50 percent between the early 2000s and 2013. And yet, of the top-500 HEIs in the world, the region has only about ten, a number only higher than Africa’s. “There has been a big expansion in higher education institutions and enrollment, particularly for low income students,” said the report’s lead author World Bank Senior Economist Maria Marta Ferreyra. “However, the results fall short of their potential, with only half of the students entering higher education receiving their degree by the time they are 25 to 29 years old either because they are still studying or because they have dropped out.” Some of the causes for a high dropout rate include academic unpreparedness, due in part to low quality education received in high school, and lack of financial means of low-income students. They may also include the long duration of some of the programs and lack of flexibility to switch between them –issues that are especially relevant now as more people tend to switch jobs and careers over a life time than ever before. Policies that can help address some of these problems include:Generating and disseminating information on institutions’ and programs’ performance so that students can make informed choices.Designing better funding systems in order to provide incentives for institutions and students to achieve good results, and remove financial barriers to higher education access through instruments such as scholarships, grants for living expenses, and student loans.Helping students connect to the labor market.Improving oversight and regulations to ensure the institutions’ accountability for their services. Still, the report concludes that forming skilled human capital is not enough on its own to raise productivity, growth and equity. There also needs to be an environment in which firms can create good jobs that, in turn, can make productive use of a more skilled labor force. — Learn more about the work of the World Bank in Latin America and the Caribbean: www.worldbank.org/lac   Visit us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/worldbank Be updated via Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BancoMundialLAC   For our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/BancoMundialLAC  

Se necesitan incentivos para que los resultados educativos se adecúen a las necesidades de estudiantes y países CIUDAD DE MÉXICO, 17 de mayo de 2017 – El número de estudiantes de programas de educación superior prácticamente se duplicó …

Challenge The economy of Latin America and the Caribbean countries has provided the means for an accelerated expansion of infrastructure construction in the region. In this context, promoting environmentally sustainable construction has become an essential element for achieving green growth. Sustainable infrastructure is fundamental for growth and inclusion, particularly in low- and middle-income countries such as in Latin America and the Caribbean region. In these countries, a key to successfully developing environmentally sustainable infrastructure is sharing knowledge and experience among specialists and building their technical capacity. Furthermore, the need in the region for acquiring specific knowledge regarding the latest innovations and best practices on environmental sustainability in the construction industry, as well as strengthening capacities for their correct implementation, has become a priority. In the past years, the region has experienced a revolutionary technological advance, providing an ideal scenario for developing a web-based knowledge platform allowing easy and inclusive access to knowledge and experience exchange between concerned parties. The impact of increasing access to knowledge on best practices for sustainable construction activities will help support these countries in complying with international standards and will ensure that they reach their environmental and sustainability goals. Approach The objective of the grant for the project Knowledge Platform: Environmentally Sustainable Infrastructure Construction was to develop a bilingual (English and Spanish) web-based knowledge platform in Latin America and the Caribbean to enhance skills, knowledge, and capacity to perform construction in an environmentally sustainable manner. Principal objectives are to (i) increase the capacity to develop environmentally sustainable infrastructure projects, (ii) improve good practices and enhance project results and outcomes, (iii) provide a reliable source of information, and (iv) offer specialized knowledge services to technical specialists. This knowledge platform, known as KPESIC, encompasses within the term sustainable environmental management the sound management skills needed to mitigate negative environmental, social, and health and safety impacts and risks from infrastructure projects as well as the skills and approaches needed to improve positive impacts or benefits to achieve more sustainable projects. The focus is on infrastructure sectors of transport (roads, rail, ports, and airports), energy (generation, transmission, and distribution), water and sanitation (water supply and distribution and wastewater collection and treatment), and urban development. The intention behind the platform is to provide knowledge resources to technical specialists working at governmental agencies, construction companies, or universities who are charged with managing environment issues in infrastructure construction. KPESIC deals with the project construction phase but also with the planning, design, operation, and maintenance phases, all of which are crucial in establishing environmentally sustainable infrastructure. 

IDA Credit: US $25 million Terms: Maturity = 25 years, Grace = 5 years Project ID: P158086 Project Description: The objective of this credit is to provide additional financing for the Rural Competitiveness Project (Comrural), which seeks to increase productivity and competitiveness for small-scale rural producers through the implementation of business plans to improve and add value to their products as well as to directly connect them with the market. The additional financing will support activities in six new departments located in northern, central and southern Honduras and will benefit an estimated 5,500 new rural households. Contact: Àngels Masó, (503)7860.8019, amaso@worldbank.org For more information, please visit here: http://www.bancomundial.org/es/country/honduras    

WASHINGTON, May 18, 2017 – The World Bank Group has renewed its commitment to preventing violence against women and girls, investing a minimum of $3.5 million over five years in innovations designed to prevent and respond to gender-based violence (GBV). World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim made the announcement at the Innovations to Prevent Gender-Based Violence awards ceremony during the WBG-IMF Spring Meetings. In partnership with the Sexual Violence Research Initiative, 10 teams were awarded a total of $1.1 million to support their GBV prevention and response projects and research. “We cannot stand by while so many women suffer harm that’s completely preventable, but this is also an issue that goes right to the heart of our goals to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity,” Kim said, noting that the epidemic can cost countries as much as 3.7% of gross domestic product (GDP). “The World Bank Group is committed to working tirelessly to help its client countries prevent gender-based violence.” Using the Development Marketplace Crowdsourcing Method, Kim said the WBG is looking to the award winners’ research and tested projects to help advance that goal. The winning proposals include tackling sexual harassment on college campuses and on public transportation, addressing child marriage and an emerging form of GBV: cyber violence. Cyber violence is pervasive, and women and girls are disproportionately affected, yet very little research exists on this problem especially in low and middle income countries, said award winner Pamela Lilleston, a social and behavioral scientist at the International Center for Research on Women, whose team project aims to develop a set of standards that will be tested in Uganda, and later used to inform effective cyber violence policies and programs. Technology is at the core of another winning proposal designed to reduce intimate partner violence (IPV) in Dollo Ado refugee camp in Ethiopia. The research project aims to explore the use of podcasts to disseminate information about inter-partner violence, and generate new knowledge on the use of technology-based solutions to GBV in humanitarian settings. “Podcasts we think are an interesting solution in this context because they can be broadcast in safe environments such as health facilities and so on, but they can also be downloaded there on simple mobile devices and shared person to person,” said awardee Vandana Sharma, a public health researcher based at the Harvard TC Chan School of Public Health. “We will be training men and women in the communities in digital storytelling and in podcasting, and they will develop the content themselves in the local language with messaging that’s appropriate for their contexts.” Awardee Renzo Peña, co-founder and vice president of DB Peru, a healthcare NGO, said his team’s project is in response to the concerns of the Amazon Basin community of Peru, which reports high rates of violence with no resources to address it. Recent figures show that 79% of women between 18 and 29 report experiencing sexual violence at some point in their lives. As a result, the first primary preventative strategy for GBV in the rural region of the Lower Napo River, was developed. It is also the first community mobilization project of its type in Peru, and Peña said he plans to share his research throughout the region. “We have been working for 15 years in the region, and we work very closely with the leaders in the community who will be trained so they can bring that knowledge to their own communities, and thus be able to prevent and eliminate violence in the communities themselves,” he said.  Awardee Emma Fulu, founder and director of The Equity Institute, said despite data that show that Solomon Islands has one of the highest rates of violence in the world, it is still the most under-researched regions. Her team project focuses on prevention of GBV by researching root causes and social norms that contribute to violence against women and girls by developing the Solomon Islands’ first community-led, locally developed comprehensive violence prevention program. “Because of the high rates of violence, we know we need to look at how to stop violence before it starts, trying to understand what are the root causes, what are the social norms that are really underpinning violence against women in this region,” Fulu said. “I think what’s really exciting about this particular project is that it’s filling a number of major evidence gaps, not just in the Solomon Islands or the Pacific, but really globally.” Caren Grown, World Bank Group senior director for gender, highlighted prevention as an important part of the GBV learning community facilitated by the Development Marketplace. “Of course we have learning on response and how we help and work with survivors, but the most important learning is on prevention,” she said. “Without prevention, we can’t ever solve this particular problem, so bringing people together to experiment, to test, to learn is really critical.” 2017 Winners:Sexual Harassment among Jordanian College Students: Pilot Testing a Promising Primary Prevention Intervention (Jordan, Middle East/ North Africa)Team: Information and Research Center King Hussein Foundation and Emory UniversityGender Equity Model Promoting Women’s Economic Empowerment and Fighting Gender Based Violence (Egypt, Middle East/North Africa)Team: The American University of CairoGender based Violence Prevention in the Amazon of Peru Project (Peru, Latin America)Team: University College London; and DB PeruBuilding the Evidence Base for ‘Safe Families’ – a Comprehensive Community-led model for Violence Prevention in Solomon Islands. (Solomon Islands, East Asia Pacific)Team: The Equality Institute; Oxfam Solomon Islands; Oxfam AustraliaCombatting Sexual Violence in Kyrgyzstan through Innovative Education and Information Technology (Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia)Team: American University of Central Asia (AUCA)Building Research Capacity and Data Use for Gender-Based Violence prevention and Response in Adolescents/Young Adults (Nigeria and Rwanda, Africa)Team: Together for GirlsMapping for Policy (Pakistan, South Asia)Team: The Urban Institute and Information Technology University Data Science Lab in PakistanBuilding the Evidence to Understand and Prevent Campus Sexual Assault in Swaziland (Swaziland, Africa)Team: University of Swaziland and The Regents of the University of California, San DiegoDevelopment of Standard Measures to Support Gender-Based Cyber Violence (GBCV) Prevention (Uganda, Africa)Team: International Center for Research for Women

“Mi hijo, el doctor”. “Mi hija, la arquitecta”. Estas expresiones, tan típicas de los padres, muestran el orgullo de quienes, al no haber podido acceder a la universidad, sueñan desde el primer momento en el que sus hijos comienzan a transitar el camino de la educación superior. Más allá del anhelo de los progenitores, en América Latina y el Caribe diferentes políticas públicas y el ascenso de la clase media en la década pasada han empujado a muchos más jóvenes a las puertas de las universidades. Los números así lo demuestran. La cantidad de personas entre 18 y 24 años que asisten a una institución de educación superior aumentó del 21% en 2000 al 43% en el 2013 con una mayor cantidad de estudiantes provenientes de sectores medios y bajos, algo que no se veía años atrás. Hoy existen más de 20 millones de estudiantes que asisten a las más de 10 mil instituciones, las cuales ofrecen más de 60 mil programas de formación, según los hallazgos del estudio Momento Decisivo: La Educación Superior en América Latina, del Banco Mundial. Nada mal en comparación con otras regiones donde ir a la universidad o a un instituto de educación superior es solo un lujo que algunos pocos se pueden dar. Pero hoy, la educación universitaria se encuentra en una encrucijada. Su rápida expansión, las características de los "nuevos" estudiantes y regulaciones laxas han llevado a muchos a cuestionar la calidad de sus programas. Millones de estudiantes entran en sus aulas, pero no todos acceden a opciones de calidad. Esto significa que no solo no cuentan con un plan de estudios atractivo que los retenga hasta terminar si no que, al graduarse, tampoco están preparados para enfrentar las demandas del mercado laboral actual. Se calcula que solo el 50% de los estudiantes que inician sus estudios superiores llegan a terminar y se gradúan. Y en un mundo que afronta nuevos desafíos como la automatización, las demandas de nuevas habilidades y un escenario político cambiante, las carreras tradicionales consideradas más exitosas han sido destronadas por otras más acordes a los requerimientos del mundo actual. Los ránkings, que a menudo se usan como indicadores de la calidad de la educación superior, no presentan buenas noticias para América Latina. Entre los 500 mejores institutos de educación superior, solo hay 10 de la región, siendo África la única región con menos: El estudio del Banco Mundial investiga tres aspectos clave de la educación superior en la región: calidad, variedad y equidad. Un buen sistema de educación superior ofrece programas de calidad que maximizan el potencial de los estudiantes. Una variedad de ofertas permite a los estudiantes encontrar su mejor opción: entrenar no solo a los médicos necesarios en un hospital, sino también a las enfermeras y los asistentes administrativos. Dado que la mera disponibilidad de la variedad y la calidad no garantizan el acceso o éxito de los estudiantes, un sistema de educación superior muestra la equidad cuando los estudiantes tienen acceso a iguales oportunidades. La equidad muchas veces comienza desde temprano. No todos los jóvenes y sus familias cuentan con la información ni los recursos necesarios para tomar una decisión correcta con respecto a la elección de una carrera profesional. En muchos casos, elegir es una oportunidad única en la vida y equivocarse puede ser el final de una carrera: la transferencia de programas es bastante dificultosa y burocrática. Continuar o abandonar A pesar de los escollos a los que se enfrentan, los estudiantes considerados más pobres representaron el 45% del aumento de la matrícula en los últimos años. Sin embargo, estos “nuevos” estudiantes provienen de familias con menores recursos y muchas veces no están preparados académicamente para enfrentar los desafíos de la educación superior, lo que muchas veces explica la falta de completación de las carreras de educación superior. En promedio, solo la mitad de las personas entre 25 y 29 años que estaban matriculadas no completaron sus estudios, ya sea por abandono o porque aún continúan estudiando. De los que abandonan, la mitad lo hace en el primer año de su carrera. El sistema no ayuda. Las carreras son largas y tediosas. Se estima el tiempo que tardan los estudiantes de América Latina y el Caribe en completarlas es un promedio de 36% más que en el resto del mundo. Esto implica que los estudiantes pasan más años como tales y, por ende, durante sus años facultativos ganan salarios acordes a su nivel secundario. El tiempo excesivo también tiene un costado filoso: los estudiantes muchas veces necesitan salir a trabajar para completar sus estudios, pero al mismo tiempo terminan abandonándolos por estar abrumados por las responsabilidades laborales y no ver la luz al final del túnel. Dada la urgencia de la región en mejorar su productividad en un contexto de crecimiento lento, es clave la formación de capital humano de manera rápida y eficiente. De acuerdo al estudio, los hacedores de política pública tienen que tener en cuenta que no necesariamente acceso implica completación y calidad. El estudio también recomienda que se deben diseñar políticas multidimensionales que no solo evalúen la calidad de los contenidos brindados en las instituciones, si no también apoyo a estudiantes que no están académicamente listos para la educación superior, e incentivos tanto para las universidades como para estudiantes para terminar la carrera.