Noticias de otros medios

Unas 345.000 personas han salido de este colectivo durante el último año, según el informe ‘El estado de la pobreza en España’ de 2017, publicado este lunes

·       América Latina y Caribe vuelven a crecer tras contracción del año pasado ·       Rebote regional debido en gran parte a recuperación de Argentina y Brasil ·       A diferencia de países ricos, la reducción de tasas de interés para estimular la economía no es opción fácil en la región WASHINGTON, 11 de octubre, 2017 – Se espera que este año América Latina y el Caribe vuelvan a crecer tras sufrir una contracción del PIB significativa de -1,3 por ciento en 2016. Sin embargo, con un entorno global que sigue siendo neutral para el crecimiento en la región, los gestores de políticas tendrán que hilar delgado a fin de aumentar el crecimiento al tiempo de garantizar protección a los más vulnerables. En su último informe semestral, "Entre la espada y la pared: La encrucijada de la política monetaria en América Latina y el Caribe", la Oficina del Economista Jefe del Banco Mundial para América Latina y el Caribe explora el potencial de la política monetaria para apoyar el crecimiento, sin arriesgar difíciles logros obtenidos en la batalla contra la inflación.Para América Latina y el Caribe, los analistas de mercado pronostican un crecimiento del PIB del 1,2 por ciento para el 2017 y del 2,3 por ciento para el 2018. La recuperación estará liderada por un repunte en Argentina y Brasil. Se espera que Argentina crezca un 2,8 por ciento en 2017 y un 3,0 por ciento 2018. Brasil se espera que crezca un 0,7 por ciento en 2017 y 2,3 en 2018, tras contraerse por dos años consecutivos. México probablemente seguirá creciendo por encima del 2 por ciento en 2017 y 2018, mientras que el crecimiento en Centroamérica y el Caribe deberá mantenerse cerca del 4 por ciento tanto en 2017 como en 2018. "Sin un rol determinante por parte de los motores externos de crecimiento, tales como los altos precios de commodities, la región tendrá que depender de sus propias fuentes de crecimiento", afirmó Carlos Végh, economista jefe del Banco Mundial para América Latina y el Caribe. "Reformas en los mercados de trabajo y en la educación y aumentos en inversión en infraestructura, serán clave, así como abordar la situación fiscal". El informe revela que 28 de los 32 países de la región mostrarán un saldo fiscal global negativo en 2017. Las tasas de deuda promedio se calcula que se situarán en 58.7 por ciento del PIB, con seis países con tasas superiores al 80 por ciento. Finalmente, la reciente serie de desastres naturales en la región sólo aumentará las presiones fiscales existentes debido a las significativas pérdidas. "Si bien es cierto que los países de la región todavía necesitan hacer ajustes fiscales para adaptarse a la nueva realidad tras la bonanza de los commodities, muchos países tienen razón en hacerlo gradualmente y así evitar una nueva recesión", dijo Végh. "Esto naturalmente tiende a poner más de la carga sobre la política monetaria para ayudar a reactivar la economía". El informe identifica un dilema crítico de política monetaria que enfrentan los países de América Latina y el Caribe. Los países industrializados pueden reducir las tasas de interés para estimular la economía sin preocuparse por la depreciación de la moneda, el aumento de la inflación o la inestabilidad macroeconómica. En cambio, esta política monetaria contracíclica no es una opción tan fácil en la región. Prueba de ello es que varios países de América del Sur siguen siendo procíclicos. Si bien aumentar las tasas de interés en malos tiempos ayuda a prevenir la depreciación de la moneda y mantener la inflación bajo control, en última instancia, también debilita la economía. ¿Cómo pueden los mercados emergentes como los de América Latina resolver esta encrucijada fundamental de la política monetaria? La respuesta, según el informe, es tener independencia del banco central, bajos niveles de dolarización y credibilidad en los mercados. Esta es una situación que toma tiempo, pero que ya permite que países como Chile adopten políticas monetarias contracíclicas durante los períodos de recesión económica sin el temor de potencialmente empeorar las cosas para los más vulnerables.El informe también señala que otros instrumentos financieros, como la reducción de los requisitos de reservas legales para estimular la economía en malos tiempos, han demostrado ser útiles en países todavía procíclicos. Estas medidas pueden ayudarles a responder de forma contracíclica a una desaceleración.   Para más información sobre el trabajo del Banco Mundial en América Latina y el Caribe: www.bancomundial.org/lac
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·       América Latina e Caribe voltam a crescer após a retração do ano passado ·       Retomada regional é devida em grande parte à recuperação da Argentina e Brasil ·       Redução de juros para estimular economia não é opção fácil para a região, como é para autoridades monetárias de países ricos   WASHINGTON, 11 de outubro de 2017 – Espera-se que este ano a América Latina o Caribe voltem a crescer após terem sofrido uma retração significativa de 1,3 por cento em 2016. No entanto, com um entorno global que segue sendo neutro para o crescimento na região, os gestores de políticas terão que andar na corda bamba para aumentar o crescimento e, ao mesmo tempo, garantir que os mais vulneráveis permaneçam protegidos. Em seu último informe semestral, “Entre a cruz e a espada: o dilema da política monetária na América Latina”, o escritório do Economista Chefe do Banco Mundial para América Latina e Caribe explora o pontecial da política monetária para apoiar o crescimento, sem por em risco as difíceis vitórias adquiridas na batalha contra a inflação. Para a América Latina e o Caribe, os analistas de mercado prevêem o crescimento do PIB de 1,2 por cento em 2017 para 2,3 por cento em 2018. A recuperação será liderada por uma robusta retomada da Argentina, que deve crescer 2,8 por cento em 2017 e 3 por cento em 2018, e do Brasil, que deve crescer 0,7 por cento em 2017 e 2,3 em 2018, após ter sofrido retração por dois anos consecutivos. O México continuará crescendo acima de 2 por cento em 2017 e 2018, enquanto o crescimento na América Central e Caribe deverá se manter próximo de 4 por cento tanto em 2017 como em 2018. "Com os motores externos de crescimento, tais como os altos preços de commodities, desempenhando um papel pouco importante, a região terá que depender de seus próprios recursos", afirmou Carlos Végh, economista chefe do Banco Mundial para América Latina e Caribe. "Reformas nos mercados de trabalho e na educação e o aumento de investimentos em Infraestrutura serão chave, assim como a situação fiscal". O informe revela que 28 dos 32 países da região registrarão saldo fiscal global negativo em 2017. As taxas médias de endividamento se situarão em 58.7 por cento do PIB, com seis países com taxas superiores a 80 por cento. Finalmente, a série de desastres naturais na região só aumentará as pressões fiscais existentes debido às significativas perdas. "Embora os países da região precisem realizar ajustes fiscais para se adaptarem à nova realidade após a bonança das commodities, muitos estão certos em promovê-los gradualmente para assim evitar uma nova recessão”, disse  Végh. "Isto  naturalmente tende a por mais peso sobre a política monetária para ajudar a reativar a economia". O informe identifica um dilema crítico de política monetária enfrentado  pelos países da América Latina e Caribe. Diferentemente dos países industrializados, que podem reduzir as taxas de juros para estimular a economia sem se preocupar com a depreciação da moeda, o aumento da inflação ou da instabilidade macroeconômica, esta política monetária contracíclica não é uma opção tão fácil para a região. Prova disso é que vários países da América do Sul seguem sendo pro-cíclicos. Se aumentar as taxas de juros em tempos ruins ajuda a prevenir a depreciação da moeda e a manter a inflação sob controle, em última instância, também debilita a economía. Como podem os mercados emergentes, como os da América Latina, resolver este dilema fundamental da política monetária? A resposta, de acordo com o informe, é ter independência do banco central, baixos níveis de dolarização e credibilidade nos mercados. Esta é uma situação que leva tempo, mas que já permite que países como Chile adotem políticas monetárias contracíclicas durante os períodos de recessão econômica sem o temor de potencialmente piorar as coisas para os mais vulneráveis.O informe também indica que outros instrumentos financeiros, como a redução dos requisitos de reservas legais para estimular a economia em tempos ruins, têm demonstrado serem úteis em países ainda pro-cíclicos, já que estas medidas podem ajudá-los a responder de forma contracíclica a uma desaceleração. Para mais informações, acesse: www.worldbank.org/br.        Visite nosso Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/worldbank.        Atualize-se no Twitter: http:// www.twitter.com/bancomundialbr   .        Nosso canal no  YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/alcregion2010

 

Washington, October 13th, 2017– Leaders and representatives of CARICOM countries and territories, and international partners, including the international financial institutions, and the representatives of territories in the region, convened today in a high-level round table on recovery and resilience in the Caribbean hosted by the World Bank Group (WBG), as part of the WBG-IMF Annual Meetings. During the discussion, participants examined the impact of and recovery from the destructive hurricanes that struck the Caribbean in September, reviewed the instruments available for disaster risk management and response, and considered the need to innovate further in order to address the long-term challenges and strengthen resilience of affected islands.    Participants expressed solidarity and support to the affected islands and communities, and reaffirmed their commitment to working together to build back better and in a more resilient way, following the devastation caused by hurricanes Irma and Maria. They highlighted the need to ensure active engagement of communities, especially women, in the recovery and reconstruction process, as well as the importance of putting in place building standards that will mitigate the impact of future extreme weather events. The participants also noted the importance of making progress on the World Bank’s Small States Roadmap which proposes various initiatives to promote resilience of small states. The participants highlighted the need for a response involving all partners, including regional organizations, development partners, private sector, national Governments and civil society, to leverage comparative advantages for building resilience to disasters in highly vulnerable small-island states, as extreme weather events have added to their existing economic vulnerabilities. The contribution of the private sector will also be critical, offering both resources and expertise. While the damage and recovery needs assessment is ongoing, early estimates point to extremely high economic, infrastructure and livelihood impacts of the two hurricanes across many of the affected islands. More than two million people were affected, with near total damage in the worst affected areas. The participants acknowledged the international partners’ commitment to addressing long-term recovery and resilience needs, as demonstrated by the continuous evolution of the available disaster risk management and response framework.  A framework that currently includes tools for risk reduction, preparedness, reconstruction and recovery, as well as risk finance and insurance. For example, in the aftermath of hurricanes Irma and Maria, the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF), made payouts totaling US$48.6 million to affected members for immediate relief and recovery needs. This shows that global collaboration on risk finance and insurance can provide quick and reliable financial support specifically for poor and vulnerable populations. The International Finance Institutions (IFIs) also recognized need to continue enhancing their crisis preparedness and resilience framework and toolkit, including through exploring opportunities for multi-country risk management –such as Catastrophe Bonds (CAT bonds) and insurance solutions and extending advisory services across the Caribbean countries and Overseas Territories. The IFIs remain committed to ensuring that post-disaster responses and approaches are tailored to specific country needs to better prepare for and mitigate the impact of future disasters. In addition to their existing initiatives, such as the World Bank Group’s disaster reduction program, the Fund’s rapid credit facilities, and the Caribbean Development Bank’s investments in climate resilient infrastructure, the work of all institutions with at-risk countries in the Caribbean will be deepened to help build stronger macro-fiscal foundations and economic resilience.All participants acknowledged the importance of global collaboration on recovery, resilience, risk finance and insurance for poor and vulnerable populations in the face of climate and disaster risk and agreed on the importance of continuing this critical discussion including at upcoming high level events in 2017.

Washington, 13 de octubre de 2017— Los líderes y representantes de los países y territorios de CARICOM y sus socios internacionales, incluidas las instituciones financieras internacionales y los representantes de los territorios en la región, se reunieron hoy en una mesa redonda de alto nivel sobre recuperación y resiliencia en el Caribe organizado por el Grupo Banco Mundial (GBM), como parte de las Reuniones Anuales del GBM-FMI. Durante la discusión, los participantes examinaron el impacto y la recuperación de los huracanes destructivos que afectaron al Caribe en septiembre, revisaron los instrumentos disponibles para la gestión y respuesta al riesgo de desastres y consideraron la necesidad de innovar más para abordar los desafíos a largo plazo y fortalecer la resiliencia de las islas afectadas. Los participantes expresaron solidaridad y apoyo a las islas y comunidades afectadas, y reafirmaron su compromiso de trabajar juntos para reconstruir mejor y de una manera más resistente, después de la devastación causada por los huracanes Irma y María. Destacaron la necesidad de garantizar la participación activa de las comunidades, especialmente de las mujeres, en el proceso de recuperación y reconstrucción, así como la importancia de establecer normas de construcción que mitiguen el impacto de futuros fenómenos meteorológicos extremos. Los participantes también señalaron la importancia de avanzar en la Hoja de ruta de los Estados pequeños del Banco Mundial, que propone diversas iniciativas para promover la capacidad de recuperación de los pequeños Estados. Los participantes destacaron la necesidad de una respuesta que involucre a todos los socios, incluidas las organizaciones regionales, los socios para el desarrollo, el sector privado, los gobiernos nacionales y la sociedad civil, para aprovechar las ventajas comparativas para aumentar la resiliencia ante los desastres en estados insulares pequeños altamente vulnerables, donde eventos climáticos extremos han agregado a sus actuales vulnerabilidades económicas. La contribución del sector privado también será crítica, ofreciendo tanto recursos como experiencia. Si bien la evaluación de las necesidades de daños y recuperación está en curso, las primeras estimaciones apuntan a impactos económicos, en infraestructura y en subsistencia extremadamente altos de los dos huracanes en muchas de las islas afectadas. Más de dos millones de personas se vieron afectadas, con un daño casi total en las zonas más afectadas. Los participantes reconocieron el compromiso de los socios internacionales para abordar las necesidades de recuperación y resiliencia a largo plazo, como lo demuestra la continua evolución del marco de gestión y respuesta del riesgo de desastres. Un marco que actualmente incluye herramientas para la reducción de riesgos, preparación, reconstrucción y recuperación, así como financiamiento y seguro de riesgos. Por ejemplo, después de los huracanes Irma y Maria, el CCRIF SPC (anteriormente el Mecanismo de Seguros Contra Riesgos de Catástrofes en el Caribe), pagó un total de USD48.6 millones a los miembros afectados para necesidades inmediatas de alivio y recuperación. Esto muestra que la colaboración global en finanzas y seguros de riesgo puede brindar apoyo financiero rápido y confiable específicamente para las poblaciones pobres y vulnerables. Las Instituciones Financieras Internacionales (IFI, por sus siglas en inglés) también reconocieron la necesidad de continuar fortaleciendo su marco y herramientas de preparación y resiliencia a crisis, incluyendo la exploración de oportunidades para la gestión de riesgos en varios países, tales como los Catastrophe Bonds (bonos CAT), y soluciones de seguros; al igual que la provisión de servicios de asesoramiento para los países del Caribe y territorios. Las IFI siguen comprometidas en garantizar que las respuestas y los enfoques posteriores a los desastres se ajusten a las necesidades específicas de los países para prepararse y mitigarse mejor el impacto de futuros desastres. Además de sus iniciativas existentes, como el programa de reducción de desastres del Grupo Banco Mundial, las facilidades crediticias rápidas del Fondo y las inversiones del Banco de Desarrollo del Caribe en infraestructura resistente al clima, se profundizará el trabajo de todas las instituciones con países en riesgo en el Caribe. para ayudar a construir bases macroeconómicas y fiscales más fuertes y una mayor resiliencia económica. Todos los participantes reconocieron la importancia de la colaboración mundial en recuperación, resiliencia, financiación de riesgos y seguros para las poblaciones pobres y vulnerables ante riesgos climáticos y de desastres y acordaron la importancia de continuar este debate crítico durante los próximos eventos de alto nivel en 2017.  

·       Latin America and the Caribbean growing again after last year’s contraction ·       Regional rebound largely due to recoveries in Argentina and Brazil ·       Unlike in wealthier nations, lowering interest rates to stimulate the economy is not an easy option in the region   WASHINGTON, Oct. 11, 2017 – Latin America and the Caribbean is expected to grow again this year after suffering a significant GDP contraction of -1.3 percent in 2016. Still, with a global environment that remains rather neutral to growth in the region, policy makers will need to walk a fine line to increase growth while ensuring protection of the most vulnerable. In its latest semiannual report, “Between a Rock and a Hard Place: The Monetary Policy Dilemma in Latin America and the Caribbean,”  the World Bank’s Chief Economist Office for Latin America and the Caribbean explores the potential of monetary policy to support growth without risking hard-won gains in the battle against inflation.   For Latin America and the Caribbean, market analysts forecast GDP growth of 1.2 percent for 2017 and 2.3 percent for 2018. The recovery will be led by a rebound in Argentina and Brazil. Argentina is expected to grow by 2.8 percent in 2017 and 3.0 percent in 2018. Brazil is expected to grow 0.7 percent in 2017 and 2.3 in 2018, after contracting for two consecutive years. Mexico will likely continue to grow above 2 percent in 2017 and 2018. Growth in Central America and the Caribbean is expected to remain at just below 4 percent in both 2017 and 2018. “External drivers of growth, such as high commodity prices, aren’t playing a major role and the region will need to rely on homegrown sources for growth,” said Carlos Vegh, World Bank Chief Economist for Latin America and the Caribbean. “Reforms in labor markets and education, higher infrastructure spending and addressing the fiscal situation are key.” The report finds that 28 out of 32 countries in the region will show a negative overall fiscal balance in 2017. Average debt ratios are expected to stand at 58.7 percent of GDP, with six countries having ratios above 80 percent. Finally, the recent string of natural disasters in the region will only add to existing fiscal pressures in light of the staggering losses. “While countries in the region still need to make fiscal adjustments to adapt to the new post-commodity boom reality, many countries are right to do it gradually and thus avoid a new recession,” said Vegh. “This naturally tends to put more of the burden on monetary policy to help reactivate the economy.” The report identifies a critical monetary policy dilemma faced by countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Industrialized nations can reduce interest rates to stimulate the economy without worrying about currency depreciation, a rise in inflation or macroeconomic instability. But this countercyclical monetary policy is not as easy an option in the region – something reflected in the fact that several countries in South America are still procyclical. While raising interest rates in bad times helps prevent currency depreciation and keep inflation in check, it ultimately also weakens the economy. How can emerging markets such as those in Latin America solve this fundamental monetary policy dilemma? The answer, according to the report, is central bank independence, low levels of dollarization and credibility in the markets. This takes time, but countries such as Chile are already able to adopt countercyclical monetary policy during economic downturns without the fear of potentially making things worse for those most vulnerable.  The report also notes that other financial instruments, such as lowering legal reserve requirements to stimulate the economy in bad times, have proven helpful in countries that are still procyclical. These measures can help them respond countercyclically to a slowdown. For more information, please visit: www.worldbank.org/lacVisit us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/worldbankBe updated via Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BancoMundialLACFor our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/worldbank

Banco Mundial divulga novos dados que mostram como a educação contribuiu para a mobilidade WASHINGTON, 17 de outubro de 2017 – A mobilidade econômica entre as gerações na América Latina e no Caribe (ALC) melhorou à medida que as pessoas agora são mais escolarizadas que seus pais. Porém, os mais pobres ainda são os mais propensos a permanecer os menos escolarizados, segundo uma nova nota do Banco Mundial divulgada hoje, no Dia Internacional de Erradicação da Pobreza. Os níveis educacionais são um bom indicador de mobilidade econômica e social, uma vez que as pessoas com níveis mais altos e maior qualidade de educação geralmente têm melhores salários. A região da ALC está no topo da performance quanto a mobilidade intergeracional absoluta – a quantidade de indivíduos com mais escolarização que os pais – graças à grande expansão do acesso à educação nas últimas décadas. No entanto, a ALC está atrasada em relação a outras regiões em desenvolvimento quanto à mobilidade relativa, uma vez que os filhos de pais menos escolarizados têm maior probabilidade de serem também os menos escolarizados em sua própria geração. "A ALC fez progressos notáveis ​​no acesso à educação, mas é necessário mais para melhorar a qualidade e aumentar o acesso das crianças das famílias rurais e indígenas mais pobres", disse Jorge Familiar, vice-presidente do Banco Mundial para a América Latina e o Caribe. "Sem maior qualidade e um alcance mais amplo na educação, o ciclo de pobreza intergeracional continuará". A nota regional sobre Mobilidade Intergeracional é extraída da pesquisa para o relatório "Progresso Justo? Mobilidade educacional no mundo" (tradução livre), que deverá ser lançado em 2018, e cujos primeiros resultados foram divulgados hoje como uma prévia para marcar o Dia Internacional para a Erradicação da Pobreza. Na ALC, a frequência escolar varia muito entre os diferentes grupos socioeconômicos. Embora o ensino fundamental esteja praticamente universalizado na região, permanecem diferenças significativas na educação infantil, bem como no ensino médio e no superior. Apenas metade das crianças de três anos de idade das famílias mais pobres, por exemplo, frequentam a escola. Já entre as crianças de famílias com maior nível de renda, a proporção é de 90 por cento para a mesma faixa etária. Os grupos marginalizados, incluindo os povos indígenas, enfrentam barreiras adicionais. Por exemplo, os povos indígenas são quase três vezes mais propensos a ser extremamente pobres do que os não-indígenas. Essas taxas de pobreza mais elevadas levam a um menor acesso à escolaridade para crianças indígenas. "A contínua desigualdade entre os grupos continua a ser um problema", disse Oscar Calvo-Gonzalez, Gerente do Banco Mundial para Pobreza e Equidade da ALC. "O rendimento e a origem étnica ainda são fatores determinantes no desempenho dos alunos da região em avaliações internacionais, onde a posição socioeconômica continua a ter um impacto maior na pontuação da prova do que em outras partes do mundo". No entanto, há boas notícias sobre os resultados dos testes do Programa de Avaliação Internacional de Estudantes (PISA, na sigla em inglês), em que a ALC fica atrás de outras regiões. Dos sete países da ALC que participaram do PISA, cinco melhoraram seu desempenho nas notas das provas de leitura entre 2009 a 2015. Além disso, também houve uma diminuição no efeito da origem socioeconômica sobre o desempenho dos alunos da ALC nas provas do PISA. Isso sugere que houve algum progresso no que diz respeito à mobilidade intergeracional e mostra que a qualidade da educação, e não apenas o acesso, será chave para a região continuar avançando. Contatos: Alejandra Viveros, +1 202 458 2841, aviveros@worldbank.org Candyce Rocha, +1 202 458 4963, crocha@worldbank.org   Para mais informações, visite: www.worldbank.org/lac Visite-nos no Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/worldbank Seja atualizado via Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BancoMundialLAC Para o nosso canal do YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/worldbank  

Banco Mundial presenta nuevos datos que revelan contribución de la educación a la movilidad WASHINGTON, 17 de octubre de 2017 – La movilidad económica intergeneracional mejoró en en América Latina y el Caribe (ALC) dado que las personas ahora son más educadas que sus padres, aunque los más pobres siguen siendo más propensos a tener el nivel educativo más bajo, según una nota del Banco Mundial publicada hoy en el Día Internacional para la Erradicación de la Pobreza. El nivel educativo es un buen indicador de la movilidad económica y social dado que aquellas personas con un mayor nivel y calidad de educación en general tienen mejores ingresos. La región de ALC presenta uno de los mejores resultados en términos de movilidad intergeneracional absoluta —la proporción de individuos con más educación que sus padres— gracias a la significativa  ampliación en el acceso a la educación que tuvo lugar en las últimas décadas. Sin embargo, ALC sigue estando rezagada respecto a otras regiones en desarrollo en cuanto a movilidad relativa, dado que aquellos que nacen en familias de padres con menos educación son mucho más propensos a ser los menos educados de su generación. “ALC ha tenido un progreso notable en el acceso a la educación pero se necesita más para mejorar la calidad y aumentar el acceso de los niños que provienen de los hogares rurales e indígenas más pobres”, dijo Jorge Familiar, Vicepresidente del Banco Mundial para América Latina y el Caribe. “Sin una mayor calidad y un alcance más amplio en términos educativos, el círculo de pobreza intergeneracional continuará”. La nota regional sobre Movilidad Intergeneracional se basa en investigaciones realizadas para el informe “¿Progreso Justo? Movilidad Educativa Alrededor del Mundo”, previsto para 2018 y cuyas conclusiones preliminares fueron presentadas hoy como  adelanto en el Día Internacional para la Erradicación de la Pobreza. En ALC, la asistencia a la escuela varía enormemente entre diferentes grupos socioeconómicos. Si bien la escuela primaria se ha convertido  en prácticamente universal en toda la región, persisten diferencias significativas en la educación temprana así como en la escolarización secundaria y terciaria. Entre los niños de tres años, por ejemplo, solo la mitad de los que habitan en los hogares más pobres asisten a la escuela, comparado con el 90 por ciento de los niños del nivel de ingreso más alto. Los grupos marginados, como los pueblos indígenas, enfrentan barreras adicionales. Por ejemplo, los pueblos indígenas tienen casi tres veces más posibilidades de ser extremadamente pobres que los grupos no indígenas. Estas tasas de pobreza más altas derivan en un menor acceso a la escolarización entre los niños indígenas. “La desigualdad persistente entre grupos sigue siendo un problema”, dijo Óscar Calvo-González, Director del Banco Mundial para la Unidad de Pobreza y Equidad en ALC. “El nivel de ingreso y el origen étnico siguen siendo factores determinantes para el desempeño de los estudiantes de la región en evaluaciones internacionales, donde la posición socioeconómica continúa teniendo un mayor impacto en los resultados de estos exámenes que en otras partes del mundo”. Sin embargo, hay buenas noticias en cuanto a los resultados de los exámenes del Programa de Evaluación Internacional de Estudiantes (PISA), donde ALC está rezagada respecto de otras regiones. De los siete países de ALC que participaron en PISA, cinco mejoraron su desempeño en las pruebas de lectura entre 2009 y 2015., También se registró una disminución del efecto del origen socioeconómico en el desempeño de los estudiantes de ALC en los exámenes PISA. Esto sugiere que hubo algún avance respecto a la movilidad intergeneracional y muestra que la calidad de la educación, y no solo el acceso, serán claves a futuro.   Contactos: Alejandra Viveros, +1 202 458 2841, aviveros@worldbank.org Candyce Rocha, +1 202 458 4963, crocha@worldbank.org   Para más información, por favor visite: www.bancomundial.org/alc Visítenos en Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bancomundial Manténgase informado vía Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BancoMundialLAC Nuestro canal de YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/worldbank

High-level Caribbean Roundtable during the WB-IMF Annual Meetings Transcript of opening remarks during the open session October 13, 2017 MR. FAMILIAR:  Good afternoon.  Thank you very much for being here and joining us in this high-level roundtable on recovery and resilience in the Caribbean.  It is my pleasure to welcome you here at the World Bank Group to this cause, an incredibly important and pressing issue for Caribbean nations and territories.  We all saw over the last few weeks devastating hurricanes hit the Caribbean and now we are on a path for recovery and resilience.                         And with this very brief introduction I would like to leave you with Dr. Jim Kim, President of the World Bank Group. DR. KIM:  Thank you very much, Jorge, and I first want to welcome everybody and most of all I want to start by expressing my deepest sympathy and solidarity with the people in the Caribbean Irma and Maria brought havoc to the region, leaving a path of destruction in many countries, silencing communication, and cutting off water and electricity.                         In previous decades, a person in the Caribbean could generally expect to experience one Category 5 hurricane in their lifetime.  The people of the Caribbean have just experienced two Category 5 storms in just over two weeks.  In the face of such frequent and severe climatic events the question today is not whether a new disaster will take place, but when and how bad will it be?                         For many of these small island nations every town, every street, every person has been affected by these storms.  These kinds of events not only deliver a setback for the 40 million people living in the region, but also pose a real threat for the economic development of small economies and the economy of the entire region.                         Many of these small economies are already burdened with high levels of debt and high economic volatility.  Together with the CARICOM countries, UN agencies and development partners, we responded swiftly and offered immediate support to assess damages and losses, respond to the disaster, and help begin recovery.                         Our preliminary estimates indicate that Irma caused damages of about 14 percent of GDP for Antigua and Barbuda, for Dominica earlier estimates indicate that the total damage could reach 200 percent of GDP.  The impact on peoples’ lives is dramatic.  They’ve lost their homes.  The whole population of Barbuda has been evacuated to Antigua in what one resident called the Caribbean version of Dunkirk.  In Dominica housing, schools, hospitals have been severely damaged, if not completely destroyed, and 100 percent of agricultural land is uprooted.                          The challenges faced by these small islands are a stark reminder that building resilience is not optional anymore, especially for small island nations.  It is the only response to extreme weather events.  I’d like to suggest three actions areas from the outset.                         First, in the wake of disasters like Irma and Maria we should channel resources quickly, flexibly, efficiently, and ensure that they reach those most adversely affected.  Second, we need to make sure that we use all existing instruments and knowledge to help build resilience.  And resilience starts with ex-ante preparedness.  Rebuilding more resilient infrastructure and it continues with the medium-term efforts to strengthen institutions, systems, budgets, and regulations addressing natural hazards’ vulnerabilities.                         Third, we need to think creatively and come up with innovative solutions to compounded challenges of the Caribbean:  high vulnerability, low growth, and high debt.  This could include designing debt for resilience initiatives, mobilizing innovative risk financing tools to better manage fiscal risks related to disorders, and mobilizing private sector participation in working out solutions.                         Last, but not least, we need to work with governments and all of the relevant parties to help people cope with the shock.  Adaptive safety nets, social protection programs like cash transfers.  There are public works programs that can be scaled up after a disaster.                         At the World Bank Group we’re fast-tracking our response.  We’re working towards providing a financial package of about $100 million for Dominica, including accessing the IDA crisis response window.  For Antigua and Barbuda we’re preparing a new $40 million emergency recovery operation.                         Just yesterday I was with the G-7 finance ministers and central bank governors, and Philip Hammond from the UK made a very, I think, important suggestion which is that some of the countries that have graduated from receiving concessional financing that we may create a window.  And so, the point of all that is not to say that there’s been a decision on any of those things.  But I think the point, especially all of you here, we have to think as creatively as we possibly can about how to help you build back better.  How do help you build back so that your infrastructure is more resilient.                          This is, in my view, very much a part of the efforts that we’ve been making on sponsoring and supporting climate change related activities.  This is climate change adaptation at a very, very critical and important level.  So, we are open to suggestions.  Of course, at the end of the day it’s the governors who have to make the decision about the final steps we take.  But I urge you to put every single option, every single creative idea on the table so that we can respond.                          Now, it’s my truly great privilege to introduce the UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed.  Now, Amina, many of you know her, but we would not have the sustainable development goals without Amina.  And the quality and depth of the working relationship now between the World Bank Group and the UN was fantastic before Secretary General António Guterres came in.  But I dare say, it’s even better now and a great part of it is because Amina is so strategic and understand us, understands the global systems.  It’s an honor for us to have her here and we look forward to continue to working very closely together.  Amina? MS. MOHAMMED:  Thank you very much, Jim, and for inviting us to a really important event.  The Secretary General was in the Caribbean just recently and so this is even more important that we are beginning now to not just walk the talk, but I think run the way that we need to.  So, thank you.                         Our discussion today is first and foremost about how to support the immediate situation of the people of the Caribbean.  Yet, we must also discuss two other levels of action.  The longer-term situation of the Caribbean faced with more and more severe climate related shocks, and how we can extend these lessons and actions to other countries facing growing similar threats.                         The Secretary General recently traveled to Antigua and Barbuda and to Dominica to show solidarity and see for himself the damage.  In his comments, he summarized the need to operate at these different levels.  And I quote, "I want to make a very strong appeal for the international solidarity with the Caribbean Islands impacted by the storms to translate itself not only into humanitarian aid.  It is coming, but not enough.  But also new mechanisms allowing for effective reconstruction to build resilience in relation to future storms."                         On the first of the three levels, solidarity must be tangible and that tangibility needs to be now.  Funds are needed to ensure that humanitarian support can be provided at scale.  Many of us have demonstrated our solidarity in the short-term responses.                         The ongoing work of UNDP alongside the World Bank and the European Union in quantifying the costs of recovery needs will be an important input into the CARICOM-led donor conference planned for November which the UN is supporting.                         I appeal for your participation in this important initiative of CARICOM heads of state to mobilize support from the international community to help the countries affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria to build back better, and to put in place the building blocks for longer-term resilience in the Caribbean.                          We need to act quickly, but we need to ask in concert.  Commitment in innovative energies must be harnessed, and must not be allowed to become a source of confusion.  Having alternatives can be useful for a while, but we need to converge on how to avoid them becoming part of the problem.  We must connect the dots between regional knowledge and networks, and international experience and capabilities.  Failing that, our solidarity and commitments will not translate into meaningful support for the region’s citizens and its communities.                          Secondly, we need to ensure that financing supports the longer-term resilience of those countries facing the growing threats of external shocks.  We all know that Hurricane Irma was one of the most powerful storms every recorded.  Yet, the sad truth is that we must expect such storms to become more frequency and possibly even more violent.                         We may hope for the best, but we have to plan for the worse.  Yet today, finance is not aligned with the needs of investing and resilience.  We need to overcome the restrictions which limit small island states eligibility for concessionary financing by drawing on the experience of Jordan and Lebanon and extending the application of the global concessionary financing facility.                         Moreover, debt which should be an important development financing vehicle is currently insensitive to the impact of external shocks on the capacity of countries to pay, and so becomes a burden that seeks privilege above humanitarian needs.  Clearly, we need to work together to advance innovative approaches to debt relief for the Caribbean.  For example, the World Bank working with the UNDP, is working on proposals for a debt for resilience swap.  Under which creditors forgo some of their claims in exchange for investments in resilience.                         Thirdly, the Caribbean’s tragedy could trigger moves to fix systemic flows of finance.  We need international consensus that finance needs to be better aligned in a changing world. Volatility can dislodge even most prudent countries from their development pathways.  I know this is not a new topic, but the Caribbean’s tragedy could be the final trigger to make the changes that are much needed.                          The UN would like to see a framework for action in aligning finance with the needs of countries facing such external shocks.  Included in this should be consideration of, one, the changes in the eligibility criteria for concessionary finance; two, proposals to address high indebtedness in the Caribbean; three, the use of so-called state contingent debt instruments such as hurricane clauses and countercyclical loan instruments; four, accelerating a reduction in the cost of remittance transfers and support for new strategies that can support diaspora communities to invest back home.  Our estimates indicate that simply reducing such costs by 50 percent could lead up to over US$500 million additional financial flows to the region each year.                          Ultimately, we need to build a new generation of infrastructure that is more resilient, and that in turns underpins resilient economies, communities, and livelihoods. We must rebuild differently, but better.  For example, maybe there has never been a better moment to green the region’s energy system and to strengthen its resilience through decentralization using distributed solar-linked to the best that digital innovation can offer.                          Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, we need to advance this proposed framework for action that delivers what the Caribbean needs right now while simultaneously addressing its medium and long-term financing and investment needs.  And in delivering to the region, the international community can benefit a growing number of countries facing the challenge of financing the 2030 agenda in a world of external shocks.                         Once again, let me thank you very much for giving us the opportunity to contribute to the partnership that the World Bank is leading in its effort to address this incredible tragedy for us all.  Thank you. DR. KIM:  Thank you very much, Amina. Next, I’d like to call on His Excellency, Prime Minister Keith Mitchell of Grenada.  PRIME MINISTER MITCHELL:  Thank you, President Kim, my colleagues, prime ministers of the region, other distinguished ministers of government, governors, other representatives of regional organizations here, brothers and sisters all. On behalf of CARICOM I would like to thank the World Bank Group and you, President Kim, for convening us today.  We also thank you for being among the first to arrive on the scene following the recent hurricanes in the region.  This was one of the points emphasized by my colleague Prime Minister of Dominica recently.                          This extraordinary meeting today follows extraordinary events.  Our region has been hit by two Category 5 hurricanes, Irma and Maria within two weeks.  That has been unprecedented.  Hurricane Maria went from Category 1 to Category 5 in less than 36 hours.  That too is unprecedented.                          Over nine countries of the region have been impacted by three hurricanes including Dominica, Antigua, the Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, Sint Maarten, Puerto Rico, and others. Damages in the region estimated are over $10 billion.  The 100-year storm, colleagues, is now the new norm.  We are entering into a new and unprecedented era of climate change and its grievous effects upon us all.                         I toured the affected islands on behalf of CARICOM with the Secretary General and others of the region and you could not believe what I saw.  It took me a couple of nights to recover, to get the proper sleep.  That is the extent of the problem.  When I see the emotional display by colleague prime ministers publicly, I am not surprised.  As Prime Minister Skerrit of Dominica said to the United Nations, and I quote, "We find ourselves at the frontline of a war that we did not start, and it is one we cannot stop."                          President Kim, our islands face the triple trap of one, severe climate impacts, high fossil fuel imports, and high levels of debt.  As early as 2010 World Bank country assistance strategy for the eastern Caribbean made reference to this link between hurricanes and indebtedness.  In Grenada, we experienced a viscous cycle of hurricanes followed by greater indebtedness and debt distress. So much so that Grenada became the pioneer of the Hurricane Clause in its restructured debt arrangements.                          An economist, John Maynard Keynes once said, and I quote, "When the facts change I change my mind.”  What do you do, sir?  This hurricane season has been a wakeup call for all of us.  We as governments may seek to adjust our approaches through a number of measures, for example, the adoption of fiscal rules and the establishment of fiscal buffers.  Secondly, the mainstream of disaster risk management and government programs and operations.  Thirdly, the adoption and enforcement of climate change, resilient building codes.  Fourthly, the use of risk transfer mechanism including the CCRIF and state contingent debt instruments.  As I mentioned, Grenada has already introduced the Hurricane Clause.                         President Kim, a crisis is a terrible thing to waste.  In Grenada’s case after Hurricane Ivan we are determined to build back better.  Today Dominica with other countries is committed to become the world’s first climate resilient nation.  That’s important.                          Earlier today we met with Sir Richard Branson and others to form the private sector partnership to commit to the Caribbean, the world’s first climate smart zone.  We are very serious about that.  This is not just about resilience for homes, coasts, and infrastructure, it’s about transforming all energy and transformation sectors and also it’s about prospering from sustainability.                          Time is against us.  We do not have 20 to 30 years to become climate resilient; we need to achieve this in five to ten years shorter.  We have a starting point for the pipeline of bankable projects.  The intended nationally determined contributions of the Caribbean amount to $5 billion.  We would like to invite the World Bank to a practical retreat with public sector and private sector partners where we cement a Marshal Plan to fast track and frontload resources for Caribbean islands.                         Mr. President and senior executives of this important institution, the World Bank, we may be down but we are not out.  We have not come to you as victims, we have come to you with a positive opportunity.  Downright, this exercise will hold the Bank in good stand for IDA 18 mid-term review and for securing finance for IDA 19.  Count on us as a progressive partner.                         In the meantime, there is still work to be done in the recovery effort of the affected islands.  And we hope we can count on the Bank’s support for donor conferences to address the immediate challenges.  I thank you for this important opportunity to talk on behalf of the region.  DR. KIM:  Thank you very much, Prime Minister.  I’d like to next call on Marie-Claude Bibeau, the Minister of International Development of Canada. MINISTER BIBEAU:  President Kim, Excellencies, colleagues, friends, to begin Canada stands beside you and will continue to contribute in terms of humanitarian aid … and about how we move forward.  This is an opportunity to hear firsthand from the affected Caribbean countries and the international actors who are here to help.                          I also want to acknowledge the work of the Small States Forum under Prime Minister Mitchell’s strong leadership.  This work is an essential part of our discussions on climate resilience today.                          Canada has always had a special relationship with the Caribbean.  This is reflected in the constituency we share here at the World Bank Group and the IMF, and our friendship can be seen in our extensive people to people ties.  Rest assured that Canada will continue to be there to help recover and build back better.  This includes our government, our private sector, and our civil society organizations.                          There are three principles that I feel should guide us forward:  local ownership, strong coordination, and the opportunity to innovate.  Let me begin with local ownership.  For us this means listening to the needs of Caribbean governments and working with institutions such as the Caribbean Development Bank, the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency, and CARICOM.  These institutions must lead the building of a climate resilient Caribbean, in partnership with the World Bank and other international finance institutions.                          Local ownership also means that women need to be at the forefront.  We know that women and children are 14 times more likely to die from a disaster, and we know that women and girls are more likely to suffer sexual and gender based violence in post disaster situations.                          But we also know that they are a powerful agent of change, development, and peace.  Women’s local knowledge and networks are key to community recovery. Let’s ensure that women are at the forefront of Caribbean reconstruction.                          Second, strong coordination is essential.  We have a diverse range of countries, overseas territories and development organizations represented here today.  We will all need to work together to build a more climate resilient Caribbean.  And as an example, last month our Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, and UK Prime Minister, Theresa May agreed to cooperate closely on Caribbean reconstruction.  And I’m committed to working with Secretary Patel and others around the table to make this a reality.                         Finally, these disasters offer an opportunity to innovate.  This means that our starting point should be best practices.  Such as the World Bank’s instruments and a tool kit for disaster risk management and the Sendai Framework for disaster risk reduction.  We need to ensure that these tools continue to evolve.  Given the macroeconomic challenges facing the region, we must also find innovative financing solutions including those that engage the international finance institutions and the private sector. Innovation also means building on successful insurance initiatives like the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility which Canada supported. And it means ensuring that the Caribbean has more access to climate financing, in general, and to blended finance that is tailored to countries’ specific needs.                         Let me conclude by thanking President Kim for convening us.  This discussion on recovery and resilience must continue at COP 23 next month in Germany.  The challenges of small island states will be at the heart of the conversation.  I look forward to hearing from Caribbean heads of government, affected territories and development partners.  Thank you. DR. KIM:  Thank you very much.  I’d like to next call on Priti Patel, Secretary of State for International Development of the United Kingdom. MS. PATEL:  Thank you very much, Jim, and Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen’s and friends.  I really just want to begin by thanking the Bank for the support for convening this meeting and for everyone that has joined this meeting today.  This is a powerful representation of how we are coming together across the international communities to rebuild, quite frankly, territories and islands that have been absolutely devastated through the hurricanes that we have spoken about.  I had the privilege just three weeks ago, visiting both BVI and Anguilla.  No one can underestimate the extent of the challenge but, I think, on a human level as well, the devastation, the psychological impact and I want to pay tribute to everyone.  Everyone, the leaders, the people, the communities but also internationally as well, the way in which relief efforts have come together.  I think everyone should be very, very mindful that this has been a coordinated and a strong international response and one that we don’t want to be doing too often because of the scale of the challenges.                          The damage to people, communities and obviously to infrastructure have been absolutely appalling and that is why we’re here today to look to the future.  And be positive and optimistic about how we can rebuild, to build back better, absolutely.  But to challenge our system too, to make sure that our international system is responding to the needs that exist.                         So, reform in the system, enabling the countries, the communities, the territories to start to think to the future in how they plan, prepare and respond.  And in terms of the relief efforts, we will see the relief efforts from our own respective countries and the communities that we have been supporting.  Canada’s Minister mentioned the CCRIF, in particular, the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility.  These are strong tools that have made a very significant impact.  And, of course, the pay outs are coming and more will follow. But, of course, as though payouts from the private insurance policies through local businesses soon come up, that will also help to catalyze the economy and to give confidence back to the private sector and to start the economic growth that we want to start seeing again.                         Of course, we are seeing some good efforts, a very strong positive effort from the relief efforts.  Airports have reopened, schools are starting to reopen, the delivery of public goods are now functioning again as well.  Which, of course, is timely when we now look at the reconstruction efforts. And, of course, as friends have already spoken, we now need to think about how we coordinate the response, work in partnership and pool the expertise and the resources to support the entire region to get back on its feet.  And, of course, working with the governments, effected communities, people, to build back better, but also to understand that term in terms of building back better.            This is an element of future proofing now.  Building for resilience, building with technology and innovation as well, so we can be pioneers in the region.  And the UK absolutely stands shoulder to shoulder with all our territories, friends and colleagues.  But we are, of course, looking through funding disaster resilient construction.  We have already 12 major infrastructure projects and 50 health facilities across the region, the development bank. And Warren, I thank you as well for the work that you have been doing with your team in terms of playing a very important role which is crucial.                         But that combination of private sector capacity resource expertise is absolutely vital.  And so, we are looking ahead in terms of how we can facilitate and play a role in facilitating those key tenets, bringing those strands and pillars together.  And I am looking to bring the private sector leaders together from a range of sectors, business sectors, the private sector, the financial sectors and industries, together in London later this year, to identify practical ways, meaningful ways in where we can innovate. Challenge the system, absolutely, but increase the flows of private sector financial support for the reconstruction efforts.  And in advance of this, I’m also establishing a taskforce of private sector leaders to help to pull this work together.  We need to start to facilitate this, bring some of the key sectors together.  The sectors that had a footprint in the region before the hurricanes and the sectors that will be there after the hurricanes as well.  This work is going to be overseen by a colleague of mine, Mr. William Balarti joins us here today.  Of course, it’s that regional expertise where we must look to bring more together.                          Jim, you mentioned the international system. There is always more to do in terms of reform of the system.  Finding ways, obviously to prevent, prepare, respond to crises in the future.  Reducing, obviously, the potential impact on public services, livelihoods of any future disasters.  And we are also today publishing in the UK, our humanitarian reform policy. Because when crises happen, we need to look at how the system responds, not competing and working in isolation, but pooling the resources together.  And this is one of the great strengths that we have in terms of our own institutions for donor countries, member countries as well, bringing the expertise together, as well as the money, and as well as the disbursements.           Specifically, to the Caribbean, as we know, no small island can respond or reasonably expect to recover and rebuild from such a disaster without having that integrated approach and support from the international community.  Which is why, as my Chancellor said yesterday in the financial meetings, we believe that there is more role and scope for development finance for the official development assistance as well. To play a part in supporting those territories and demonstrating agility and flexibility as the world is changing and as the need is changing as well, and be much responsive. That also means expanding that suite of instruments on offer to countries to help them manage the risk, manage the debt, bring forth insurance and other types of financial instruments too.                          We launched the Center for Global Disaster Protection in London in July in collaboration with the private sector and the Bank as well.  And in order to do exactly this, to provide advice, research, expertise on risk financing to countries facing climate change issues, natural disasters and the big challenges that we are talking about today.  There is an enormous opportunity for us.  I think as the Prime Minister said as well, where there is a crisis, let’s not make it go to waste, we will find the right ways forward. We will innovate together, but also we will look at how we can coordinate together.  Not just for bringing hope to the people today, but to show that pioneering and buccaneering spirit as well, for the region to secure its future.  Thank you.                         DR. KIM:  Now, we’re very happy to welcome Mark Green, administrator for USAID to your first annual meeting.  Welcome, congratulations and you have the floor.                         MR. GREEN:  Thank you.  I appreciate the opportunity and it’s good to meet many of you.  Thank you, colleagues, friends, I appreciate the opportunity to reaffirm our longstanding and unwavering commitment to our neighbors to the south.  Simply put, we in the United States, our people and our government stand firmly and unbreakably with the people of the Caribbean.  Whether through decades of development assistance and recent disaster relief or through our new Caribbean engagement strategy which is built around driving the private sector growth, we agree that that is key.  We recognize that both our interests and our futures are inextricably linked.  We know this is a difficult chapter for our friends to the south, but we pledge to stand shoulder to shoulder with them.  As they work to recover from the devastation caused by these hurricanes, Irma and Maria.                          The U.S. government has already provided more than $15 million in humanitarian assistance to these nations and our well-known disaster assistance response team was deployed on the ground almost immediately upon request, helping to deliver emergency supplies and to meet immediate needs.  But as we all know, more than 2 million people have been impacted by these storms, and the greatest work is what will take place after today.                         Earlier this week, I did have the chance to meet with the Prime Minister of Dominica who showed me those photos of the devastation in his country.  Whole swaths of land swept entirely clean by the fury of those storms.  The road to recovery in Dominica and across the Caribbean, we know will be long.  Communities will need to invest in debris removal, efforts to bring back tourism, to restore livelihoods and ultimately, they will need to invest in projects to ensure that they can better weather the next storm and the one after that.  These challenges, needless to say, will not be easy and they will require help from the nations represented here and so many others.                         As conditions improve and headlines fade, our emergency programs will phase out and our long-term efforts will require long-term commitments from the international community.  I welcome the comments from President Kim and the Deputy Secretary General.  We all recognize that we must think anew, we must do new ways and strike out together if we are going to help to rebuild and to strengthen these countries.  This will require the generosity of bilateral donors, the United Nations, the World Bank and just as importantly, it will require the private sector. And because we believe that the truest sense of compassion comes with helping others to help themselves, as we respond to immediate needs, we are also looking for ways to help build resilience as so many have said so wisely.  Resilience against future storms but not just future storms, other crises that will inevitably come as they do so often to so many parts of the world.                         To those in the donor community, I hope that you will join us in these efforts and to our friends in the Caribbean, I want to restate what I hope you already know.  You have a friend, an ally and a good neighbor in the United States.  The key isn’t in what we say today when the lights are on and the microphones are on. The key is what will happen after today.  When those headlines fade, we must all make sure, all of us, ourselves included, that our commitment does not fade.  This is an easy time to talk about being there and standing with the people of the Caribbean.  Obviously, the key is standing with the people of the Caribbean in the weeks, in the months, in the years ahead.  Thank you.                          DR. KIM:  I apologize but I’m going to have to go and I will turn it over to Kristalina Georgieva, our CEO. But a couple of conclusions.  Prime Minister Mitchell, thanks for the, what’s the right word, inspiring and challenging words for us.  So, here are five things that we will commit to going forward and I hope that we can all work together on it.                         The first, is we’ll stretch our resources.  We’re already doing it but we need to do it even more. We need to find all the sources of financing that we might put together to help all of you rebuild.  Now, many of you may know that there is a meeting on climate change on December 12th, sponsored by France, and we really appreciate your leadership on this.  One of the things that has been underinvested in and one of the areas that has been much less clear in terms of how we think about climate finance, is adaptation.  So, building resilience to extreme weather events is clearly in the center of the adaptation work.  While there has been financing for mitigation, there has not been a lot of financing for adaptation. So, what an opportunity to put right on the table, a wonderful opportunity of building resilience for Paris.  Now, it’s happening December 12th, so we’ll have to move very quickly.  So, I put the challenge right back to you, Mr. Prime Minister, work with us, all of the countries that have been affected and let’s put something together.  Some kind of innovative tool where we can move toward financing resilient infrastructure.  We will put all our teams together to work with you on it.                         The third is, I completely agree.  We need to review our policy on concessional finance for small states affected by these storms.  We made a leap in an area that we had just not been involved in before, providing concessional finance to high and middle income countries, but we did it for a very specific reason.  Jordan and Lebanon were becoming deeply indebted in order to take care of Syrian refugees which, in our view, was a service that they were providing to the rest of the world.  And, in fact, I didn’t wake up to that until António Guterres when he was the high commissioner for refugees, gave one of the most inspiring and troubling speeches about Jordan and Lebanon that I ever heard, about four years ago.  So, we were able to put an instrument together to provide concessional financing for high and middle income countries because of the burden.  In this case, we’ll do everything we can to find a path forward.  Now, what it takes is for the Board to agree and provide some grant-based financing that we can then stretch into much lower-interest loans or in some cases, grants.                         We also need to rethink the insurance model. So, the Cat DDO, a Catastrophe Draw Down Facility, worked okay, but I think a Cat DDO is not linked enough, I would argue, to prevention measures.  So, the great aspect of the insurance industry is that when you get involved with them, they immediately get involved with you and try to do everything they can to not pay out.  So, their financial interest is in not paying out.  That’s why for the pandemic insurance that we’ve put together, now they’re working like crazy to try to prevent pandemics so that they don’t have to pay out.                          So, this is what we need to do.  We need to think anew because it is not enough.  If it happens every year, if a thousand year event happens every year, these instruments are going to become obsolete very, very quickly.  So, we need to now think strategically with the insurance industry.  Can we get something like a catastrophic draw down facility but that is linked to requirements to build more resilient infrastructure.  I’m just thinking through this now but having just gone through the experience of putting the pandemic bond together, I know that they’re very, very good people to think with because this is what they do, this is what they do every day.  And in this case, their interest is very much aligned with all of our interests.  They want to prevent having catastrophic outcomes and we want that as well.                         Finally, I think that having now seen this happen so many times again and we have bits and pieces of it, I think we really need to take a step up in building a community practice.  Vanuatu just went through a terrible storm two or three years ago.  There are communities, for example, on the coast of India who got much better at preparing for storms.  So, one of the things we’ll do is we’ll immediately include everybody here in the discussions that are ongoing. This is an intellectual problem as well: how do we prepare small island states for these kinds of severe storms? It would be great if they didn’t happen again, but everything suggests to us that with a higher air temperatures and higher ocean temperatures, this is going to be more frequent.  And in that case, I think we need to think differently about how to prevent them.                          So, five things that we promise to work with you on.  Again, as the Prime Minister said, a crisis is a terrible thing to waste.  But, unless something happens that’s different and something happens that aligns incentives in a new way, I think we’ll be back at this table again and again and again.  Thanks very much everybody.  Kristalina will take over. 

World Bank releases new data showing educational contributions to mobility WASHINGTON, October 17, 2017 – Economic mobility across generations in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) has improved as people are now more educated than their parents, but the poorest are still the most likely to remain the least educated, shows a new World Bank note released today on End Poverty Day. Educational levels are a good indicator of economic and social mobility since people with more levels and higher quality of education generally have better incomes. The LAC region is a top performer in absolute intergenerational mobility – the share of individuals with more education than their parents—thanks to the great expansion of access to education over the last decades. However, LAC lags behind other developing regions in relative mobility, as those born to the least educated parents are significantly more likely to become the least educated in their own generation. “LAC has made remarkable progress in access to education, but more is needed to improve quality and increase access for children from the poorest rural and indigenous households,” said Jorge Familiar, World Bank Vice President for Latin America and the Caribbean. “Without higher quality and a broader reach in education, the cycle of intergenerational poverty will continue.”  The regional note on Intergenerational Mobility is drawn from research for the report “Fair Progress? Educational Mobility Around the World,” expected in 2018, whose early findings were released today as a preview to mark the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. In LAC, school attendance varies widely among different socioeconomic groups. Although primary school has become almost universal across the region, significant differences remain in early education as well as secondary and tertiary schooling. Among three-year-old children, for instance, only half of those in the poorest households attend school, compared to 90 percent of children from the highest income level. Marginalized groups, including indigenous peoples, face additional barriers. For example, indigenous people are almost three times more likely to be extreme poor than non-indigenous people. These higher poverty rates lead to lower access to schooling for indigenous children. “Continued inequality between groups continues to be a problem,” said Oscar Calvo-Gonzalez, World Bank Practice Manager for Poverty and Equity in LAC. “Income and ethnic background are still determining factors in the region’s student performance in international assessments, where the socioeconomic position continues to have a bigger impact on test score than in other parts of the world.” However, there is good news regarding the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) test scores, where LAC lags behind other regions. Out of the seven LAC countries that participated in PISA, five improved their performance in reading test scores between 2009 to 2015. Moreover, there has also been a decrease in the effect of socio-economic background on the performance of LAC students in PISA tests. This suggests that there has been some progress with respect to intergenerational mobility and shows that quality of education, and not just access, will be key moving forward. Contacts: Alejandra Viveros, +1 202 458 2841, aviveros@worldbank.org Candyce Rocha, +1 202 458 4963, crocha@worldbank.org   For more information, please visit: 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/worldbank

Organization: Cuso International
Country: Colombia
Closing date: 25 Oct 2017

https://cusointernational.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/2017-1010-Job-Posting-MEAL-Manager-SCOPE.pdf

How to apply:

Please email your CV and cover letter in English to hr.lac@cusointernational.org. Make the competition reference the subject of your message: “MEAL Mgr, LAC-2017-1009”. Your résumé and cover letter should demonstrate how you meet all the essential and any asset qualifications. Deadline: Wednesday October 25, 2017.

We appreciate all applications. Due to the volume of applications, only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.