Noticias de otros medios

‘Hablemos de la depresión’, es el lema que la OMS ha elegido en el Día Mundial de la Salud. En África, una de cada seis personas sufren enfermedad mental

La Campaña Mundial por la Educación recuerda a los Gobiernos su compromiso de garantizar una formación gratuita, equitativa, inclusiva y de calidad para todas las personas

Tras 50 años de guerra, los campesinos de Antioquia (Colombia) vuelven a recuperar la vida que la violencia les robó. Primer capítulo de una serie sobre la resurrección del campo

Cuando piensas en los conceptos de "empoderamiento femenino" y "superación de la violencia", ¿Qué imágenes se te ocurren? Un concurso patrocinado por el Banco Mundial y la Secretaría de la Mujer en la Cámara de Diputados de Brasil planteó en redes sociales esta misma pregunta a fotógrafos de todo el país. Respondieron 380 artistas que enviaron 720 fotos, algunas bastante literales y otras extremadamente poéticas. Los ganadores de las dos categorías – para jóvenes de 14 a 17 años y adultos – fueron seleccionados en dos etapas. En la primera, un jurado especializado eligió 52 finalistas en base a criterios como la calidad técnica y artística, adecuación al tema y la contribución del trabajo para fortalecer el debate. En la segunda fase, una votación a través de las redes sociales consagró a tres ganadores en cada categoría, además de 15 menciones especiales otorgadas a fotógrafos jóvenes y adultos. Las fotos mezclan miradas masculinas y femeninas sobre un tema capaz de generar impactos emocionales, sociales y económicos sobre todas las personas, independientemente de su género. Se estima que una de cada tres mujeres en el mundo ha sido o será víctima de la violencia a lo largo de la vida. Los trabajos ganadores presentan un mensaje común: las agresiones dejan marcas en el cuerpo y en el alma, pero también se pueden superar si la víctima recibe el apoyo de la sociedad.

Pense por um momento nos conceitos de “empoderamento feminino” e “superação da violência” e reflita: que imagens elas evocam? Um concurso patrocinado pelo Banco Mundial e a Secretaria da Mulher da Câmara dos Deputados fez essa mesma pergunta, via redes sociais, a fotógrafos de todo o Brasil. Como resposta, 380 artistas enviaram 720 fotos, algumas literais, outras extremamente poéticas. As campeãs das duas categorias – para jovens de 14 a 17 anos e adultos – foram escolhidas em duas etapas. Na primeira delas, um júri especializado escolheu 52 finalistas baseando-se em critérios como qualidade técnica e artística, adequação ao tema e contribuição da obra para o fortalecimento do debate. A segunda fase se deu em votação pelas redes sociais e consagrou três vencedores em cada categoria, além de 15 menções honrosas distribuídas entre jovens e adultos. O resultado foi uma celebração dos olhares masculinos e femininos sobre um tema capaz de gerar impactos emocionais, sociais e econômicos sobre todas as pessoas, independentemente do gênero. Estima-se que uma em cada três mulheres em todo o mundo foi ou será vítima de violência ao longo da vida. Entre os trabalhos vencedores, há uma mensagem em comum: as agressões deixam marcas no corpo e na alma, mas também podem ser superadas se a vítima recebe apoio da sociedade. 

Washington, 3 de abril de 2017 – Más de 450.000 personas en la región norte de Argentina se beneficiarán del acceso a servicios mejorados de abastecimiento de agua y saneamiento gracias a un préstamo aprobado a fines de marzo por el Directorio Ejecutivo del Banco Mundial por US$125 millones. El proyecto de inversión denominado “Desarrollo de Servicios de agua potable y saneamiento Plan Belgrano” se enfocará en 10 provincias del norte del país – Salta, Jujuy, Tucumán, La Rioja, Catamarca, Misiones, Corrientes, Chaco, Formosa y Santiago del Estero- y, apuntará a mejorar la infraestructura, al igual que el desempeño operativo y financiero de los proveedores de estos servicios en dicha región. Los beneficiarios directos representan el 30 por ciento de la población en dichas provincias que actualmente no tiene acceso a servicios adecuados de agua y saneamiento.  "Nuestro gobierno ha fijado desafíos claros en torno al acceso a agua y saneamiento. Tal como nos instruyó el Presidente, el objetivo es que, al finalizar su mandato, el 100% de los argentinos tenga agua potable y, al menos el 75%, acceso a las cloacas”, dijo Rogelio Frigerio, Ministro de Interior, Obras Pública y Vivienda de Argentina. Se trata de un financiamiento adicional al “Segundo Proyecto de Infraestructura Hídrica de Norte Grande” que se inició en 2011 con el fin de incrementar el acceso sostenible a servicios de saneamiento y abastecimiento de agua en dicha región.  El proyecto Norte Grande busca, entre sus principales objetivos, proveer acceso a servicios de alcantarillado y tratamiento de aguas residuales a 200.000 personas en la ciudad de Resistencia (provincia del Chaco); acceso a servicios de agua a 82.500 personas en las provincias de Chaco y Salta; y mejoras en indicadores clave de rendimiento operacional y financiero de los proveedores de servicios. Esta extensión del financiamiento permitirá mejorar la cobertura del plan a través de actividades adicionales tales como ampliar su ámbito geográfico a la provincia de La Rioja y aumentar el enfoque en la sostenibilidad de las inversiones. “Acceso al agua potable para la población norteña en Argentina es fundamental para reducir la pobreza y establecer las bases para un crecimiento sostenible de algunas de las regiones más vulnerables del país”, dijo Jesko Hentschel, Director del Banco Mundial para Argentina, Paraguay y Uruguay. El financiamiento adicional apoya al Plan Belgrano, lanzado por el gobierno nacional en diciembre de 2015, que busca reducir inequidades regionales en el país, reduciendo la pobreza extrema y aumentando acceso a servicios básicos en el norte del país.  Además, el gobierno nacional está implementado un nuevo Plan Nacional de Agua y Saneamiento (PNAS) cuyo objetivo es alcanzar el 75 por ciento de acceso a servicios de saneamiento para los habitantes de zonas urbanas del país a finales de 2019. Este objetivo se traduce en expandir acceso al agua a 8,2 millones de personas y acceso a servicios de saneamiento a 8,9 millones de personas en todo el país. “El Banco Mundial es una importante herramienta para el desarrollo de la infraestructura en Argentina. Necesitamos mejores rutas, mejores comunicaciones, mejores condiciones habitacionales para ser competitivos, para crear empleo y para crecer”, dijo Luis Caputo, Ministro de Finanzas de Argentina, en calidad de gobernador argentino ante el Banco Mundial. “Desde el Ministerio de Finanzas trabajamos permanentemente para asegurar las mejores condiciones financieras para financiar el crecimiento que Argentina necesita”. A su vez el Proyecto colaborará con la mitigación del cambio climático al reemplazar maquinaria vieja y mejorar la eficiencia de servicios, lo cual se estima genere un ahorro de emisiones anuales en el orden de 5.800 toneladas de CO2 por año. “El Gobierno Nacional está trabajando junto a organismos como el Banco Mundial para mejorar la calidad de vida de todos los habitantes incluidos en el territorio del Plan Belgrano y saldar una deuda histórica con el norte de nuestro país”, dijo Pablo Bereciartura, Subsecretario de Recursos Hídricos del Ministro de Interior, Obras Pública y Vivienda de Argentina. El nuevo proyecto será financiado con un préstamo de US$125 millones de margen fijo, reembolsable en 30 años y con un período de gracia de cinco años.

Challenge  Improving access and sustainability of water supply and sanitation (WSS) services to the bottom 40 percent of the population in developing countries is essential to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals. WSS services lie at the root of many other development challenges, as they affect public health, education, income generating opportunities, and the environment. Today in  Latin America and the Caribbean region, 21 million of the 33 million people without access to a source of improved drinking water live in rural areas. While several studies show that rural communities have limited capacity to operate and maintain the systems they receive, often resulting in the systems’ collapse, investments continue to focus on building infrastructure and to underestimate the need for continuous support and necessary reconstruction over time. Approach The World Bank program Consolidation, Expansion, and Improvement of the Rural Water and Sanitation Information System (SIASAR) supports countries in generating evidence regarding WSS access and sustainability and in developing a supportive institutional and operational environment that will enable sustainable provision of WSS services in rural areas. SIASAR has targeted over 22,000 rural communities across eight countries for strengthened WSS provision. The objective of this initiative is to devise more informed policies and to improve sustainability and quality of service in Latin America’s rural water and sanitation sector. These goals are to be achieved by consolidating, improving, strengthening, and expanding the Rural Water and Sanitation Information System.    To this end, a Bank grant for SIASAR was designed and enacted (i) to assist countries in devising technical, conceptual, and implementation recommendations to make SIASAR more effective, based on a list of recommendations currently being agreed upon and prioritized among the participating countries; (ii) to provide the participating institutions (including regional institutions) with the capacity building needed to identify future funding opportunities and to initiate these recommendations at a later time; and (iii) to open the system to more countries, thus enhancing its credibility, viability, and usability. 

Challenge As of 2006, the main causes of environmental degradation in Peru had led to an estimated cost of US$ 2.3 billion, an amount equivalent to 3.9 percent of the nation’s GDP. The highest costs were from outdoor air pollution and lead ex…

Challenge The paved feeder roads in the state of São Paulo, totaling 12,800 kilometers, constitute the essential backbone of mobility for the local communities in the 645 municipalities and provide crucial access to the state’s main transport corridors. By the mid-2000s, however, the condition of the roads had deteriorated to the point that over 60 percent were in poor condition, despite the state’s ongoing efforts over the preceding 30 years to pave and maintain them. This situation resulted in high transport costs and presented a bottleneck slowing economic development in the region.   Approach The Brazil São Paulo State Feeder Roads Project was designed to assist the state of São Paulo in implementing the third and fourth phases of the its Feeder Road Investment Program (Pro-Vicinais), which had been initiated by the government in 2007 to substantially improve the condition of the rural paved roads. In addition, the project was developed to include World Bank assistance in improving public administration efficiency in planning and managing infrastructure programs, modernizing environmental management systems for assessing infrastructure projects, and consolidating the state’s capacity to attract private-sector participation in infrastructure improvements.

Challenge In 2008, Mexico was the second largest emitter of greenhouse gasses (GHG) in Latin America and the 12th largest globally. Energy-related emissions, including energy use in the transport sector, contributed to over 60 percent of Mexico’s total GHG emissions. Mexico’s residential sector accounted for more than 25 percent of electricity consumption in 2008. Energy consumption in the residential sector was growing faster than GDP, with air conditioning, home appliances, electronics, and lighting contributing equally to levels of residential electricity consumption. Approach In response to the dominant role of the residential sector in electricity consumption, the Mexican government initiated several energy efficiency programs using price incentives to replace inefficient lighting and appliances in the sector. The Mexico Efficient Lighting and Appliances Project was part of this effort as well as an element in a broader national strategy designed by the government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and thus mitigate the impacts of climate change, which are predicted to be severe in Mexico due to its geography. Two nationwide programs were supported by the project: (i) the Sustainable Light (Luz Sustentable) program aimed at phasing out incandescent light bulbs (IBs) by replacing 45.8 million IBs with compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs); and (ii) the “Replace Your Old Appliance with a New One” (“Cambia Tu Viejo por uno Nuevo”) program. These initiatives provided financial incentives for consumers that resulted in replacement of 1,682,802 refrigerators and 201,327 air conditioners ten years old or older.    An aggressive media campaign was essential to the project’s success. It involved using television, radio, newspapers, and the Internet to spread the message, as well as targeted promotions during soccer matches. To deepen the impact of the campaign by making it relatable for audiences, an innovative idea was put into effect: entering the world of telenovelas. One of Mexico’s most popular telenovelas, Abismo de Pasión (Abyss of Passion), wove information on energy efficiency into its plot lines and dialogue to encourage viewers to replace their light bulbs and household appliances with more efficient models. This new approach to using mass media shows to engage their audiences in the initiative to conserve energy was very cost effective. Actors continued their support by making public service announcements and attending promotional events, such as a public appearance in Mérida, Yucatán, on July 23, 2012, that resulted in an immediate spike in appliance replacements. 

Challenge The Bahamas, like many other island countries, was a low-volume consumer of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).  CFCs, ozone depleting substances (ODS) with high global warming potential, are used, inter alia, in refrigeration and air-conditioning. In 2000, the government of the Bahamas realized it faced a challenge to achieving the necessary reductions in CFC consumption to meet levels mandated by the Montreal Protocol, particularly given its CFC consumption to service domestic refrigerators, commercial and industrial refrigeration equipment, and, especially, mobile air-conditioning (MAC) in vehicles. High prices for alternative refrigerants and existing CFC-using equipment inventories encouraged ongoing CFC demand, and the movement toward a global phase-out of CFCs by 2010 encouraged stockpiling. Consequently, CFC consumption was 12 percent higher than the average level of the protocol-defined baseline for the Bahamas. In addition, the government was concerned that the Bahamas might become a potential dumping site for unwanted CFCs and outdated CFC-using equipment as other countries in the region phased out their use. Approach The government of Bahamas requested the World Bank’s support in developing an ODS/CFC Terminal Phase-out Management Plan (TPMP) to help the country adhere to its phase-out objectives and to help steer the implementation of an accelerated phase-out schedule. The Bank, an Implementing Agency for the project’s design, was the only agency with relevant experience in developing programmatic approaches for sustainable ODS phase-out, structured on providing coordinated technical assistance, investment activities, and strategic policy interventions. The TPMP used a flexible “umbrella project” concept permitting absorption of new subprojects in line with time-bound country and protocol priorities and predicated on a performance-based approach covering policy actions, management, technical assistance, and phase-out efforts. With the support of technical experts familiar with the sectors at issue, a robust pipeline of subprojects was developed across priority sectors.   

Challenge Over the past 25 years, Mexico faced an intense urbanization process with unsustainable land-use and urban-form patterns leading to a twofold increase in its urban population and a sevenfold increase in its urban footprint. This trend…