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WASHINGTON, March 27, 2017 – The Board of Directors of the World Bank (WB) approved a US$100 million loan on Friday, March 24 to improve the practices, services, and behaviors that are key to curbing chronic malnutrition in Guatemala, with emphasis being placed on the first 1,000 days of life. The “Crecer Sano: Guatemala Nutrition and Health Project” seeks to support the National Strategy to Reduce Chronic Malnutrition 2016-2020 launched by President Jimmy Morales in March 2016. The main beneficiaries will be children under 24 months and pregnant women and their families in seven departments with large percentage of chronic malnutrition: Alta Verapaz, Chiquimula, Huehuetenango, Quiché, San Marcos, Sololá, and Totonicapán. Almost all of these departments have a predominantly indigenous population. The approved project will be financed by the WB and the Global Financing Facility in Support of Every Woman Every Child (GFF), a new multi-donor trust fund financing facility for reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child and adolescent health (RMNCAH), which was created to support the financing of the Global Strategy in Support of Every Woman Every Child and is supported by a broad set of development partners including the governments of Norway, Canada and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The GFF helps finance national RMNCAH scale-up plans while at the same time focusing on results. It supports countries in the transition toward sustainable domestic financing of RMNCAH; as well as contributes to a better-coordinated and streamlined RMNCAH financing architecture. “This loan is of paramount importance to Guatemala. By reducing malnutrition we will increase the productivity of our future work force. We are also thankful for the grant from the GFF which will allow us to benefit from better loan terms and thereby channel more resources to vulnerable populations in Guatemala,” said Julio Héctor Estrada, Guatemala’s Minister of Finance. Support with the delivery of nutrition and health services to mothers and children, which covers prenatal care among other things, and improved access to safe drinking water and sanitation are some of the activities provided for under the project. The project also seeks to promote interventions aimed at changing behaviors such as ensuring that mothers breastfeed exclusively during the first six months of life. Guatemala is the first country to benefit from a US$9 million performance-based WB loan buy-down from the GFF Trust Fund. Grant funds from the GFF are linked to key results and enable Guatemala to receive more concessional terms than standard WB loan terms. The government has committed to use the resources that are freed up from debt payments, match these with additional domestic resources and reinvest the combined amount of US$18 million in a conditional cash transfer program that aims to improve the health and nutrition status of families by providing transfers. “Through this innovative financing instrument, we are proud to support Guatemala to expand resources that benefit mothers and children” says Dr. Mariam Claeson, Director of the GFF. While the malnutrition rate in Guatemala has fallen from 55 percent in 1995 to 46.5 percent in 2014/2015, it remains the highest in Latin America and the Caribbean and one of the highest in the world, exceeding rates in countries with much lower per capita incomes, such as Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Vietnam. Rates of malnutrition are particularly high among indigenous populations (61%). These high malnutrition rates affect the quality of human development in Guatemala and, thus, its development and growth potential. “When we look at the country, we see two Guatemalas: rural and urban areas, formal and informal sectors, and those who have access to basic services and those who don’t. This project and all our work aim to help close the gap between the two Guatemalas and ensure that vulnerable populations have access to a better future,” noted Homa-Zahra Fotouhi, World Bank Country Manager for Guatemala. This loan has a final maturity of 33 years including a grace period of six years. — To learn more about the World Bank’s work in Latin America and the Caribbean, please visit: http://www.worldbank.org/en/region/lac Learn more about the World Bank in Guatemala: http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/guatemala Visit us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bancomundial Keep informed via Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BancoMundialLAC   Watch our videos on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/worldbank

WASHINGTON, March 24, 2017 - The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved the following project:Additional Financing: Uruguay Road Rehabilitation and maintenance program IBRD Loan: US$ 70 million Terms: Maturity = 17.5, Grace = 5 yearsProject ID: P125803Project Description: The objectives of the Program are to improve the condition of the Uruguay National Road network and enhance road sector management.

In contrast to the bigger economies in Latin America, the small island developing states of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) have been enjoying something of a growth rebound over the past five years. However, given its openness to trade and dependence on external economies, the region remains highly vulnerable to shocks. We talked to World Bank macroeconomics expert, Francisco Carneiro, about what needs to be done to tame this volatility in the Eastern Caribbean. Question: How sustainable is the increased growth the OECS is seeing at the moment? Francisco Carneiro: While the most recent growth acceleration in the OECS is of course good news, growth in the OECS has been historically volatile. This is due to a number of internal and external factors ranging from their exposure to hurricanes and tropical storms, to the way they manage their economies. This upturn  is certainly associated with the improving economic performance in the countries which send the greatest number of tourists to the OECS – the US, Canada and the UK. . However, as is the case in other small states, any turbulence in their main source of revenues can spell trouble and it is important to build buffers to deal with difficult times. Q: Does that mean it’s a good time to put counter-cyclical policies into place? FC: Yes, now is a good moment to start thinking about how the region could enact policies to help them withstand more difficult times. This could be done through a gradual shift to what economists call a more “counter-cyclical” fiscal policy – or the ability to “lean against the wind”; that is, the ability to save more during good times so there are funds left to stimulate the economy during bad times. The region is receptive to that idea. A good example is Grenada, where a medium-term fiscal framework anchored on clear spending rules has already been passed. This is certainly an example to be followed in the region. Q: In your report Taming Volatility  you mention that there is a track record of pro-cyclical government spending in emerging economies across the region, and yet the OECS is far more volatile. Are the nations “suffering from their smallness?” FC: The fact that most developing economies find it difficult to shift to more counter-cyclical government spending is more closely associated with the quality and strength of their institutions. The point we make in the report is that the more pro-cyclical your fiscal policy is, the more volatile your economic growth will be. That’s because when public spending follows the business cycle, it tends to accentuate crises and economic downturns. Countries should therefore seek ways to build buffers during the good times to “lean against the wind” in bad times. This could be done by adopting fiscal rules like Grenada has recently done, in spite of its relative small size. Q: Tourism is the most important industry in the OECS, and yet it’s also highly vulnerable to external shocks. Just how much headway can the OECS make in taming volatility if up to 70% of GDP is from tourism?   FC: Volatility is the result of external and internal factors. While it’s difficult to avoid external factors, which are beyond any government’s control –  for example, a hurricane or a global financial crisis –  OECS countries could further strengthen their financial sector as well as making their fiscal policy stance more counter-cyclical. Further financial development can come about by restoring the stability in the banking sector which will help reduce systemic volatility. Additionally, improving savings instruments by introducing channels for long-term financing in the region, strengthening the regional insurance market by creating a single financial space in the region in which insurance companies can operate  and establishing stronger supervision and deposit insurance, so people don’t lose their savings in a crisis, could all help reduce volatility. What is the World Bank doing to tackle these issues? FC: The World Bank Group is a major development partner of OECS countries and is supporting them to strengthen their financial sectors along with the institutions that could contribute to building greater resilience to economic and natural shocks.  

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Organization: AECOM International Development Inc.
Country: Honduras
Closing date: 30 Apr 2017

AECOM is currently seeking a Chief of Party (COP) for an upcoming USAID-funded government reform project in Honduras that willincrease citizen security through civil society strengthening to prevent crime and violence and ensure that government resources are effectively targeted to improve citizen security.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as the primary liaison with USAID/Honduras on technical and administrative matters.

• Ensuring quality control and the overall responsiveness of technical assistance provided.

• Providing overall leadership management and general technical direction of the entire activity.

• Ensure an integrated vision among different components and actors, and a focus on achieving results.

• Identify issues and risks related to project implementation, and suggest appropriate activity adjustments as needed.

Minimum Requirements

• Minimum of a Master’s degree and 12 years of relevant work experience or a Bachelor’s degree and 15 years of relevant work experience.

• Minimum of at least 5 years of work experience on the ground in developing countries with increasing responsibility, including a focus on citizen security.

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in Latin American or a similar development context.

• Experience successfully leading and managing challenging and complex projectsthat engage a variety of public sector institutions and stakeholders.

• Proven experience in the design, management, implementation, monitoring andevaluation of similar-sized donor-supported programs, with skills in high levelstrategic visioning and leadership.

• Minimum of5 years of experience working on successful institutional reform processes and/or community empowerment and development initiatives.

• Experience managing multi-sectoral integration approaches involving host country government institutions, the private sector, community-based organizations, NGOs, local governments, and other donors programs is strongly preferred.

• Minimum of 4years of experience at a senior program management level, including direct supervision of professional and support staff; quality evaluation of staff performance and deliverables; and project management under contracts.

• Exceptional leadership, interpersonal, technical and analytical skills, including anability to interact effectively with government counterparts and local organizations.

• Full professional proficiency in English and Spanish is required.

Preferred Qualifications

Previous USAID experience

How to apply:

To apply, click on the link below and follow the instructions:http://aecom.jobs/tegucigalpa-hnd/chief-of-party/0FC440A75A884901B966EA5717456B20/job/

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WASHINGTON, March 24, 2017 – The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved the following project:Haiti – Statistical Capacity Building Project IDA Grant: US$5 million Project ID: P157531 Project Description:  The objective of the project is to assist the Haitian Institute of Statistics and Information Technology (IHSI in French) to conduct, analyze and disseminate the findings of the Fifth Population and Housing Census and strengthen the human and technological capacities of the institute

WASHINGTON, March 24, 2017 – The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved the following project:Water Supply and Sanitation Development Program – Plan Belgrano IBRD Loan: US$125 million Terms: Maturity = 30 years, Grace = 5 …