News (focused on grants, scholarships & competitions)

*Please note that all internet addresses are current as of March 12, 2006

Vietnam Innovation Day 2006 “Disadvantaged Children and Youth”

The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET), through the Primary Education for Disadvantaged Children Project (PEDC), and the World Bank in Vietnam together with other donors invite you to participate in this year’s competition for funding of innovative proposals in communities throughout Vietnam. The Vietnam Innovation Day 2006 (VID 2006) competition will provide funding to implement initiatives that improve the lives of disadvantaged children and youth. The theme of “Disadvantaged Children and Youth” was chosen to raise public awareness of difficulties and risks faced by disadvantaged children between the ages of 4 and 14 and youth between the ages of 15 and 24 and provide support to them.

It is anticipated that at least thirty projects will be selected for awards of up to a maximum US$10,000 each, either from the World Bank together with other donors or from MOET under the PEDC, to support their implementation.

Completed proposals must be received at the World Bank Office or the PEDC PCU in Hanoi by 17:00 April 28, 2006.

More information

International essay competition for youth 2006

The World Bank invites you to participate in an International Essay Competition 2006 to share your experience and ideas on community work and participation in public life. The essay competition is open for nationals of ALL countries of the world, students and non-students alike, aged 18-25. Students enrolled in Ph.D. courses are, however, not eligible to participate. The essay can be written in either of the 3 languages: English, French and Spanish.

The authors of the best ranked essays will be awarded with:

- Participation in the Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics (ABCDE), in Tokyo, Japan, on May 29-30, 2006

- First prize of $5.000

- Prizes of $1.000 (exact number of awards will be determined by the Jury, depending on the quality of submissions)

- Best essays will be published

Deadline for submissions: April 2, 2006.

More information

Research paper competition on the role of private sector in development

International Finance Corperation in collaboration with Financial Times has recently announced a research paper competition on the role of private sector in development. The first prize in the competition is $30,000, second prize is $15,000 and the third prize is $10,000. The competition is closed to World Bank/IFC/IMF employees.

The deadline for submission is June 30, 2006.

More information

Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme

GEF/SGP is calling for project proposals which address environmental issues in the GEF focal areas: biodiversity, climate change, and international waters. Interested eligible organisations, including Vietnamese NGOs and community-based organisations contact Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen, UNDP Vietnam, 25-29 Phan Boi Chau, Hanoi, Tel. (04) 942 1495 (ext. 255) for detailed information.

More information

IDRC's Expose Urban Solutions Photo Contest

There are thousands of creative ways people living in cities of the south or the developed world are tackling the challenges of urban living. IDRC is looking for the best digital photos that fit under these four themes:

- Cities Feeding People (growing food in urban and peri-urban areas);

- Liquid Gold (productive uses of water);

- Waste Not, Want Not (recycling processes); and

- Avoiding Disaster (risk-proofing the urban environment).

Three winners will receive a cash prize and an all-expenses paid trip to Vancouver, Canada, including airfare and three nights hotel accommodation to attend the photo awards ceremony at the World Urban Forum, 20 June 2006.

Closing date for entry is Thursday, 13 April 2006.

More information

UNESCO Fellowships Programme in Support of Priority Programme Areas (2006-2007)
The fellowships offered under this scheme are of short term duration (6 months maximum) and are intended for specialized training at the postgraduate level. Priority targets are promising and qualified specialists who seek to undertake advanced research or to upgrade their skills and knowledge of state-of-the-art developments in their field of study or work.

Deadline for submissions of applications: 30 April 2006

More information

Asian Development Bank - Japan Scholarship Program
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) - Japan Scholarship Program (JSP) was established in April 1988 with financing from the Government of Japan.

It aims to provide an opportunity for well-qualified citizens of ADB's developing member countries to pursue postgraduate studies in economics, management, science and technology, and other development-related fields at participating academic institutions in the Asian and Pacific Region.

Upon completion of their study programs, scholars are expected to contribute to the economic and social development of their home countries.

The ADB-JSP enrolls about 300 students annually in 20 academic institutions located in 10 countries within the Region.

The ADB-JSP provides full scholarships for one to two years.

More information

New appointment

Ms. Nguyen Hoai Linh has been named the new VDIC Coordinator. She previously worked at the Human Development Unit of the World Bank for 8 years. Ms. Linh has formally joined VDIC office as of March 1, 2006.

Library

Exhibition for March 2006 “Women in decision-making: meeting challenges, creating change”

Women still struggle to break through glass ceiling in government, business, academia. International Women’s Day marked with focus on women’s participation in decision-making. The past ten years have seen the fastest growth in the number of women in parliaments, yet even at this rate, parity between women and men in parliaments will not be reached until 2040. In other areas, such as business, academia, civil society, the media and the judiciary, progress is even slower. Women remain largely invisible, their voices unheard.

The exhibition provides audience with a quick look at challenges women in decision-making are facing with as well as their endeavors in overcoming this. A number of relevant materials to this topic were also shown at the VDIC’s display corner.

Selected resources on Women and Gender Issues from VDIC library

International Labour Organization. Report of Survey on the School-to-Work Transition of Young Women and Men in Vietnam. Geneva, Switzerland: International Labour Organization, 2003. #305.30597 REP.

Beresford, Melanie. Towards gender budgeting in Vietnam. Hanoi, Vietnam: Women Publishing House, 2005. #305.309597 BER.

Gender practices in contemporary Vietnam. Singapore: Singapore University Press, 2004. #305.309597 GEN.

Le, Anh Tu Parkard. Gender dimensions of Vietnam's comprehensive macroeconomic and structural reform policies. Geneva: UNRISD, 2005. #305.309597 LE.

United Nations Development Programme. Preparing for the future: forward-looking strategies to promote gender equity in Viet Nam. Hanoi: UNDP, 2005. #305.309597 UN.

Wells, Melissa. Vietnam Gender Situation Analysis 2005. Hanoi, Vietnam: ADB, 2005. #305.4 GEN.

Images of the Vietnamese woman in the 21st century / Chief editor: Le Thi Nham Tuyet. Hanoi: The Gioi Publishers, 2005. #305.4 IMA.

Fahey, Stephanie. Women in Viet Nam. Manila: ADB, 2002. #305.4 WOM.

Social and gender analysis in natural resource management: learning studies and lessons from Asia / edited by Ronnie Vernooy. New Delhi: Sage, 2006. #333.708095 SOC.

Barwa, S. D. Impact of start your business (SYB) training on women entrepreneurs in Vietnam. Hanoi: ILO Office in Vietnam, 2003. #338.04 BAR.

Up coming exhibition for April 2006 “Disadvantaged Children and Youth” – call for materials for display

VDIC is preparing for the April exhibition on “Disadvantaged Children and Youth” with four sub-themes (i)Quality education for disadvantaged children and youth; (ii) Street children and youth; (iii) Out of school, out of work children and youth; and (iv) Participation and Empowerment of children and youth in decision making.

If you have any resources on this topic (books, posters, URLs, seminars/workshop information etc.) or any ideas relating to the exhibition, please share with us.

Vietnam Development Information Center

Ground floor, 63 Ly Thai To, Hanoi

Tel: (84-4) 934 6845

Fax: (84-4) 934 6847

Email: info@vdic.org.vn

We are grateful for your cooperation and support.

Highlights from the new additions to VDIC library in February 2006

Le, Anh Tu Parkard. Gender dimensions of Vietnam's comprehensive macroeconomic and structural reform policies. Geneva: UNRISD, 2005. #305.309597 LE

Full text http://www.unrisd.org/unrisd/website/document.nsf/0/3903639983744C31C1256FE20032FB68?OpenDocument

This paper seeks to contribute to a better understanding of macroeconomic policies that benefit women by analysing the links between reform, gender equality, economic development, and women’s welfare as they played out in Vietnam during the 1990s, when the government carried out far-reaching and comprehensive reforms. It explains how macroeconomic and market liberalization policies, although gender neutral in intent, can give rise to gendered outcomes due to various underlying and interrelated factors, such as social attitudes and conventions influenced by patriarchal values, the pattern and structure of occupational segregation and related gender wage differentials, labor regulations that have the effect of increasing productivity differences between men and women, and so on.

Wells, Melissa. Vietnam Gender Situation Analysis 2005. Hanoi, Vietnam: ADB, 2005. #305.4 GEN

In many areas, Viet Nam leads the Asia-Pacific region on gender equality indicators, such as those in education. However, gender inequality still exists, for example, many Vietnamese people, both men and women, hold strong beliefs regarding appropriate behavior for women; poor representation in decision-making positions; Ethnic minority women are severely disadvantaged. Moreover, Vietnamese women also face other gender-based problems: barriers to full economic participation, social pressures of migration, spreading of HIV/AIDS, and overall, critical gap between policy and implementation.

Caprio, Gerard, ed. Financial crises : lessons from the past, preparation for the future. Washington, D.C. : Brookings Institution Press, 2005. #332.042 FIN

Numerous crises rocked the world financial sector in the 1990s: the Asian bubble burst; Argentina and Brazil suffered currency crises; and the post-Soviet economy bottomed out in Russia. Here are distinguished group of economists and policy analysts draw lessons from attempts to recover from these and other financial crises of recent history. Potential hazards facing the world economy in the 21^st century are also discussed along with approaches that could help to prevent them.

Ministry of Planning and Investment. Tac dong cua Hiep dinh thuong mai song phuong Viet Nam - Hoa Ky den dau tu truc tiep nuoc ngoai va dau tu truc tiep cua Hoa Ky tai Viet Nam = The impact of the U.S. - Vietnam bilateral trade agreement on overall and U.S. foreign direct investment in Vietnam. Hanoi, Vietnam: Nha xuat ban chinh tri quoc gia, 2005-02. #332.67309597 USA

The report presents the first attempt to analyze in detail the response of FDI to the BTA. In particular, the report presents comprehensive data on US FDI sourced directly from the US, and FDI from overseas subsidiaries of US firms. It also examines the impact of the BTA on overall FDI, which includes FDI from all countries. It is concluded that the signing and implementation of the BTA have played an important role in promoting FDI into Vietnam, particularly for US-related FDI, and for improving the business environment in Vietnam.

World Bank. Accelerating Vietnam's rural development : growth, equity and deversification. [4 volumes]. Hanoi, Vietnam : World Bank, 2006. #338.9597 WB

The set of 4 books focuses on agricultural diversification in Vietnam. It is an explorartion of medium-term issues facing Vietnam in maintaining robust rural economic growth thorugh the end of 2010. Volume 1 provides an overview of rural development in 3 aspects: rural achievements since 1998, dynamics of agricultural growth and rural poverty reduction, and the challenges facing the sector. Volume 2 analyzes 3 pilars for future rural development which are: creation of opportunity through accelerating market orientation, managing natural assets for broad-based growth, and aligning public expenditure and sector institutions. Volume 3 focuses on the issue of aligning public expenditure and sector institutions to agriculture and rural challenges. Diversification of Vietnam’s agriculture is studied in volume 4.

Selected new publications for sale at VDIC (starting March 2006)

The Power of Survey Design: A User's Guide for Managing Surveys, Interpreting Results, and Influencing Respondents

by Giuseppe Iarossi [English] ; Published January 2006 ; ISBN: 0-8213-6392-1

VDIC Price: $10

A practical how-to guide on all the steps involved with survey implementation, this volume covers survey management, questionnaire design, sampling, respondent?s psychology and survey participation, and data management. A comprehensive and practical reference for those who both use and produce survey data.

Globalization for Development: Trade, Finance, Aid, Migration, and Policy

by Ian Goldin , Kenneth Reinert [English] ; Published January 2006 ; ISBN: 0-8213-6274-7

VDIC Price: $9

?This book is essential reading for anyone interested in globalization and development. It provides important new insights and perspectives...and advances the debate by identifying urgently needed policy changes for a more inclusive globalization.?

- Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Prize for Economics, and Professor of Economics, Columbia University

Financing Urban Shelter: Global Report on Human Settlements 2005

by United Nations Human Settlement Programme [English] ; Published October 2005; ISBN: 1-84407-211-8

VDIC Price: $35

The Global Report on Human Settlements is the most authoritative and up-to-date assessment of conditions and trends in the world?s cities. It is an essential tool and reference for researchers, academics, public authorities and civil society organizations around the world. The 2005 report, Financing Urban Shelter, presents the first global assessment of housing finance systems, placing shelter and urban development challenges within the overall context of macro-economic policies. The report describes and analyses housing finance conditions and trends in all regions of the world, including formal housing finance mechanisms, micro-finance, and community funding, highlighting their relevance to the upgrading of slums...

The Moral Consequences of Economic Growth

by Benjamin M. Friedman [English]; Published November 2005 ; ISBN: 0-679-44891-8

VDIC Price: $28

?Are we right,? Benjamin M. Friedman asks, ?to care so much about economic growth as we clearly do?? To answer, Friedman reaches beyond economics. He examines the political and social histories of the large Western democracies?particularly of the United States since the Civil War?distinguishing times of generally rising living standards from those of pervasive stagnation to illustrate how rising incomes render a society more open and democratic. He shows, too, how our attitudes toward economic growth and its consequences have roots in the thinking of prior centuries, especially the Enlightenment, and also include significant strands of religious influence.

The Undercover Economist: Exposing Why the Rich Are Rich, the Poor Are Poor - and Why You Can Never Buy a Decent Used Car!

by Tim Harford [English] ; Published November 2005 by Oxford University Press ; ISBN: 0-19-518977-9

VDIC Price: $23

The Undercover Economist is for anyone who's wondered why the gap between rich and poor nations is so great, or why they can't seem to find a decent second-hand car, or how to outwit Starbucks. This book offers the hidden story behind these and other questions, as economist Tim Harford ranges from Africa, Asia, Europe, and of course the United States to reveal how supermarkets, airlines, and coffee chains--to name just a few--are vacuuming money from our wallets. Harford punctures the myths surrounding some of today's biggest controversies, including the high cost of health-care; he reveals why certain environmental laws can put a smile on a landlord's face; and he explains why some industries can have high profits for innocent reasons, while in other industries something sinister is going on. Covering an array of economic concepts including scarce resources, market power, efficiency, price gouging, market failure, inside information, and game theory, Harford sheds light on how these forces shape our day-to-day lives, often without our knowing it.

Distance learning center events in March 2006

March 6 - 8: Toyota's Production System

This distance learning course is provided by the Asian Productivity Organization and broadcasted via videoconference from Tokyo Development Learning Center to Cambodia, Mongolia, Laos and Vietnam. The course looks into the Toyota Production Systems (TPS), which play a significant role in advanced production management. Many companies, especially in manufacturing sector, consider introducing TPS with an aim to achieving a high productivity and responding to their specific customers' changing needs via the use of advanced knowledge, technology and lean production systems.

March 8 - 29: Anti-money Laudering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) in EAP region - phase II

This distance learning course is provided by the World Bank Institute and broadcasted via videoconference from Washington DC to Phillippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam. This distance learning course blends e-learning and videoconferencing and may be followed by a local seminar covering developmental implications of money laundering/terrorist financing and international standards, legal system and legislative requirements for AML/CFT compliance, etc...

March 15 - 17: Strategic Communication for Public Sector Reform and Development Effectiveness

This distance learning course is provided by the World Bank Institute and is a blend of videoconfences and face-to-face workshops. The videoconference-based section, which is supported by locally-facilitated sessions took place on February 13-17. The face-to-face workshops from March 15 - 17 will be led by the World Bank communication experts from Washington DC.. The course is designed to help the participants develop a strategic communication plan as part of their work on large-scale public sector reforms.

March 17: East Asia and Pacific Youth Dialogue Series (EAP YDS) - Fighting a Culture of Corruption

EAP YDS is designed in order to provide a space for young people to discuss issues they feel strongly about. It is a space for them learn, explore and understand the intricacies of development and pressing concerns facing the world while simultaneously forging ties to work towards a world free of poverty. This is the first time Vietnamese youth participates in these Dialogues Series. Together with youth in other countries in EAP region, they will consider 5 questions pertaining to corruption with a view to suggesting effective measures to fight against it.

March 17: The Journey Towards E-Government Excellence - Singapore's story

This distance learning seminar is provided by Singapore Civil Service College and broadcasted to countries in East Asia and Pacific region via videoconference. The Seminar provides an overview of stages of e-Government and looks at the promises and challenges in e-Government. It will also highlight Singapore's journey to e-Government and the types of e-Government services now in Singapore.

March 23: The Judicial Perspective on the Role of the Civil Society in Advocating Economic Development (tentative)

This distance learning seminar is provided by the Asian Management Institute and will be broadcasted via videoconfernce from Manila to EAP countries.

March 24: Public Accounting Standards

This Seminar is broadcasted via from Tokyo Development Learning Center to EAP countries. The Seminar is designed in order for the participants to obtain the latest information about accounting in public sector in the world. Selected speakers from members of International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB) and others present what kinds of change have occurred and will occur in public accounting.

March 24: Asian Development Youth Forum discussion (tentative)

Participating sites: Hanoi and Tokyo

If you have any enquiries, please email the Development Learning Assistant
at nnguyen2@worldbank.org; tel.: 04-934 6600, ext. 706.

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Vietnam Development Information Center
Ground Floor, 63 Ly Thai To Street, Hanoi, Vietnam
Tel: (84-4) 934-6845 | Fax: (84-4) 934-6847
Web site: http://www.vdic.org.vn/ | Email: info@vdic.org.vn
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