VDIC NEWSLETTER
November 2006

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

Web site: www.vdic.org.vn

 

Opening hours:

Monday through Friday

8am12pm

1pm5:30pm

CONTENTS

VDIC News

Library

Selected new publications for sale at VDIC

Distance Learning Center events in November 2006

News from other organizations

 

VDIC News

 

New Motorbike Parking Area for VDIC Clients

 

From 16th October 2006, a new parking area for the 63 Ly Thai To Building visitors, including VDIC clients, has been arranged, which is located outside the Revolution Museum (just across Co Tan park from the current parking area). The external guards will show clients the new parking area.

 

Free training sessions provided by VDIC

 

Location:        VDIC, Ground Floor, 63 Ly Thai To, Hanoi

IMPORTANT NOTICES FOR PARTICIPANTS: Please read the course materials available online at http://www.vdic.org.vn/?name=library&op=viewDetailNews&id=339&mid=322&cmid=361 before attending the class. It is useful to take them to the class for additional notes since we do not provide participants with printed course materials.

 “Searching the Internet” class

Date:              Wednesday, November 15, 2006 -- Time: 10:00am to 12:00am

Aims:              After the workshop, participants should: (i) have a better understanding of information-finding possibilities on the Internet (ii) have a broad overview of different search tools (iii) be able to phrase search queries effectively.

 

“Referencing skills” class

Date:              Wednesday, November 22, 2006 -- Time: 10:00am to 12:00am

Aims:              After the workshop, participants should know how to: (i) manage their references (ii) cite the references appropriately (iii) create a reference list or bibliography.

Everyone is welcome - please visit the VDIC to sign up at the front desk, or send an email to nvu2@worldbank.org with your name, organisation, and telephone number and specify the class(es) you want to participate. Acceptance of registration will be done on first come first serve basis.

Exhibitions at VDIC

Please see Library section for lists of selected resources on the exhibition themes below.

25 November - International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

At least one out of every three women around the world has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime — with the abuser usually someone known to her. Violence against women and girls is a universal problem of epidemic proportions. Perhaps the most pervasive human rights violation that we know today, it devastates lives, fractures communities, and stalls development.

 "Violence against women both violates and impairs or nullifies the enjoyment by women of their human rights and fundamental freedoms... In all societies, to a greater or lesser degree, women and girls are subjected to physical, sexual and psychological abuse that cuts across lines of income, class and culture."

Exhibition at VDIC on this occasion provides useful information and materials relating to this topic.

1 December – World AIDS Day: Accountability

The theme for World AIDS Day this year is accountability. It is important that the world is informed and aware and that all the leaders know that the public and civil society are watching and that people are very serious about all the promises leaders make. This message is for all kinds of leaders from all the stakeholders including civil society and the business sector, the multilaterals like the UN and all the governmental leaders. It ranges from the top influential leaders, like the leaders of the G8 for example, right down to local community leaders so that grassroots groups can really look at promises and commitments that leaders have made and make sure that they are held accountable. It’s really to show that these promises are now being monitored and that they must be kept.

Exhibition on this occasion at VDIC is another chance our clients to learn more about current situations of AIDS epidemic on a global scale and in Vietnam.

3 December - International Day of Disabled Persons: E-accessibility

Access to information and communication technologies creates opportunities to everyone in society, but perhaps no-more so than for persons with disabilities. No longer do the societal barriers of prejudice, infrastructure, and inaccessible formats stand in the way of participation. When available to everyone, information technologies foster individuals to reach their full potential, and for persons with disabilities it allows them to play their part in society’s development.

Persons with disabilities are at a considerable disadvantage by not being able to access information technologies. Making information technologies available to persons with disabilities is not only a matter of human rights, it also makes good business sense. The theme for this year’s International Day of Disabled Persons (3 December 2006) is accessibility to information technologies, and the day will be referred to as E-Accessibility Day. Exhibition at VDIC aims to raise appreciation of the significant benefits to persons with disabilities and society when they are empowered with increased access to information technologies.

Upcoming exhibitions/campaigns at VDIC – call for cooperation

VDIC is preparing for the exhibition on the occasion of “International Anti-Corruption Day” on 9 December. If you have any resources on this topic (books, posters, URLs, seminars/workshop information etc.) or any ideas relating to this theme, please share with us.

We also call for cooperation in organising exhibitions/promotional/communication campaigns relating to development issues at VDIC. If your organisation would like to promote your resources and activities at our center, please contact us for more information.

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 looking forward to your cooperation and support.

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Library

 

Selected resources on violence against women and gender issues from VDIC library

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

#305.309597 UN. United Nations Development Programme. World Bank. Preparing for the future: forward-looking strategies to promote gender equity in Viet Nam = Chuan bi cho tuong lai: cac chien luoc uu tien nham thuc day binh dang gioi o Viet Nam. Hanoi: UNDP, 2005. Full text http://www.undp.org.vn/undp/docs/2005/genpri/gp-e.pdf.

#362.8292 DOM. Bao luc gioi trong gia dinh Viet Nam va vai tro cua truyen thong dai chung trong su nghiep phat trien phu nu [Domestic violence in Viet Nam and the role of the mass media in women's development] / Chief editor: Hoang Ba Thinh. Hanoi: The Gioi Publishers, 2005

#362.8292 DOM. Domestic violence in Viet Nam and the role of the mass media in women's development / Chief editor: Hoang Ba Thinh = Bao luc gioi trong gia dinh Viet Nam va vai tro cua truyen thong dai chung trong su nghiep phat trien phu nu. Hanoi: The Gioi Publishers, 2005

#362.8292 VU. Vu Manh Loi. Vietnam gender-based violence. World Bank 1999-11. Full text http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDS_IBank_Servlet?pcont=details&eid=000160016_20031208110248  

#362.8292 VU. Vu, Manh Loi. World Bank. Viet Nam: bao luc tren co so gioi = Vietnam: gender-based violence. Hanoi, Vietnam World Bank, 1999-11.

#362.88 LE. Le Thi Phuong Mai. Violence and its Consequences for Reproductive Health: the Vietnam case. Regional Working Papers. Population Council 1998.

#INTERNET 364.15 UND. Ministry of Justice. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. UNICEF. Assessment of the legal system in Vietnam in comparison with the Unted Nations Protocols on Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants, supplementing the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime = Bao cao danh gia he thong phap luat cua Viet Nam tren tinh than cac nghi dinh thu cua Lien hop quoc ve chong buon ban nguoi va di cu trai phep, bo sung cho Cong uoc cua Lien hop quoc ve Chong toi pham co to chuc xuyen quoc gia. Hanoi: Justice Publishing House, 2004. Full text http://www.unodc.org/pdf/crime/human_trafficking/legal_system_vietnam_2004-05.pdf. Full text in Vietnamese http://www.unodc.org/pdf/crime/human_trafficking/legal_system_vietnam_2004-05_vi.pdf

#364.1509597 WAN. Wang, Yi. Trafficking in women and children from Vietnam to China: legal framework and government responses. Quebec: Oxfam Quebec, 2005. Full text http://www.humantrafficking.org/countries/eap/vietnam/resources/pubs/2005/antitrafficking_program_vietnam.pdf  

#364.1534 PHO. Trung tam suc khoe phu nu va gia dinh. Phong chong buon ban phu nu va tre em. Hanoi: s.n., 2004.  

Selected resources on HIV/AIDS in Vietnam from VDIC library

#REF 304.605 VIE. National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology. ORC Macro. General Statistical Office. Vietnam population and AIDS indicator survey 2005. Calverton, Maryland, US: ORC Macro, 2006. Full text http://www.measuredhs.com/pubs/pub_details.cfm?ID=581&srchTp=advanced   

#331.133 RED. Lien Hop Quoc tai Viet Nam. Giam thieu ky thi va phan biet doi xu lien quan den HIV/AIDS tai noi lam viec o Viet Nam [Reduction of HIV/AIDS related employment discrimination in Viet Nam]. Hanoi: Lien Hop Quoc tai Viet Nam, 2004-06. Full text in Vietnamese http://www.un.org.vn/undocs/hivemp/hivemplv.pdf. Full text in English http://www.un.org.vn/undocs/hivemp/hivemple.pdf  

#362.1969792 AID. AIDS epidemic update: December 2005. Geneva: UNAIDS, 2005. Full text http://www.who.int/hiv/epi-update2005_en.pdf

#362.1969792 BAS National Commission for Population, Family and Children. National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology Ministry of Health. AIDS Division. Asian Development Bank. Japanese Fund for Poverty Reduction. Baseline survey report community action for preventing HIV/AIDS project in Lai Chau, Quang Tri, Dong Thap, Long An and Kien Giang. Hanoi: Ministry of Health, 2002-08.

#362.1969792 DAN. Dang Van Khoat. Deakin University. Vietnamese Community Mobilization Center for HIV/AIDS Control A situational analysis of HIV/AIDS related stigma and discrimination in Hanoi, Vietnam. S.l.: s.n., 2003-05-12.

#362.1969792 EAS.Chen, Jennifer. East Asia children and HIV/AIDS: a call to action. Bangkok: UNICEF, 2005.

#362.1969792 HIV. UNESCO. UNAIDS. Ministry of Education and Training. HIV/AIDS va giao duc [HIV/AIDS and education]. Hanoi: UNESCO, 2004. Full text http://www.unesco.org.vn/documents/AdvocacyToolKit_HIV_and_education_HAN_MoET_04.pdf  

#362.1969792 HUN. Hunter, Susan S. The situation of families and children affected by HIV/AIDS in Viet Nam : a national overview [Tinh hinh cac gia dinh va tre em bi anh huong boi HIV/AIDS o Viet Nam : tong quan quoc gia]. S.l.: UNICEF, 2003-08-30. Full text http://www.unaids.org.vn/resource/topic/children/Full%20CABA%20SITAN.pdf  

#362.1969792 IMP. AusAID. UNDP. Tac dong cua HIV/AIDS den tinh trang de bi ton thuong va ngheo doi cua cac ho gia dinh tai Viet Nam [Impact of HIV/AIDS on household vulnerability and poverty in Viet Nam]. Hanoi, Vietnam: UNDP, 2005-08. Full text http://www.undp.org.vn/undp/docs/2005/sei/sei-e.pdf

#362.1969792 IMP. Save the Children UK. Ministry of Health. Nhung tac dong cua dai dich HIV/AIDS doi voi tre em Viet Nam: bao cao ket qua nghien cuu [Impact of HIV/AIDS epidemic on children in Viet Nam: study report]. Hanoi, Vietnam: Ministry of Health and , 2003.

#362.1969792 NOV. POLICY Project. HIV/AIDS in the Mekong region Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Vietnam: current situations, future projections, socioeconomic impacts, and recommendations. Washington, DC: USAID, 2003-06. Full text http://www.policyproject.com/pubs/generalreport/ACF1B3.pdf  

#362.1969792 REP. Australian Agency for International Development. United Nations Development Programme. Report of the study on the organization system of national AIDS programme in Vietnam [Bao cao nghien cuu thuc trang he thong to chuc phong chong AIDS cua Viet Nam]. Hanoi: s.n., 2004-12.

#363.44 STI. Ministry of Health. STI/HIV survey among female workers in 5 border provinces, Vietnam, 2002, Lai Chau, Quang Tri, Dong Thap, An Giang, Kien Giang. Hanoi, Vietnam: Medical Publishing House, 2003.

#614.599392 PLA. Plan. Bao cao ket qua nghien cuu kha thi ve HIV/AIDS [Report on HIV/AIDS feasibility study]. Hanoi, Vietnam: Nha xuat ban van hoa thong tin, 2004.

#614.599392 RED. UNESCO. Tai lieu tap huan giao sinh ve noi dung Giao duc phong, chong HIV/AIDS [Reducing HIV/AIDS vulnerability among students in the school setting: a teacher training manual]. Hanoi: UNESCO, 2005. Full text in English http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001389/138910e.pdf

#614.599392 XOA [CDROM]. United Nations Fund for Population Activities. Clear out of the stigma against HIV infected people [Xoa bo ky thi voi nguoi nhiem HIV]. Hanoi, Vietnam: UNFPA, 2006.

#616.9792 KHU. Khuat Thu Hong. Understanding HIV and AIDS-related stigma and discrimination in Vietnam. Washington, D.C.: International Center for Research on Women, 2004. Full text http://www.icrw.org/docs/vietnamstigma_0204.pdf  

 

Selected resources on people with disabilities from VDIC library

#305.23. UNICEF Vietnam. Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs. Vietnam child disability survey 1998: final report. Hanoi; UNICEF Vietnam, 2000.

#331.347. Bond, Tim. A review on child labour, street children, child prostitution and trafficking, disability, the family. Hanoi: UNICEF, 1998-05.

#331.59 MOV. Perry, Debra A. Moving forward : toward decent work for people with disabilities : examples of good practices in vocational training and employment from Asia and the Pacific. Bangkok: International Labour Office, 2003.

#331.59 YOD. Yoder, Julie. Dao tao va viec lam cho nguoi tan tat : Viet Nam 2002 [Training and employment of people with disabilities : Viet Nam 2002]. Hanoi: Van phong Lao Dong Quoc te, 2003-12.

#341.481 HUM. Vu, Ngoc Binh. Social and Labour Publishing House. Quyen con nguoi va nguoi tan tat [Human Rights and People with Disabilities]. Hanoi: 2001.

#361.61 BAO. Social Protection for the most needy in Vietnam [Bao tro xa hoi cho nhung nhom thiet thoi o Viet Nam]. Hanoi: The Gioi, 2005.

#362.4 GUI. EU-Vietnam Economic Cooperation. Spanish Red Cross. Vietnamese Red Cross. Guidelines for good practice in providing services for people with disabilities [Huong dan kinh nghiem dien hinh trong viec cung cap dich vu cho nguoi khuyet tat]. Hanoi: EU-Vietnam Economic Cooperation, Spanish Red Cross and Vietnamese Red Cross, 2006.

#362.4 NAT. National action plan to support people with disabilities period 2006-2010 [De an tro giup nguoi tan tat giai doan 2006-2010]. Hanoi, 2006.

#370.711 NGO. Ngo, Huy Duc. Save the Children. Ngan sach cho giao duc hoa nhap cho tre khuyet tat: phan tich truong hop tai cap huyen [Budget for inclusive education for children with disabilities: case studies at district level]. Hanoi, Vietnam: University of Education Publishing House, 2003.

#371.9 TRI. Trinh, Duc Duy. Vien khoa hoc giao duc. Trung tam tat hoc. Day hoc hoa nhap cho tre khuyet tat [Inclusive education for disabled children]. Hanoi: Chinh tri Quoc gia, 2000.

#Filmer, Deon. Disability, poverty, and schooling in developing countries : results from 11 household surveys. Washington D.C.: The World Bank, 2005-12-01. Full text http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDS_IBank_Servlet?pcont=details&eid=000016406_20051209110220  

#Peters, Susan. Education for all : including children with disabilities. Washington D.C.: The World Bank, 2003-01-01. Full text http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDS_IBank_Servlet?pcont=details&eid=000160016_20051115132828  

#REF 362.4 CAM. EU-Vietnam Economic Cooperation. Spanish Red Cross. Vietnamese Red Cross. Directory of services for people with disabilities in Vietnam 2006 [Cam nang thong tin cac dich vu cho nguoi khuyet tat Viet Nam 2006]. Hanoi: EU-Vietnam Economic Cooperation and Spanish Red Cross, 2006.

#Takamine, Yutaka. World Bank. EASHD. Disability issues in East Asia : review and ways forward. Washington D.C.: The World Bank, 2004-05-01. Full text http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDS_IBank_Servlet?pcont=details&eid=000112742_20041018120432  

#World Bank. EASHD. Vietnam - Primary Education for Disadvantaged Children Project: Project Appraisal Document. S.l.: s.n., 2003-04-03. Full text http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDS_IBank_Servlet?pcont=details&eid=000094946_03042404004720    

 

Highlights from the new additions to VDIC library in October 2006

 

Full list of new additions to VDIC library in September 2006 can be found at http://www.vdic.org.vn/?name=library&op=viewDetailNews&id=161&mid=322&cmid=325

 

#INTERNET 025 POW. Powell, Mike. Information management for development organizations. Oxford, UK: Oxfam UK, 2005. Full text http://www.oxfam.org.uk/what_we_do/resources/infomgt.html?TAG=&CID=#contents

 

#REF 305.4 SO. National Committee for the Advancement of Women. United Nations Development Programme. Royal Netherland Embassy. So lieu thong ke gioi cua Viet Nam nhung nam dau the ky 21 = Vietnam gender statistics in the early years of 21st century. Hanoi: Women's Publishing House, 2005. Full text http://www.ubphunu-ncfaw.gov.vn/upload_news/files/HoanchinhSLTK.pdf

 

#331.12 COM. Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO). Comparative survey on the labor environment in ASEAN, China and India. Tokyo, Japan: Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), 2006-10. Full text http://www.jetro.go.jp/thailand/e/data/laborsurvey06.pdf

 

#332.109172 LED. Ledgerwood, Joanna. World Bank. EXTOP. Transforming microfinance institutions : providing full financial services to the poor. Washington D.C.: The World Bank, 2006-08-01. Full text http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDS_IBank_Servlet?pcont=details&eid=000160016_20060911124102

 

#332.1532 KIK. Kikeri, Sunita. International Finance Corporation. PSDPO. Reforming the investment climate: lessons for practitioners. Washington D.C.: The World Bank, 2006-06-01. Full text http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDS_IBank_Servlet?pcont=details&eid=000090341_20060829091910

 

#INTERNET 340.115 ASI. Asian socialism and legal change: the dynamics of Vietnamese and Chinese reform. Canberra, Australia: Australian National University E Press and Asia Pacific Press, 2005. Full text http://epress.anu.edu.au/as/pdf/asian_socialism.pdf

 

#346.1323 ROL. World Bank. The role of parliament in curbing corruption / edited by Rick Stapenhurst, Niall Johnston, Riccardo Pellizo [i.e., Pelizzo]. Washington, DC : World Bank, c2006.

 

#362.4 NAT. National action plan to support people with disabilities period 2006-2010 = De an tro giup nguoi tan tat giai doan 2006-2010. Hanoi, 2006.

 

#370.113 SKI. Skills development for rural people: A renewed challenge. Rome, Italy: Working Group for International Cooperation in Skills Development, 2005. Full text http://www.fao.org/sd/erp/Documents2006/Paper%2010.doc

 

#372.832 NGU. Nguyen, Thanh Binh. National Institute for Education Strategies and Curriculum. UNESCO. Giao duc ky nang song o Viet Nam  = Life skills mapping in Vietnam. Hanoi: UNESCO, 2006.

 

#REF 384.3 WOR. World information society report 2006. Geneva: International Telecommunication Union, 2006. Full text http://www.itu.int/osg/spu/publications/worldinformationsociety/2006/report.html

 

#614.5 SAR. World Health Organization. SARS: how a global epidemic was stopped. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization, 2006.

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Selected new publications for sale at VDIC

 

Beyond Survival: Protecting Households from Health Shocks in Latin America

by Cristian C. Baeza , Truman G. Packard  -- English -- Published 2006 by Stanford University Press , World Bank

Price: $ 6

 

Beyond Survival breaks new ground in the ongoing debate about health finance and financial protection from the costs of health care. The evidence and discussion support the need to consider financial protection, in addition to health status, as a policy objective when setting priorities for health systems.

 

This book reviews the Latin American experience with health reform in the last 20 years and the fundamentals of health system financing, using new evidence to show the magnitude and mechanisms that determine the impoverishing effects of health events (diseases, accidents, and those of the life cycle). It provides options for policy makers on how to protect, and help household to protect themselves, against this impoverishment.

 

The authors use empirical evidence from six case studies commissioned for this report, on Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras, and Mexico. This book provides policy makers with a solid conceptual basis for decisions on the contents of mandatory health insurance benefit packages, choices of financing mechanisms, and the roles of public policy in this field.

 

Beyond Survival provides an in-depth analysis of, and organizational alternatives for, risk pooling and health insurance for financial protection. It analyzes the urgent need to extend risk pooling to the informal sector, the challenges for current social insurance arrangements, and options for policy makers to effectively extend risk pooling to the informal sector.

   

At Loggerheads?: Agricultural Expansion, Poverty Reduction, and Environment in the Tropical Forests

by World Bank  -- English -- Published 2006

Price: $ 8

 

Despite the vast number of books and reports on tropical deforestation, there's confusion about the causes of forest loss and forest poverty, and the effectiveness of policy responses.

 

At Loggerheads seeks to describe ways to reconcile pressures for agricultural expansion in the tropics with the urgent needs for both forest conservation and poverty alleviation. It diagnoses the causes and impacts of forest loss and the reasons for the association of forests and poverty. It looks at how policies - modulated by local conditions - act simultaneously on deforestation and poverty, creating tradeoffs or complementarities, depending on the situation. The report brings to the surface problems that impede adoption of favourable policies, describing institutional and technological innovations that might help overcome these impediments.

 

"In this important contribution, Ken Chomitz does the community a great service by applying a critical lens to the complicated relationships between agriculture, poverty, and the environment in tropical forests. Created as a diagnosis of forest problems, this volume applies a careful analysis to a knotty problem that has generated too many dangerously facile generalizations. We can all learn a great deal from this work."

- Kent A. Redford

Director, WCS Institute, Wildlife Conservation Society

 

Repositioning Nutrition as Central to Development : A Strategy for Large Scale Action

by World Bank -- English -- Published 2005

Price: $ 8

 

Persistent malnutrition is contributing not only to widespread failure to meet the first MDG?to halve poverty and hunger?but to meet other goals in maternal and child health, HIV/AIDS, education, and gender equity. The choice is now between continuing to fail, or to finally make nutrition central to development. Underweight prevalence among children is the key indicator for measuring progress on non-income poverty and malnutrition remains the world?s most serious health problem and the single biggest contributor to child mortality. Nearly a third of children in the developing world are either underweight or stunted, and more than 30 percent of the developing world?s population suffers from micronutrient deficiencies. There are also new dimensions to malnutrition. The epidemic of obesity and diet-related noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) is spreading to the developing world and malnutrition is also linked to the growing HIV/AIDS pandemic.

 

This report makes the case for development partners and developing countries to focus on nutrition, and to fund nutrition investments much more heavily than has been the case in the past. This case is based on evidence that such programs are excellent economic investments and essential for faster progress in reducing poverty; and on program experience showing that they can improve nutrition much faster than relying on economic growth alone. The report sets out a global strategy for stepped-up action in nutrition, for discussion in the international development community.

 

Delivering on the Promise of Pro-Poor Growth: Insights and Lessons from Country Experiences

Edited by Tim Besley , Louise Cord -- English -- Published October 2006 by World Bank

Price: $ 9

 

Broad-based growth is critical for accelerating poverty reduction. But income inequality also affects the pace at which growth translates into gains for the poor. Despite the attention researchers have given to the relative roles of growth and inqequality in reducing poverty, little is known about how the microunderpinnings of growth strategies affect poor households' ability to participate in and profit from growth.

 

Delivering on the Promise of Pro-Poor Growth contributes to the debate on how to accelerate poverty reduction by providing insights from eight countries that have been relatively successful in delivering pro-poor growth: Bangladesh, Brazil, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Tunisia, Uganda, and Vietnam. It integrates growth analytics with the microanalysis of household data to determine how country policies and conditions interact to reduce poverty and to spread the benefits of growth across different income groups. This title is a useful resource for policy makers, donor agencies, academics, think tanks, and government officials seeking a practical framework to improve country level diagnostics of growth-poverty linkages.

 

"Delivering on the Promise of Pro-Poor Growth provides insights into the numerous channels by which growth can lead to poverty reduction. It also examines the role of country conditions and policies in increasing the impact of growth on poverty reduction. The study provides useful lessons about the successful and the less-then-successful policies in eight countries."

- Ravi Kanbur

T.H. Professor of World Affairs and Economics

Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

 

Aid that Works : Successful Development in Fragile States

by World Bank , James Manor -- English -- Published October 2006

Price: $ 9

 

Research in recent years on aid effectiveness shows that significant obstacles in fragile states - insecurity, poor governance and weak implementation capacity - usually prevent aid from achieving the desired results in these environments. This study investigates the attributes and effectiveness of donor-supported programmes and projects that worked well under difficult conditions in fragile states.

 

Presented in this study are nine development initiatives in six less developed countries - Afghanistan, Cambodia, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Timor Leste and Uganda. The cases show that development initiatives, which engage local communities and local level governments, are often able to have significant impact. However, for more substantial improvements to take places, localized gains need to be scaled up either horizontally (other localities) or vertically (to higher levels). Given the advantages of working at the local level and the difficulty of working through mainstream bureaucratic agencies at higher levels in these countries, donors often prefer to create 'parallel-agencies' to reach out to larger numbers of beneficiaries. However, this may in the long run weaken the legitimacy of mainstream government institutions, and donor agencies may therefore choose to work as closely as possible with government officials from the beginning to build trust and demonstrating that new initiatives are non-threatening and help prepare the eventual mainstreaming of 'parallel agencies'.

 

International Financial Reporting Standards: A Practical Guide (Fourth Edition)

by Hennie van Greuning -- English -- Published July 2006 by World Bank

Price: $ 11

 

International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in a business situation can have a significant effect on the financial results and position of a division or an entire business enterprise. International Financial Reporting Standards: A Practical Guide gives private or public sector executives, managers, and financial analysts without a strong background in accounting the tools they need to participate in discussions and decisions on the appropriateness or application of IFRS.

 

Each chapter summarizes an International Financial Reporting Standard, following a consistent structure: Problems addressed by the IFRS -- Scope of the Standard -- Key concepts and definitions -- Accounting treatment -- Presentation and disclosure -- Financial analysis and interpretation.

 

"Overall, this book gets very high marks for its comprehensive yet understandable and easy to read coverage of the field of international accounting and financial reporting. It should prove very useful to anyone seeking an understanding of International Financial Reporting Standards, their requirements, and their application."

-- Global Business and Economics Review, April 2005

 

Participatory Approaches to Attacking Extreme Poverty: Cases Studies Led by the International Movement ATD Fourth World

Edited by Quentin Wodon -- English -- Published May 2006 by World Bank

Price: $ 6

 

Relying on contributions from the International Movement ATD Fourth World, this book deals with questions such as:What does it mean to live in poverty, and especially in extreme poverty? How can the very poor be reached through development projects? How can we assess whether projects succeed in changing the life of the poorest? In answering

these questions, the emphasis is on exploring what type of knowledge is needed to fight extreme poverty. A key argument is that apart from academic knowledge, a concerted effort is needed to listen to the knowledge of the poor themselves, as well as to the knowledge of practitioners who are engaged with the poor on a daily basis to fight poverty. After the introductory chapter, the text of a speech by Joseph Wresinski (founder of the International Movement ATD Fourth World) at a congress of social scientists held at UNESCO, is reproduced. The next contribution is based on comments by the International Movement ATD Fourth World on the World Bank’s World Development Report 2004 Making Services Work for Poor People. Thereafter, case studies are provided on participatory approaches to attacking extreme poverty in both developing countries (Madagascar and Tanzania, as well as Bolivia, Guatemala and Peru) and developed countries (the United States and Belgium).

 

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Distance Learning Center events in November 2006

 

November 6: UNESCO discussion on Early Childhood Care & Education Issues in Vietnam (by invitation only)

 

November 9: Microfinance course - Module 3, Videoconference 4: Gauging Institutional Viability (registration closed)

 

November 28: Vietnam Economic Research Network's Dialogue on Research Ideas on Economic Growth and Income Distribution in the context of international economic integration in Vietnam (by invitation only)

 

Regional Training-for-Trainer Program on Dengue (Courses under planning)

 

Tentative time: Cycle 1: November 2006; Cycle 2: May 2007

 

Objective: Main objectives of the training program include: (1) providing up-to-date knowledge on Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever (DHF) for medical lecturers, clinicians, researchers and public health officers who are trainers in their countries (2) setting up a forum for them to exchange information on DHF with each other (3) creating a sustainable training model that involves strong commitments of different stakeholders, including donors and beneficiaries.

 

Course structure:

This is a 5-week training using a blended learning approach and comprising of the following components:

1. Self-study using CD-ROM: The dengue multimedia CD-ROM developed by the Wellcome Trust and the UNICEF/UNDP/WB/WHO Special Program on Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) will be used as a core training material. It will be used for self-paced study. 

2. Five videoconference (VC) sessions will be arranged for expert presentation, discussion and best practice and knowledge sharing.

3. E-discussion will be set up during and after the course duration.

4. A final test will be conducted and accreditation for completion of the course provided by TDR.

 

Target audience:

This is a train-the-trainer program, which target junior and mid-career lecturers, clinicians, researchers and pubic health sector officers who are involved in training for other dengue practitioners in their countries. It is expected that the participants will disseminate their acquired knowledge to a large number of dengue practitioners in the community.

 

Language of instruction: English

 

For further information, please contact the training coordinator at nnguyen2@worldbank.org; tel.: 934 6600 - ext. 706.

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News from other organizations

For further information on the news provided below, please contact the organization directly.

The Global Fund for Women (GFW)

The Global Fund for Women supports women's groups that advance the human rights of women and girls. GFW strengthens women's groups based outside the United States by providing small, flexible, and timely grants ranging from $500 to $20,000 for operating and project expenses. GFW values local expertise and believe that women themselves know best how to determine their needs and propose solutions for lasting change. The groups GFW funds address issues that include but are not limited to:

- Building Peace & Ending Gender-Based Violence
- Advancing Health and Sexual & Reproductive Rights
- Expanding Civic & Political Participation
- Ensuring Economic & Environmental Justice
- Increasing Access to Education
- Fostering Social Change Philanthropy

Please note that your group MUST meet all the following criteria to be eligible for a grant:

- It is based in a country outside the United States.
- It demonstrates a strong commitment to women's equality and human rights that is clearly reflected in its activities.
- It is a group of women working together. GFW does not accept requests from individuals.
- It is governed, directed, and led by women. Women must fill all or most of the leadership roles.

http://www.globalfundforwomen.org/

Rural Poverty and Environment — 2006 Open Call for Concept Notes

IDRC’s Rural Poverty and Environment (RPE) program invites concept notes for research projects that will enhance good governance, equitable access to and sustainable management of common pool resources. Concepts notes should:

·          Focus on a specific geographic area (e.g. a region, transborder area, national park and surroundings, administrative unit such as a province, department or municipality), preferably within any of RPE’s priority geographic areas identified in our prospectus.

·          Generate practical outcomes (e.g. that enhance access of marginalized groups to resources; that enhance resource quality and resilience; that increase wellbeing or livelihood security of poor and marginalized groups).

·          Contribute to strengthening or creating effective linkages between local and other decision-making structures and processes

·          Contribute to national or global debates on common pool resource governance

Submissions with a link to Enhancing equitable access and use rights, Strengthening integration with economic and social systems, and Social Learning for Adaptive Management are also welcome.

Submissions are welcome from Southern researchers and institutions, alone or in partnership with civil society, government or northern research institutions. Concept notes will be reviewed quarterly. Research ideas that best meet the above criteria will be invited to develop full proposals.

Deadline: NOVEMBER 30, 2006

http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-81672-201-1-DO_TOPIC

The Force of Nature Aid Foundation awards

Formed in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean Tsunami 2004, The Force of Nature Aid Foundation (FON) is a Malaysian based global public charitable organisation committed to seeing survivors of natural disasters rejuvenated into vibrant, empowered and self-sufficient communities. The Force of Nature Aid Foundation awards grants for projects that address the long-term rehabilitation and recovery needs of disaster affected communities, with the main focus of enhancing the communities' capabilities and resources. In order to accomplish these objectives, FON grants are dedicated to asset building or human infrastructure development, primarily in four programme areas: (1) Psycho-social Rehabilitation; (2) Economic Security; (3) Community-based Resource Management (CBRM); (4) Disaster Risk Reduction.

Our cross-cutting principles include multi-stakeholder partnership, women's empowerment, environmental sustainability and disaster reduction and mitigation. FON is committed to support projects that aim to catalyse long-term systemic change in development.

http://www.forceofnature.org/grant/enquiry.php

Call for proposals: Promoting Innovative Programs from the Developing World: Towards Realizing the Health MDGs in Africa and Asia

This is a 3 year USD 5.9 million project which involves conducting extensive international standard impact evaluations and cost-effectiveness analyses of both about-to-be-launched and ongoing health and health-related programs from the developing and transition world. Submissions are invited from researchers, NGOs, private sector organizations or governments, from and/or operating in developing and transition countries.

Project participants will receive funds (ranging from US $75,000 to US $250,000) for conducting an international standard impact evaluation research project and will benefit from high-quality mentoring and interaction with international experts, networking with researchers from around the world, and development of program evaluation skills and expertise in best-practice impact evaluation techniques.

The last date for submissions is November 17, 2006.

http://www.gdnet.org/middle.php?oid=1095

The Global Junior Challenge (GJC) Award 2006 (deadline extended)

The intention of the award - dedicated to young people and to schools - is to reward best practices on the use of new technologies in education and training of youngsters. The GJC Challenge is promoted by the Digital Youth Consortium, a non-profit organization founded by the Municipality of Rome and six major ICT companies. The 2006 Award main topics are: "educational projects promoted by the cities of the world and local government", "the fight against the Digital Divide" and "the innovative use of new technologies in education and training of youngsters."

Deadline: 31 December 2006

http://www.gjc.it/2006/en/about.php

Fulbright Program in Vietnam - 2008 Vietnamese Student Fellowship

The Fulbright Program in Vietnam supports graduate level study towards a Master’s degree in the United States for promising young and mid-career professionals from Vietnam.  Started in 1992, the Program seeks to achieve mutual understanding between the U.S. and Vietnam through academic and culture exchange.   

Candidates may be employed by or affiliated with: private, international, or state-owned companies, universities, the Vietnamese government, or international or Vietnamese non-governmental organizations (NGOs).  Selection will be based on academic and professional merit, without regard to race, religion, or gender.

Preliminary Application Deadline: March 2, 2007

http://vietnam.usembassy.gov/fvst.html

Fred H. Bixby Fellowship Program

The Population Council has created a new fellowship program to expand opportunities for recently trained population specialists and biomedical researchers. The Council's Fred H. Bixby Fellowship Program is a ten-year program, beginning in January 2007. The program will be highly competitive and will offer a limited number of fellowships each year. The Fred H. Bixby fellowships will allow citizens of developing countries to work with experienced mentors in the Council's network of offices. Fellows will work on projects in the following program areas: (i) HIV and AIDS; (ii) Poverty, Gender, and Youth; (iii) Reproductive Health

The deadline for applications is 15 January 2007.

http://www.popcouncil.org/slr/Bixby/Bixby_home.html

ICCROM Fellowship Programme

ICCROM encourages senior professionals from institutions or organizations in its Member States to apply to undertake their own research in one of the fields of study of interest to ICCROM. Individuals who have at least a Masters degree or relevant working experience in heritage conservation and who have a specialty in the following disciplines, either as teachers or as practitioners, are welcome to apply: (i) art history (ii) museology (iii) archaeology (iv) architecture (v) engineering (vi) conservation/restoration (vii) conservation science (viii) urban planning (ix) library and archives preservation.

ICCROM will provide financial assistance by offering a limited number of grants per calendar year, each worth € 1,800 per month, up to a maximum of € 9,000 per grant.

http://www.iccrom.org/eng/01train_en/01_03fellows_en.shtml

The World Bank's Young Professionals' Program

The Young Professionals Program is designed for highly qualified and motivated young people skilled in areas relevant to the Bank's operations such as economics, finance, education, public health, social sciences, engineering, urban planning, and natural resource management. In order to be competitive for this highly selective program, candidates must have demonstrated a commitment to development, supported by academic success, professional achievement, and potential for leadership. Candidates who are selected to join the Bank as young professionals will find their assignment enriched through on-the-job learning, specialized training, a poverty immersion assignment, and mentoring.

http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTHRJOBS/0,,contentMDK:20519630
~menuPK:64262360~pagePK:64262408~piPK:64262191~theSitePK:1058433,00.html   

Call for papers: Q2 conference 2007, Hanoi, Vietnam (Q-Squared in Policy: A Conference on the Use of Qualitative and Quantitative Methods of Poverty Analysis in Decision-Making)

This "Q-Squared in Policy" conference is to be held in Hanoi, Vietnam on July 7 and 8, 2007. The conference aims to highlight recent examples of the use of "Q-Squared-type" work to inform decision-making processes - that is, policy-level or programmatic decisions at national or sub-national levels by governments, NGOs, development organizations and other groups.

Q2 are interested in contributions which address the methodology of the Q2 studies as well as the process through which they were able to inform decision-making. More specifically, we are looking for papers that discuss the use of Q2 analyses of poverty to inform:

·          the Understanding of the Nature or Causes of Poverty in a Policy Context;

·          the Formulation or Design of Policies, Programs or Projects;

·          Budgeting or Resource Allocation Decisions;

·          Evaluation, Monitoring or Impact Assessment of Policies, Programs or Projects.

The conference will meet the travel costs of one presenter per paper accepted. The papers presented at the conference will in turn be considered for publication in a special issue of a journal or a volume.

Papers should be sent electronically to Ravi Kanbur (sk145@cornell.edu) by December 15, 2006.

http://www.q-squared.ca/callforpapers.html  

First International PKP Scholarly Publishing Conference: Call for Papers

The Public Knowledge Project is pleased to announce that the first international PKP conference will be held from July 11–13, 2007 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The conference will promote and celebrate the quality use of the PKP open source software suite – Open Journal Systems (OJS); Open Conference Systems (OCS); and the Open Archives Harvester.

The conference will appeal to all segments of the PKP community: software developers and technical support specialists; journal publishers, editors, and staff; librarians; and researchers in  scholarly publishing.

http://ocs.sfu.ca/pkp2007/

Workshop for Vietnamese Traders on Managing Buyers Requirements

The workshop is designed for manufacturers/exporters from small and medium-sized companies from any industrial sector. With the workshop Managing Buyers Requirements the CBI explains the competitive advantages of Social Responsibility and Accountability for companies who are interested in exporting to the EU. The workshop is organized along the chapters of the code of conduct builder, developed by CBI and covers three practical aspects of marketing: People, Planet and Profit.

Contents include: * Environment  * Business ethics  * Triple P-marketing  * Social accountability.

For further information on attending the workshop and venue please contact Investment and Trade Promotion Centre, who is responsible for the logistical organisation and critical selection of participants on location: Hoang Minh Chau: tvhl@hcm.vnn.vn – web site: www.itpc.hochiminhcity.gov.vn

The workshop will last for 2 days (November 23-24, 2006) in Ho Chi Minh City.

http://www.cbi.nl/?pag=148&tid=81  

Are you ready for the EU? CBI free export tools

Are you ready for the EU? is a set of 3 free relevant tools offered by the Center for the Promotion of Imports from the Developing Countries (CBI): "Export readiness checker", "Export marketing plan" and "Trade fair manager". A free registration process is needed to access tools.

* CBI's export readiness checker is a quick test to gauge your export readiness. You will get the immediate results on-line after completing the test. Please bear in mind that it is a test and not an official audit. The test results can guide you in fine-tuning certain aspects for your European market preparation.

* CBI's interactive Export marketing plan builder will guide you step-by-step in preparing an export marketing plan. It will guide you through the various chapters, give instructions and explanations and also offer you examples.

* The interactive tool called 'Your Expo Coach', will help you to manage trade fair participations effectively and efficiently.

It is a powerful tool - especially for collective trade fair participations - with loads of useful tips and checklists for the preparation, participation and follow-up of an exhibition.

http://www.cbi.nl/?pag=7  

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