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: basic skills” class

Date: May 16, 2007 -- 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: May 29, 2007 -- 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.

22 May 2007 - International Day for Biological Diversity: Biodiversity and Climate Change

Since the mid-1800s global temperatures have increased by about 0.6°C, impacting the entire world, from low-lying islands in the tropics to the vast Polar Regions. Climate change is already forcing biodiversity to adapt either through shifting habitat, changing life cycles, or the development of new physical traits. The links between biodiversity and climate change run both ways: biodiversity is threatened by human-induced climate change but, biodiversity resources can reduce the impacts of climate change on people and production.

Using biodiversity resources to mitigate or adapt to climate change is of particular importance to vulnerable populations such as people living in low-lying areas or developing countries and indigenous communities. Given the importance of climate change -biodiversity links, it is important to:

- conserve biodiversity that is especially sensitive to climate change,

- preserve habitats so as to facilitate the long-term adaptation of biodiversity,

- improve our understanding of climate change – biodiversity linkages, and

- fully integrate biodiversity considerations into mitigation and adaptation plans.

Small exhibition at VDIC on this occasion provides brief information on this topic as well as a number of publications on biodiversity and climate change.

Library

Selected resources on biodiversity and climate change in Vietnam from VDIC library

333.75 REF. SNV, Netherlands Development Organisation. Tropenbos International. AIDEnvironment. Reference guide on sustainable forestry and biodiversity management [CD-ROM]. S.l.: SNV, TBI, and AIDEnvironment, 2003.

AGR-FOR 21. Baltzer, Michael. The forests of the Lower Mekong ecoregion complex: the Greater Annamites; Central Indochina dry forests; Lower Mekong floodlands & Cardamom mountains. WWF, 2001.

AGR-FOR 21. Baltzer, Michael. To hop cac vung sinh thai rung ha luu song Me Kong: Vung sinh thai day Truong Son; Vung sinh thai rung kho Trung Dong Duong; vung sinh thai ngap nuoc ha lun song Me Kong; & vung sinh thai day nui Cardamom. WWF, 2001.

AGR-FOR 23. Baker John. Initial Assessment of Social and economic factors affecting biodiversity conservation efforts in the forests of the lower Mekong ecoregion complex. Hanoi: WWF, 2000.

AGR-FOR 7. Secretariat of the Convension on Biological Diversity Assessment , conservation and sustainable use of forest biodiversity. Montreal: CBD, 2001.

ENV-BIO 16. Biodiversity and traditional knowledge : equitable partnerships in practice / edited by Sarah A. Laird ; with Miguel N. Adexiades ... [et al.]. London : Earthscan Publications Ltd, 2002.

ENV-BIO V13. Ngan hang The gioi. Bo Tai nguyen va Moi truong. SIDA. Bao cao dien bien moi truong Viet Nam 2005: da dang sinh hoc = Vietnam environment monitor 2005: biodiversity. Hanoi: Nha xuat ban lao dong xa hoi, 2005.

ENV-BIO V13. World Bank. Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. SIDA. Vietnam environment monitor 2005: biodiversity. Hanoi: Nha xuat ban lao dong xa hoi, 2005.

ENV-BIO V14. Nguyen Cu. Institutional strengthing and capacity building for biodiversity conservation in protected areas = Hoan thien the che va tang cuong nang luc bao ton da dang sinh hoc tai cac khu bao ve. Hanoi: WWF, 2002.

ENV-BIO V19. Bo Tai nguyen va Moi truong. Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. Bao cao hien trang moi truong quoc gia 2005: chuyen de da dang sinh hoc nam 2005 = Vietnam national environment report: special issue on biodiversity 2005. Hanoi: MONRE, 2005. Full text http://www.nea.gov.vn/HTMT_ddsh05.htm

ENV-BIO V23. Le Trong Trai. Bao cao da dang sinh hoc to hop bao ton Ba Be / Na Hang = Biodiversity report on the Ba Be / Na Hang conservation complex. Hanoi: Creating Protected Areas for Resource Conservation using Landscape Ecology (PARC) Project, 2004-04. Full text http://www.undp.org.vn/projects/parc.

ENV-ECO 1. World Bank. ENV. How much is an ecosystem worth?: assessing the economic value of conservation. Washington D.C.: The World Bank, 2005-10-01. Full text http://go.worldbank.org/UAVHU90DI0

ENV-EDU 3. Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment. Chuong trinh nang cao nhan thuc da dang sinh hoc giai doan 2001-2010. MOSTE, [2002].

ENV-EDU 3. Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment. Vietnam biodiversity awareness programme 2001-2010. MOSTE, [2002].

ENV-MAN V15. Bo tai nguyen va moi truong. Nghien cuu chien luoc quoc gia cua Viet Nam ve co che phat trien sach: bao cao tong ket = Viet Nam national strategy study on clean developmet mechanism: final report. Hanoi, Vietnam: Nha xuat ban nong nghiep, 2004.

ENV-NAT 15. Baltzer, Michael C. Towards a vision for biodiversity conservation in the forests of the lower Mekong ecoregion complex: technical annex. WWF, 2001.

Highlights from the new additions to VDIC library in April 2007

Full list of new additions to VDIC library in April 2007 can be found at http://www.vdic.org.vn/?name=library&op=viewDetailNews&id=161&mid=322&cmid=325

#AGR-POL-V1. Hoang, Xuan Thanh / SNV / Helvetas Vietnam / Plan Vietnam / Oxfam / Veco Vietnam / Japan International Volunteer Center. Subsidies in agricultural extension for poverty reduction in Vietnam = Tro cap trong khuyen nong de giam ngheo o Viet Nam. Hanoi: SNV, 2006.

#(REF) ECO-ENT-V6. General Statistics Office. Tong cuc Thong ke. Cuc Thong ke Thanh pho Ha Noi. Ket qua dieu tra toan bo doanh nghiep 2000-2005 thanh pho Ha Noi [The results of the Hanoi enterprise census 2000-2005]. Hanoi: Tong cuc Thong ke, 2006.

#ECO-SER-V3. Dinh, Van An. Central Institute for Economic Management. DANIDA. Phat trien khu vuc dich vu [Developing service sector]. Hanoi: Nha xuat ban Thong ke, 2007.

#GEN-VIO 4. Romedenne, Magali. Domestic violence: the Vietnamese shift - Findings and recommendations from the UNFPA/SDC project = Bao luc gia dinh: Su thay doi o Viet Nam - Ket qua va khuyen nghi tu mot du an cua UNFPA/SDC. Hanoi: UNFPA & SDC, 2006.

#GOV-DEC-V2. Koh, David Wee Hock. Wards of Hanoi. Singapore : Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2006.

#HEA-HIV-V24. Health Policy Initiative, Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh - Provincial AIDS Committee. National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology. East-West Center. USAID. Family Health International. Dich HIV tai thanh pho Ho Chi Minh: Xu huong trong tuong lai = The HIV epidemic in Ho Chi Minh City: Where is it going? Hanoi: FHI, 2006. Full text http://www.fhi.org/en/HIVAIDS/pub/survreports/res_HIVepidemicHCMc.htm.

#HEA-REP-V10. UNFPA / Europe Union / VINAFPA / Marie Stopes International Vietnam. Tai lieu huong dan suc khoe sinh san vi thanh nien thanh nien [Adolescent reproductive health toolkit: Volume 1]. Hanoi: Marie Stopes International Vietnam, 2005. Full text in Vietnamese http://vietnam.unfpa.org/documents/BoTL%20huong%20dan%20SKSS%20VTNTN%20Tap%201.pdf. Full text in English http://vietnam.unfpa.org/documents/ARH%20Toolkit%20Vol1Eng.pdf

#INF-HOU 5. Geertman, Stephanie. The self organized city in Vietnam: Processes of change and transformation in housing in Hanoi. Eindhoven, Netherlands: Bouwstenen Publicatieburo, 2007.

#POV-PDA-V9. Minot, Nicholas. Poverty and inequality in Vietnam : spatial patterns and geographic determinants. Washington, D.C. : International Food Policy Research Institute, 2006. Full text http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/abstract/rr148.asp.

#PUB-BUD 1. Quyet toan ngan sach nha nuoc Viet Nam nam 2004; Du toan ngan sach nha nuoc Viet Nam nam 2006 = Vietnam state budget disclosure of final accounts 2004; Vietnam state budget disclosure of plans 2006. Hanoi: Financial Publishing House, 2006.

#SOC-DIS 6. Pierdomenico, Lorenzo. Phuc hoi chuc nang dua vao cong dong tai Viet Nam: Huong dan xay dung du an thi diem [Community-based rehabilitation in Vietnam: Pilot project establishment guide]. Hanoi: Nha xuat ban Y hoc, 2006.

#SOC-TRA 10. Angeles, Maria Belen. Synthesis Report of Three Research Studies Cambodia, Taiwan (China), Vietnam on the Trafficking of Vietnamese Women and Children = Bao cao tong hop tu ba nghien cuu cap quoc gia/vung lanh tho tai Campuchia, Dai Loan (Trung Quoc) va Viet Nam ve buon ban phu nu va tre em Viet Nam. Hanoi: Action Aid Vietnam, 2005. Full text http://www.humantrafficking.org/uploads/publications/AT_Synthesis_report_EN_080906.pdf. Full text in Vietnamese http://www.humantrafficking.org/uploads/publications/AT_Synthesis_Report_VN_080906.pdf

Selected Publications for Sale at VDIC

World Development Indicators 2007

by World Bank

English -- Published April 2007-- ISBN: 0-8213-6959-8

Price: $ 20.00

World Development Indicators is the World Bank's premier annual compilation of data about development. This indispensable statistical reference allows you to consult over 900 indicators for some 150 economies and 14 country groups in more than 80 tables. It provides a current overview of the most recent data available as well as important regional data and income group analysis in six thematic sections: World View, People, Environment, Economy, States and Markets, and Global Links.

Global Monitoring Report 2007: Confronting the Challenges of Gender Equality and Fragile States

by World Bank , International Monetary Fund

English -- Published April 2007 by World Bank -- ISBN: 0-8213-6975-X

Price: $ 8.00

The 2007 Global Monitoring Report on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) assesses the contributions of developing countries, developed countries, and international financial institutions toward meeting universally agreed development commitments. Fourth in a series of annual reports leading up to 2015, this year's report reviews key developments of the past year, emerging priorities, and provides a detailed region-by-region picture of performance in the developing regions of the world, drawing on indicators for poverty, education, gender equality, health, and other goals.

Subtitled "Confronting the Challenges of Gender Equality and Fragile States", this year's report highlights two key thematic areas-gender equality and empowerment of women (the third MDG) and the special problems of fragile states, where extreme poverty is increasingly concentrated.

The report, which is jointly issued by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, argues that gender equality and the empowerment of women are central to the development agenda. This is because gender equality makes good economic sense and because it helps advance the other development goals-including education, nutrition, and reducing child mortality. Rapid progress has been made in some areas, such as achieving educational parity for girls in primary and secondary school in most countries. But in many other dimensions-including political representation and participation in nonagricultural employment-performance still falls short. Better monitoring and efforts at mainstreaming gender equality requires realistic goals, strong leadership, technical expertise, and financing.

Participatory Budgeting

Edited by Anwar Shah

English -- Published March 2007 -- ISBN: 0-8213-6923-7

Price: $ 10.00

In the past three or four decades, public finance theorists and practitioners have struggled to identify and design institutional arrangements to help close the gap between the preferences of voters and the mix of public services actually delivered. Participatory budgeting is potentially a good approach.

This book presents an authoritative guide to the principles and practice of participatory budgeting, providing a careful analysis of the potentials of participatory budgeting in strengthening inclusive and accountable governance as well as risks associated with interest group capture of participatory processes. For interested policy makers and practitioners, the book presents the "nuts and bolts" of participatory budgeting. It provides a regional survey of such practices worldwide and draws lessons from seven individual country case studies. A CD-ROM included with the book contains these seven country case studies on Bangladesh, India, the Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Thailand and the Ukraine.

Governance Reform: Bridging, Monitoring, and Action

by Brian Levy

English -- Published February 2007 -- ISBN: 0-8213-7032-4

Price: $ 7.00

Developing-country governance and its monitoring have risen to the top of the development agenda. This mounting interest is in response to compelling evidence that links governance to development performance-policy quality, public service provision, the investment climate, and the extent of corruption.

Governance Reform: Bridging, Monitoring, and Action lays out a broad framework for analyzing and monitoring governance in developing countries. It identifies fourteen core indicators for governance monitoring- both broad measures of overall patterns and specific "actionable" measures that can be used to guide reforms and track progress.

The book also summarizes good practices for reforming public bureaucracies and checks and balances institutions (including parliaments, the justice system, media and information, and local governance); highlights improvements in transparency as a relatively low-cost and low-key way of deepening government accountability to civil society; and suggests ways to complement top-down reforms with approaches that focus directly on improving service provision and the investment climate (such as strengthening the bottom-up accountabilities of service providers to communities, firms, and citizens).

Governance Reform has no universally applicable trajectory of change. Rather, the aims are: to find country-specific entry points for reform which have development impact in the short-term; to address binding public management constraints, and to help build momentum for further change.

Tools for Institutional, Political, and Social Analysis of Policy Reform: A Sourcebook for Development Practitioners

by Jeremy Holland

English -- Published April 2007 by World Bank -- ISBN: 0-8213-6890-7

Price: $ 9.00

Analysis of the distributional impact of policy reforms plays an important role in the elaboration and implementation of poverty reduction strategies in developing and transitional countries, promoting evidence-based policy choices and fostering debate on policy reform options. International agencies and national partners are increasingly encouraging a more systematic application of policy reform analysis. Requisite to a systematic application is capacity building within countries as well as within donor agencies.

Tools for Institutional, Political, and Social Analysis of Policy Reform contributes to this agenda by introducing a framework and a set of practical tools that analyze the institutional, political, and social dimensions of policy design and implementation. The authors fill a perceived gap in knowledge of the application of social tools and complement existing guidance on conventional economic analysis of distributional impacts of reform.

This book will be of interest to commissioners and practitioners working in policy analysis in a range of areas - including macroeconomic, sectoral, and public sector policy - that are subject to ongoing policy reform discussions.

Government Guarantees: Allocating and Valuing Risk in Privately Financed Infrastructure Projects

by Timothy Irwin

English -- Published March 2007 -- ISBN: 0-8213-6858-3

Price: $ 9.00

Government guarantees can help persuade private investors to finance valuable new infrastructure. But because their costs are hard to estimate and usually do not show up in the government's accounts, governments can be tempted to grant too many guarantees. Drawing on a diverse range of disciplines, including finance, history, economics, and psychology, Government Guarantees aims to help governments give guarantees only when they are justified. It reviews the history of government guarantees and identifies the cognitive and political obstacles to good decisions about guarantees. It then develops a framework for judging when governments should bear risk in an infrastructure project (seeking to make precise the oft-invoked principle that risks should be allocated to those best placed to manage them); explains how guarantees can be valued; and discusses how aspects of public-sector management can be modified to improve the likely quality of government decisions about guarantees.

Although intended mainly for governments and those who advise them, the book may be of interest to others concerned about the problems of allocating and valuing exposure to risk. Similarly, although its focus is physical infrastructure, it may be relevant to people working on public-private partnerships in education, health, and other social services.

Managing the Implementation of Development Projects: A Resource Kit on CD-ROM for Instructors and Practitioners - Course Syllabus and CD-ROM

by World Bank

English -- Published June 2006 -- ISBN: 0-8213-6643-2

Price: $ 14.00

This 12-module CD-ROM library of print-based learning materials is designed for classroom training of developing country project managers responsible for overseeing the implementation of development and other projects. Each module includes performance-based instructional objectives; module and session outlines with a timetable of activities; scripted lectures with corresponding visuals; case studies, exercises, and solution sets with teaching notes; self-assessment questions and answers; and selected readings. The resource kit provides enough information and practice to instill a solid understanding of the principles of project implementation and an awareness of good practices.

"This resource kit represents a milestone in the discipline of development project implementation. It contains practical learning materials based on decades of use and refinement in on-site courses in numerous developing countries throughout the world. I recommend this resource kit without reservation to teachers, consultants, practitioners, contractors, vendors, and learners from all cultures who want to improve the management of international development projects."

--Russell D. Archibald, Doctor of Philosophy -- Ecole Superieure de Commerce de Lille, France

Sound Practice in Government Debt Management

by Graeme Wheeler

English -- Published April 2004 by World Bank -- ISBN: 0-8213-5073-0

Price: $ 10.00

Government debt management has a long tradition, dating back more than two centuries in some European countries. Since the late 1980?s, however, many OECD governments have invested heavily in improving the quality of their debt management practices. In recent years, the topic has received additional attention for its potential role in reducing the vulnerability of emerging economies to financial and economic shocks.

Risk is a relative concept and is measured relative to a set of objectives. The authors argue that a government asset and liability management framework offers valuable conceptual insights for managing the risks associated with government debt portfolios and for considering their interface with a wide range of public policy issues. They also argue that prudent risk management requires clear objectives for debt managers, sound institutional and legal framework, appropriate quality assurance procedures and checks and balances, and efficient management information systems.

Sound Practice in Government Debt Management draws from the experiences of a group of countries that are leaders in the area of government debt management and on the knowledge that the authors have accumulated in advising many governments on their debt management policies and operations. It offers valuable insights to assist government policy-makers in understanding what is involved in implementing sound practice in government debt management.

Distance Learning Center Events in May 2007

May 4 & May 15: Vietnam Blended Learning Program (VBLP) Project Training on Plant Protection (by invitation only)

Classes are from 1:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Funded by Australian Government Trust fund, the VBLP project aims to increase capacity on pest and diseases identification and protection of researchers and farmers of plant protection institutions from the North and the Southern provinces of Vietnam. The training course is a valuable opportunity for participants to learn new knowledge and skills from international specialists of the Center of Agricultural Biology International (CABI) and also learn from each others' experience and good practices. Participants have been learning through a blend of learning methods such as on-site demonstration, workshops, video-conferencing sessions in addition to laboratory learning, this combination has shown a suitability of participants' learning styles and conditions.

May 10, 17, 24 & 31: World Bank Global Seminar Series with Asian Universities (by invitation only)

All seminars are from 07:00 a.m. - 09:00 a.m.

May 10: Conflict & Management; May 17: Education; May 24: Energy & Climate Change; May 31: Communicable Diseases

The World Bank offers the Global Issues Seminar Series (GISS) to promote better understanding of global issues and to generate debate among senior undergraduate and graduate students of social sciences, international development, public policy and business. The Series will last from April to June, consisting of 10 sessions on the topics such as Trade, Poverty and Inequality, Development Aid, Conflict and Development, Education, Energy and Climate Change, Communicable Diseases, Corruption and Governance, UN and IFIs, Discussion on the World Bank. For more information, please visit:

www.worldbank.org/globalseries

May 14: Strengthening Forest Governance with Spatial Information Tools (open for public registration)

Seminar 2: Spatial Analysis Concepts And Tools; from 08:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Building on the first seminar (Information & Governance at http://go.worldbank.org/XOOM8DSTX0), this session provides a relatively non-technical overview of governance relevant applications of spatial analysis and planning technology. Guidance will be provided on how to identify minimum information needs that have cost implication and define the usefulness of an information system. An introduction will be given into available remote sensing data, geographic information systems, global positioning systems and various derived products and uses. Furthermore a characterization of information tool planning will raise aspects such as needs assessment, assessment frequency, scale, spatial resolution, coverage, comparability, reliability, disclosure mechanisms, cost, accessibility and skill and capacity requirements. Specific emphasize will be given to pointing out limitations of currently available technical solutions.

To register for this event, please contact Ms. Nguyen Dieu Nuong, email: nnguyen2@worldbank.org

May 23: Community-driven Development Seminar Series - Session 2 (date & time to be confirmed) (open for public registration)

This is the second session of the inter-regional Community-driven Development (CDD) Seminar Series, which is developed by the World Bank and its partners to share experiences and discuss detailed design choices, operational and analytical issues in apply CDD principles in a portfolio of operations in 3 thematic areas: (a) Decentralization, (b) Livelihoods, and (c) Governance and Anti-corruption. To register for this event, please contact Ms. Nguyen Dieu Nuong, email: nnguyen2@worldbank.org.

Funding Opportunities

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

IFC-FT Essay Competition

The International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group (IFC) and the Financial Times (FT) are pleased to jointly announce their second annual Essay Competition. This year's theme is "Private Sector Development: Creating Markets, Transforming Lives."

The Competition is soliciting action-oriented essays that:

- Provide insight into current Private Sector Development (PSD) research

- Develop and support the implementation of leading-edge PSD initiatives

- Strike a balance between conceptual and practical considerations for private-sector involvement in developing countries, and the effect of that involvement on development

- Reflect innovative, data-supported research resulting from the author’s own professional or academic work

- Target economic & financial policymakers, the international financial community and/or international domestic investors

Entries accepted: April 25, 2007 to September 30, 2007.

Six awards will be granted to the top papers as judged by the Awards Committee:

- Gold Award US$20,000

- 2 Silver Awards, each US$10,000

- 3 Bronze Awards, each US$5,000

IFC and FT will publish all winning essays on their external websites and may provide publication in additional formats at their discretion.

http://www.ifc.org/competition

The 2007 Global Development Awards and Medals Competition

GDN is accepting submissions for the 2007 Global Development Awards and Medals Competition. The largest international competition on development research, this year nearly $240,000 in cash and travel expenses is up for grabs! Submissions are accepted for research proposals, completed research papers and proposals for expansion of development projects.

The three categories are:

1. Japanese Award for Outstanding Research on Development: outstanding research proposals that provide new dimensions to development research, on any of the five selected themes

2. Medals for Research on Development: excellent completed research papers on any of the five selected themes

3. Japanese Award for Most Innovative Development Project: ongoing development projects which present proposals for expanding projects with the maximum potential for impacting local communities

Research must focus on any of the five themes:

1. Fragile States: Addressing Vulnerability

2. Household Exposure to Risk: Effects on Poverty

3. The Rule of Law: Providing Security for Development

4. Women’s Rights, Security and Development: Challenges and Opportunities

5. Natural Resources: Risks and Implications for Sustaining Development

Deadline: August 20, 2007 for development projects; September 17, 2007 for research awards and medals

http://www.gdnet.org/middle.php?oid=1217

CALL FOR APPLICATION: The 2007 Ryutaro Hashimoto APFED Awards

The Asia-Pacific Forum for Environment and Development (APFED) announces "The 2007 Ryutaro Hashimoto APFED Awards for Good Practices" renamed in honour of the late Mr. Ryutaro Hashimoto, former Prime Minister of Japan and first APFED Chair. The Award will be given to organisations that have been undertaking highly appraisable activities and made outstanding achievements in promoting sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific.

The Awards programme aims to honour not only the winners but also aims to build-up a knowledge base of good practices with the objective of sharing the lessons learned and knowledge gained for promoting sustainable development in the region. All participating organisations are hereby acknowledged for their invaluable contribution to the programme.

Deadline of Submission: 16 June 2007 (Japan Standard time)

http://www.iges.or.jp/en/apfed/award/index.html

Call for proposals for 2007 APFED showcase projects

APFED Secretariat now calls for proposals for showcase projects in 2007 to be conducted under the Showcase Programme.

The APFED Showcase Programme aims to support projects that promote innovative policies, measures, and actions for sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region as recommended by the APFED Final Report.

The Programme will provide a grant of up to US$30,000 to each sustainable development project to showcase innovative approaches to support the development, implementation, monitoring, and information dissemination of innovative policies, measures and actions for promoting sustainable development in the region. For more information of the programme, please see "About the Programme."

The call for proposal for the APFED showcase project in 2007 was opened on 16 April and closed on 15 July 2007.

http://www.iges.or.jp/en/apfed/showcase/index.html

Australian Scholarship opportunities available for Vietnam

Australian Scholarships comprise:

Ø The Endeavour Programme administered by the Department for Education, Science and Training represented by Australian Education International (AEI) in Vietnam. This is a highly competitive, prestigious program based solely on merit.

Ø Australian Leadership Awards (ALA) administered by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID).

Ø Australian Development Scholarships (ADS) administered by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID).

Scholars will be selected from highly competitive pools on the basis of demonstrated leadership qualities, academic achievement and/or the potential for them to have development impact.

Awards are open for all fields of study. However study programs that relate to the priority themes of shared regional interest - international trade, pandemics, security and climate change (including clean energy) - are encouraged.

For further information go to www.australianscholarships.gov.au

Alcoa Foundation Practitioner Fellowship

Alcoa Foundation's Conservation and Sustainability Fellowship Program is a unique, international fellowship program created to advance the knowledge and support for exemplary work in the field of conservation and sustainability through fellowships to outstanding academics and practitioners from non-governmental organizations (NGO).

Practitioner Fellowships provide a non-degree opportunity for qualified mid-level professionals from NGOs (and in some cases, government) to conduct approved six- to twelve-month intensive applied research projects in conservation and sustainability. Fellows work from their home organization and are mentored remotely by an expert from a selected Sustainability Institute.

Each Sustainability Institute has a series of topics in Conservation and Sustainability for which they will be mentoring Practitioner Fellows.

Topics fall under one of the four themes that make up the research areas for the Fellowship Program: Conservation of Fragile Ecosystems and Biodiversity, Climate Change and Energy, Sustainability, Livelihoods and Economic Growth and Integrating Sustainability into Public Policy and Governance.

http://www.alcoafoundationfellows.org/page/pf2007/

The Center for Tropical Forest Science (CTFS) – Research Grants Program

The Center for Tropical Forest Science (CTFS) of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) is currently accepting proposals for the eighth cycle of their Research Grants Program.

The Research Grants Program of the Center for Tropical Forest Science (CTFS) of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute is intended to provide opportunities for senior researchers, post-doctoral fellows, and graduate students to utilize existing CTFS Forest Dynamics Plots (FDP) and to conduct research with scientists associated with these plots. The CTFS network of FDPs includes 20 sites in 15 countries.

Anyone working directly in a Forest Dynamics Plot (FDP), analyzing data from a plot, or generating complementary data that strengthens FDP research programs is eligible to apply. Projects can be field-oriented, laboratory-based, or analytical, and scientifically, basic or applied in nature. Grants will range from $3,000-$30,000. The CTFS Research Grants Program will make awards for projects three months to three years in length.

This grants program has switched to an annual cycle. Submissions will be accepted yearly on the last Friday of July. The next deadline for applications is JULY 27, 20076.

www.ctfs.si.edu

Call for participants: GDN workshop on Interdisciplinary Research for Development

GDN in partnership with NZAID and Irish Aid is currently accepting submissions for a two-day workshop on Interdisciplinary Research for Development which examines the process and utility of inter-disciplinary research by focusing on two distinct issues – direct budget support and HIV/AIDS. This workshop will be held prior to GDN’s Ninth Annual Global Development Conference provisionally titled "Security for Development: Responses to Pervasive Threats" in January 2008.

Deadline for submissions: May 31, 2007

http://www.gdnet.org/middle.php?oid=1215

Fellowships offered by NAM S&T Centre Science

NAM S&T Centre Research Fellowship

Five Fellowships are available to the young scientists and professionals only from the member countries of the NAM S&T Centre, as listed on the Centre’s website www.namstct.org, with one Fellowship each for each member country every year. Under this scheme, the Centre pays the return international airfare to the selected Fellow provided that the concerned institution in the host country has already agreed to give free hospitality (furnished accommodation, meals and/or a per diem allowance) to the applicant during his/her stay. Therefore before applying for this Fellowship an applicant should first establish contact with the prospective host agency / institution in another developing country and obtain an acceptance letter, which should clearly state the financial liability on the host agency/institution during the period of affiliation of the applicant with them. Application for this Fellowship may be submitted anytime in the year in the attached format along with the acceptance letter from the host agency / institution.

ICCBS Fellowship

Five Fellowships are available to the scientists and researchers from the developing countries to work in the laboratories of the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) (H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry and Dr. Panjwani Centre for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research), University of Karachi, Pakistan for a maximum period of 3 months in the fields related to Natural Products Chemistry, Herbal Medicines and Drugs, Pharmaceuticals and Neutraceuticals, Molecular Medicine, Drug Research, Clinical Research & Practices or any other subjects agreed upon by the ICCBS authorities. Only one Fellowship is awarded every year to each developing country, with preference given to the member countries of the NAM S&T Centre, on a strictly competitive basis based on the applicant’s academic and professional background, the plan of work and the mutual research interests of the applicant and ICCBS. Under this scheme, ICCBS provides local hospitality, e.g. furnished accommodation and meals and an out-of-pocket allowance @US$100 per month to the selected applicants. The NAM S&T Centre pays the return international airfare only to the Fellow selected from within the member countries of the Centre as listed on the Centre’s website www.namstct.org, but the Fellows selected from non-member developing countries have to arrange their own international fare to visit Karachi. Application for Joint NAM S&T Centre – ICCBS Fellowship may be submitted in the attached format latest by 31st July 2007.

http://www.namstct.org

International Postgraduate Research Scholarships Scheme (IPRS) - Australian Commonwealth Government

The main objectives of the Endeavour International Postgraduate Research Scholarships Scheme (IPRS) programme are to:

- attract top quality international postgraduate students to areas of research strength in Australian higher education providers; and

- support Australia's research effort.

Scholarships are available for a period of two years for a master's by research degree or three years for a doctorate by research degree. The scholarship covers tuition fees and health cover costs for scholarship holders, and health cover costs for their dependants.

Scholarships are open to international students of all countries (except New Zealand)

Contact email: Endeavour.scholarships@dest.gov.au

http://www.endeavour.dest.gov.au/individual_awards/iprs.htm

NRF Free-Standing Postdoctoral Research Fellowships and DoL Scare Skills Postdoctoral Fellowships - National Research Foundation (NRF)

The National Research Foundation (NRF) offers freestanding postdoctoral fellowships in the fields of science, engineering, and technology (SET) as well as the social sciences and humanities (SSH) for recent doctoral graduates who wish to do research in a new environment.

Postdoctoral fellowships are available to applicants of any nationality if held in South Africa, and to South African citizens for research in South Africa or abroad.

Deadline: July 31, 2007 - January 31, 2008

http://www.nrf.ac.za/studentsupport/

Australian Leadership Awards - Australia Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)

Australian Leadership Awards (ALA) is a new award under which the Australian Government offers scholarships and fellowships for current and future leaders from the Asia-Pacific Region. Australian Leadership Awards provide exceptional educational opportunities in Australia. They are awarded to people who are already leaders or have a potential to assume leadership roles that can influence social and economic policy reform and development outcomes, both in their own countries and in the Asia and Pacific region.

Deadline: July 31, 2007

http://www.ausaid.gov.au/scholar/ala.cfm

The Brian Robson Postgraduate Research Scholarship on Urban Policy - University of Manchester

The scholarship is worth £16,000 a year for a total of three years to support tuition fees, student maintenance and research costs. Professor Robson has an international reputation for his work on urban and regional policy. He created CUPS (Centre for Urban Policy Studies) in 1983 and it has established a reputation for policy-relevant research on the evaluation of area-based urban policy initiatives, regional development, spatial planning and housing, and the measurement of neighbourhood dynamics.

The research to be undertaken by the holder of this Scholarship can focus on any aspect of Urban and Regional Studies that has both academic and policy relevance. Candidates with disciplinary backgrounds in any relevant social science subject area are encouraged to apply (anthropology, economics, geography, planning, politics, sociology). Ideally, the research topic should relate to CUPS evolving research plan (see below). The topics listed below provide an illustration of areas of work that are of interest to CUPS but potential candidates with other urban related topics are encouraged to apply:

- Evaluation of area-based urban policy initiatives

- Territorial spatial planning

- Analysis of neighbourhood dynamics

The successful candidate will be registered in the School of Environment and Development from September 2007 and will receive research training through attendance of appropriate programmes (see www.sed.manchester.ac.uk/postgraduate)

The closing date for complete PhD applications (all supporting documents must have been received) is May 30th 2007.

Informal enquires and requests for further information can be made to Iain.Deas@manchester.ac.uk

http://www.sed.manchester.ac.uk/postgraduate/funding/robsonScholarship.htm

Scholarly Residencies - Rockefeller Foundation

A Bellagio residency provides time for critical thinking, disciplined work, individual reflection, and collegial engagement, uninterrupted by the usual professional and personal demands.

The Foundation seeks applicants who are able to demonstrate a history of significant achievement in their respective fields. Residency cohorts include artists, writers, non-governmental organization practitioners, policymakers, scholars and scientists from around the world.

Deadline: March 1, 2007; October 1, 2007

http://www.rockfound.org/bellagio/bel_conf.shtml

Public Affairs Residencies - Rockefeller Foundation

Bellagio public affairs residencies provide time for critical thinking, disciplined work, individual reflection, and collegial engagement, uninterrupted by the usual professional and personal demands. The Foundation also encourages demonstrated leaders to use time at Bellagio for reflection and repositioning of their organizations in a rapidly changing world. The professional work of an applicant must align with the Foundation's mission to expand opportunities for poor or vulnerable people and to help ensure that globalization's benefits are shared more widely.

The Foundation seeks applicants who are able to demonstrate a history of professional leadership and significant achievement in their respective fields. Policy makers, non-governmental organization practitioners, social entrepreneurs, activists, individuals from the corporate sector engaged in social investment projects and journalists are eligible to apply.

Deadline: March 1, 2007 October; 1, 2007

http://www.rockfound.org/bellagio/bel_conf.shtml

Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health - Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

The purpose of this dissemination and implementation research program announcement is to support innovative approaches to identifying, understanding, and overcoming barriers to the adoption of evidence-based interventions that previous efficacy or effectiveness research has shown to be effective, but where adoption to date has been limited or significantly delayed.

Applications may be submitted by domestic or foreign for-profit and nonprofit organizations and public or private institutions, such as universities, colleges, hospitals, and laboratories; units of state and local government; eligible agencies of the federal government; and faith-based or community-based organizations.

http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-07-086.html

Endeavour Australia Cheung Kong Research Fellowships - Australian Commonwealth Government

The Endeavour Australia Cheung Kong Research Fellowships provide financial support for postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows from participating Asian countries to undertake short-term research, in any field of study, in Australia.

To be eligible for an Endeavour Australia Cheung Kong Research Fellowship, applicants must:

- be citizens or permanent residents of a participating country and physically resident in that country (those holding dual Australian citizenship or permanent residency status in Australia are ineligible to apply);

- have a completed undergraduate degree that demonstrates high academic achievement;

- either be enrolled in a master's degree or Ph.D. course in their home country or have completed a Ph.D.;

- demonstrate English language proficiency; and

- have a confirmation of acceptance or affiliation with the host institution.

Deadline: July 31, 2007

http://www.endeavour.dest.gov.au/awards_by_country/for_internationals/
for_asian_applicants/cheung_kong_research_fellowships.htm

SCHOLARSHIP: ASEAN Foundation – NUS Research Scholarship

Two slots are available for a postgraduate scholarship at the National University of Singapore to pursue Master’s research programme in one of the following fields: development studies, environment, natural sciences, engineering, and information and communication technology. This research scholarship is open to candidates who are citizens of ASEAN Member countries (except Singapore citizens and permanent residents) and awarded or confirmed to be awarded an NUS Research Scholarship.

All applications and inquiries should be made directly to NUS. Complete information is available at the NUS website http://www.nus.edu.sg/registrar/prospective/graduate/aseanfoundationterms.htm

The AF-NUS Research Scholarship is under the ASEAN Foundation Scholarship for Postgraduate Studies programme which aims to provide high quality human resources within ASEAN member countries, particularly in socio-cultural area, through postgraduate study and at the same time, promote studies in ASEAN universities.

http://www.aseanfoundation.org/index2.php?main=news/2007/2007-04-18.php

Monash Fellowships - Monash University

Monash University has established the Monash Fellowships to attract internationally competitive researchers to undertake research of national and international significance (including young researchers from overseas with great future potential) and provide them with the best possible environment to establish a productive laboratory or other research team and to foster collaborations. The fellowships will be in the form of a direct appointment in 2007 following a Monash-conducted competitive process (open to researchers from outside Monash University only). The fellowships are tenable only at Monash University and it is expected that most of the time will be spent at the relevant Monash department or centre.

Fellowships are open to researchers from all disciplines, from outside Monash University. Applications are not accepted from researchers currently in postdoctoral or other positions at Monash University.

Deadline: July 31, 2007

http://www.monash.edu.au/research/academics/funding/information/monash/monash-fellowships.html

Josephine de Kßrmßn Fellowships - Karman Fellowship Trust

The Josephine De Kßrmßn Fellowship Trust was established in 1954 by the late Dr. Theodore von Kßrmßn, world renowned aeronautics expert and teacher and first director of the Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology, in memory of his sister, Josephine, who passed away in 1951. The purpose of this fellowship program is to recognize and assist students whose scholastic achievements reflect Professor von Kßrmßn's high standards. Special consideration will be given to applicants in the humanities.

Students in any discipline entering the senior undergraduate year or a candidate for a Ph.D. who will defend their dissertation by June, 2008 are eligible to apply.

Deadline: January 31, 2008

http://www.dekarman.org/

Postdoctoral Fellowship for Foreign Researchers - Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)

The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Postdoctoral Fellowship for Foreign Researchers provides opportunities to young postdoctoral researchers from foreign countries to conduct, under the guidance of their hosts, cooperative research with leading research groups in universities and other Japanese institutions. The program is aimed at providing opportunities for such researchers to help them to advance their own research while contributing to the advancement of research in Japan and the counterpart countries. All fields of the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences are included under this program.

Each candidate for the fellowship must:

- be a citizen of a country that has diplomatic relations with Japan;

- hold a doctorate degree when the fellowship goes into effect, which must have been received within six years prior to April 2, 2007; and

- have arranged in advance a research plan with his or her Japanese host.

Contact email: ariie@jsps.go.jp

Deadline: May 11, 2007

http://www.jsps.go.jp/english/

British Chevening Scholarships - British Council

The British Chevening Scholarships are funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and administered by the British Council.The British Chevening Scholarships enable overseas graduate students and young professionals to study or do research at UK institutions of higher education, becoming familiar with the United Kingdom and gaining skills that will benefit their countries.

The programme currently provides around 2,300 scholarships each year. The award amount is unspecified. There are basically three types of scholarship:

- Type A scholarships cover tuition fees only.

- Type B scholarships are full scholarships that cover tuition fees, monthly stipend, and various one-off allowances.

- Type C scholarships vary from award to award and cover part or full stipend and/or allowances.

Contact email: general.enquiries@britishcouncil.org

http://www.chevening.com/

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