· 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.

· Please bring your own laptop to the classes if possible since these training sessions require computer use and Internet access while number of computers for class participants are limited. Wifi is provided free of charge at VDIC.

“Searching the Internet: basic skills” class

Date: June 12, 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: June 15, 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.

World Environment Day 2007 -- “Melting Ice: A Hot Topic!” – 5 June 2007

Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities are causing our world to get warmer. Concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are higher than at any time for the past 600,000 years, and the rate of increase is accelerating. The most dramatic evidence of climate change is found in the polar regions. The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the global average. The extent and thickness of permanent Arctic sea ice is diminishing; areas of permafrost, frozen for centuries, are thawing; and ice caps in Greenland and the Antarctic are melting faster than anyone anticipated. For the people and ecosystems of the Arctic, the implications are profound. Retreating sea ice is reducing habitat for vulnerable Arctic species. The changes will also affect Arctic indigenous communities who depend on the natural world, not just for food, but for their cultural identity.

However, this is not just a polar issue. The theme for World Environment Day 2007 -- “Melting Ice: A Hot Topic!” -- reflects the impact that climate change is having in all regions. There are also many options available to avoid catastrophic climate change that people in all regions can apply. These include worldwide improvements in energy efficiency and a shift to low-carbon and renewable resources such as solar and wind power, bio-energy and geothermal energy. A low-greenhouse gas future will also need to include social changes. Millions of households now use the sun to heat water, with an increasing number also harnessing solar energy for electricity. From Vietnam to Australia, Kenya to Mexico, people are banding together to plant trees, many of them as part of the UNEP Plant For The Planet: Billion Tree Campaign. Trees can slow climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide as they grow. They also help to reduce pollution, keep cities cool, protect water catchments and reduce soil erosion.

International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking -- 26 June 2007

"Drugs destroy lives and communities, undermine sustainable human development and generate crime. Drugs affect all sectors of society in all countries; in particular, drug abuse affects the freedom and development of young people, the world's most valuable asset." Drug abuse, production and trafficking were considered as key areas to tackle in the fight against illicit drugs.

The slogan of the UNODC anti-drugs campaign to be launched on 26 June 2007, the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, is "Do drugs control your life? Your life. Your community. No place for drugs." With this campaign, UNODC aims to raise awareness of the major problem that illicit drugs represent to society. No individual, family or community is safe where illicit drugs take control. Drugs may control the body and mind of individual consumers, the drug crop and drug cartels may control farmers, illicit trafficking and crime may control communities. The campaign's goal is to inspire people and mobilize support for drug control.

Small exhibitions at VDIC on this occasion provide brief information on these topics as well as display a number of publications on climate change and on drug use and abuse.

Library

Selected resources on climate change from VDIC library

ENV-CLI 2 [INTERNET]. Great Britain. Treasury. The economics of climate change : the Stern Review / Nicholas Stern. Cambridge, UK : Cambridge University Press, 2007. Full text http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/independent_reviews/stern_review_economics_climate_change/sternreview_index.cfm

ENV-CLI 1. World Bank. ENVGC. Managing climate risk: integrating adaptation into World Bank Group operations. Washington D.C.: The World Bank, 2006-06-01.

ENV-DIS 2. Netherlands Red Cross. Vietnam Red Cross Society. Climate change and disaster preparedness: Vietnam : learning to live with climate change or adapting to a new reality. Hanoi: s.n., 2004-07.

ENV-DIS 4. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Preparedness for climate change. The Netherlands, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, 2003.

ENV-MAN 4. World Bank. ENV. Inheriting the earth : young people, the environment, and the World Bank. Washington D.C.: The World Bank, 2005-06-01. Full text http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2005/08/25/
000011823_20050825165908/Rendered/PDF/332620REVISED.pdf

ENV-MAN 7. World Bank. ENV. Protecting and improving the Global Commons : 15 years of the World Bank Group Global Environment Facility Program. Washington D.C.: The World Bank, 2006-01-01. Full text http://siteresources.worldbank.org/GLOBALENVIRONMENTFACILITYGEFOPERATIONS/Resources/Publications-Presentations/GEFoverviewweb.pdf

ENV-MAN V15. Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. Viet Nam national strategy study on clean development mechanism: final report. Hanoi, Vietnam: Agricultural publishing house, 2004.

ENV-MAN V17. Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. AusAID. Vietnam national strategy study on clean development mechanism, executive summary and action plan = Nghien cuu chien luoc quoc gia cua Viet Nam ve co che phat trien sach, bao cao tom tat va chuong trinh hanh dong. Hanoi, Vietnam: Agricultural publishing house, 2004.

IND-ENE 7. World Bank. ENV. Fuel for thought : an environmental strategy for the energy sector. Washington, D.C.: The World Bank, 2000-06-30. Full text http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTINFNETWORK/Resources/fuelforthought.pdf

INF-TRA 3. Karakezi, Stephen. Climate change mitigation in the urban transport sector : priorities for the World Bank. Washington, D.C.: World Bank, 2003-06.

Mendelsohn, Robert. World Bank. ARD. Cross-sectional analyses of climate change impacts. Washington D.C.: The World Bank, 2004-06-01. Full text http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2004/08/02/
000160016_20040802115012/Rendered/PDF/WPS3350.pdf.

Jianping Yan; Wheeler, David; Meisner, Craig; Laplante, Benoit; Dasgupta, Susmita. The impact of sea level rise on developing countries : a comparative analysis. World Bank Policy Research working paper ; no. WPS 4136. Washington, DC: World Bank, 2007-02. Full text http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/IW3P/
IB/2007/02/09/000016406_20070209161430/Rendered/PDF/wps4136.pdf

Selected resources on drug abuse from VDIC library

Ministry of Justice. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. UNICEF. Assessment of the legal system in Vietnam in comparison with the United 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

SOC-DRU 2. The Centre for Harm Reduction. Manual for reducing drug related harm in Asia. The Centre for Harm Reduction, 2003.

SOC-DRU-V1. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Country profile on Vietnam. [Hanoi]: UNODC, 2003.

SOC-DRU-V2. Phan, Thi Mai Huong. Institute of Psychology. Thanh nien nghien ma tuy: nhan cach va hoan canh xa hoi. [Young drug addicts: personal characteristics and social environment]. Hanoi, Vietnam: Nha xuat ban Khoa hoc xa hoi, 2005.

SOC-DRU-V3. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Ethnic minorities, drug use and harm in the highlands of Northern Vietnam : a contextual analysis of the situation in six communes from Son La, Lai Chau, and Lao Cai. [Hanoi]: UNODC, 2003.

SOC-DRU-V4. UNDCP. Tinh hinh su dung ma tuy o Ha Noi: mot so ket qua dieu tra va khuyen nghi cho cong tac can thiep = Patterns of Drug use in Hanoi. Hanoi, Vietnam: UNDCP, 2002.

SOC-DRU-V5. UNDCP. Ma tuy la tu than [Drugs mean death]. Vietnam: UNDCP, 2001.

SOC-DRU-V6. Ai tra gia cho nhung me muoi trang ? khia canh gioi cua lam dung ma tuy = Men Fly to Heaven, Women Fly to Hell – Gender Implications of Drug Abuse. Hanoi, Vietnam: World Publishing House, 2003.

Highlights from the new additions to VDIC library in May 2007

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

ECO-DEV-A15. Gill, Indermit. The World Bank. Intitute of Policy Studies, IPS. East Asian Visions: Perspectives on economic development. WAshington, DC: The World Bank, 2007.

ECO-DEV-A16. Winters, L. Alan. World Bank. EXTOP. Dancing with the giants: China, India, and the global economy. Washington D.C.: The World Bank, 2007-01-01. http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDS_IBank_Servlet?pcont=details&eid=000020953_20070110150325

(REF) ECO-DIS V4. General Statistical Office. Result of the survey on households living standards 2004 = Ket qua khao sat muc song ho gia dinh nam 2004. Hanoi: Statistical Publishing House, 2006.

ECO-ENT-V28. Dana, Leo Paul. Asian models of entrepreneurship : from the Indian Union and the kingdom of Nepal to the Japanese archipelago : context, policy and practice / by Leo-Paul Dana. (Asia-Pacific business series ; vol. 4). New Jersey : World Scientific, 2007.

ECO-POL-V31. Ministry of Planning and Investment. List of projects, programs in ethnic minorities and mountainous areas calling for ODA, INGO funds 2006-2010. Hanoi, Vietnam: 2006.

ECO-POL-V46. Guo, Sujian, 1957-. The political economy of Asian transition from communism / Sujian Guo. (Transition and development). Aldershot, Hampshire, England ; Burlington, VT : Ashgate, c2006. Table of contents only http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip067/2006002756.html

ECO-POL-V47. Rodan, Garry. The political economy of South-East Asia: markets, power and contestation. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.

ECO-POL-V48. Fforde, Adam. Vietnamese state industry and the political economy of commercial renaissance: dragon's tooth or curate's egg? (Chandos Asian studies series: Contemporary issues and trends). Oxford: Chandos, 2007.

EDU-HIG 13. Yusuf, Shahid. How Universites promote economic growth (Directions in Development, Human Development). Washington, DC: The World Bank, 2007.

EDU-HIG 14. World Bank. Capacity building in economics education and research / Francois Bourguignon, Yehuda Elkana, and Boris Pleskovic, editors. Washington, D.C. : World Bank, c2007.

ENV-BIO-V26. Sterling, Eleanor J. Vietnam : a natural history / Eleanor Jane Sterling, Martha Maud Hurley, Le Duc Minh ; with illustrations by Joyce A. Powzyk. New Haven : Yale University Press, c2006. Table of contents http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip061/2005029254.html. Publisher description http://www.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0623/2005029254-d.html

ENV-POL-V1. Urban air pollution in Asian cities : status, challenges, and management / Dieter Schwela ... [et al.]. London ; Sterling, VA : Earthscan, c2006. Table of contents only http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip0613/2006014538.html

GOV-CIV 19. SNV. UNDP. Filing the gap: the emerging civil society in Viet Nam. Hanoi, Vietnam: 2007-01.

GOV-POL-V2. Vietnam's new order : international perspectives on the State and reform in Vietnam / edited by Stephanie Balme and Mark Sidel. (CERI series in international relations and political economy). New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.

HEA-DEV 19. Dang, Boi Huong. Ensuring health care for the rural poor in Vietnam and China: a state or a market approach? = Dam bao cham soc suc khoe cho nguoi ngheo o nong thon Viet nam va Trung Quoc: dinh huong nha nuoc hay thi truong. Vietnam: Medical Publishing House, 2006.

HEA-DEV 20. Public ends, private means: strategic purchasing of health services. Washington D.C: The World Bank, 2007.

INF-V12. Breisinger, Clemens. Modelling infrastructure investments, growth and poverty impact : a two-region computable general equilibrium perspective on Vietnam / Clemens Breisinger. (Development economics and policy ; v. 56). New York, N.Y. : Peter Lang, 2006.

LAW-ENT 20. Gillespie, John (John Stanley). Transplanting commercial law reform : developing a 'rule of law' in Vietnam / John Gillespie. Aldershot, England ; Burlington, VT : Ashgate Pub. Company, c2006. Table of contents only http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip0615/2006018470.html

POV-V4. Vietnamese Academy of Social Sciences. Vien Khoa hoc Xa hoi Viet Nam. Bao cao cap nhat ngheo 2006: Ngheo va giam ngheo o Viet Nam giai doan 1993-2004 = Vietnam poverty update report 2006: Poverty and poverty reduction in Vietnam 1993-2004. Hanoi: The National Political Publishers, 2007.

PUB-FIN 28. Shah, Anwar, ed. Local public financial management (Public Sector Governance and Accountability Series). Washington, D.C. : The World Bank, 2007.

SOC-MIG 17. General Statistics Office. United Nations Population Fund. The quality of life of migrants in Vietnam = Chat luong cuoc song cua nguoi di cu o Viet Nam (The 2004 Vietnam Migration Survey). Hanoi, Vietnam: GSO, 2006-11.

New Publications for Sale at VDIC

The Many Faces of Corruption: Tracking Vulnerabilities at the Sector Level

Edited by J. Edgardo Campos , Sanjay Pradhan

Published April 2007 by World Bank -- ISBN: 0-8213-6725-0

Price: $ 11.00

Corruption... How can policymakers and practitioners better comprehend the many forms and shapes that this social pandemic takes? From the delivery of essential drugs, the reduction in teacher absenteeism, the containment of illegal logging, the construction of roads, the provision of water and electricity, the international trade in oil and gas, the conduct of public budgeting and procurement, and the management of public revenues, corruption shows its many faces. The Many Faces of Corruption attempts to bring greater clarity to the often murky manifestations of this virulent and debilitating social disease.

It explores the use of prototype road maps to identify corruption vulnerabilities, suggests corresponding "warning signals," and proposes operationally useful remedial measures in each of several selected sectors and for a selected sample of cross cutting public sector functions that are particularly prone to corruption and that are critical to sector performance. Numerous technical experts have come together in this effort to develop an operationally useful approach to diagnosing and tackling corruption. The Many Faces of Corruption is an invaluable reference for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers engaged in the business of development.

China's Information Revolution: Managing the Economic and Social Transformation

by Christine Zhen-Wei Qiang

Published May 2007 by World Bank -- ISBN: 0-8213-6720-X

Price: $ 8.00

This report presents a comprehensive overview of the information, communication and technological sector in China, and the role it has played during economic and social transformation in the past decade. It provides guidance on the kind of reforms policy makers in China may wish to consider in pursuing the country's quest for continued ICT development. It also combines local perspectives with international experiences on how issues in areas such as legal and regulatory environment, telecommunications infrastructures, and IT industry have been addressed by other countries.

Participatory Budgeting

Edited by Anwar Shah

Published March 2007 -- by World Bank -- 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.

Little Data Book on Private Sector Development 2007

by World Bank

Published April 2007 -- by World Bank -- ISBN: 0-8213-7076-6

Price: $ 5.00

The Little Data Book on Private Sector Development 2007 is one of a series of pocket-sized books intended to provide a quick reference to development data on different topics. The Little Data Book on Private Sector Development 2007 provides data for more than 20 key indicators on business environment and private sector development in a single page for each of the World Bank member countries and other economies with populations of more than 30,000. These more than 200 country pages are supplemented by aggregate data for regional and income groupings.

The data topics include:

· economic and social context

· business environment

· private sector investment

· finance and banking

· infrastructure

It is intended as a quick reference for users of World Development Indicators, WDI Online, and the Atlas of Global Development. The book also includes data from the World Bank's Doing Business project and Enterprise Surveys.

Distance Learning Center Events in June 2007

Inter-regional distance Learning Seminar Series on Forest Law Enforcement and Governance (Open for public registration)

Session 3 (June, 6, from 08:30 - 11:30 a.m.)

Session 4 (June, 29, from 08:30 - 11:30 a.m.)

Following the 2 previous sessions were held in April and May, session 3&4 will focus on: (i) presenting a range of pertinent examples of how spatial analysis techniques can substantially contribute and enable good forest governance (ii) drawing lessons learnt from case studies and on-going FLEG processes. Their aims are to try to respond further to the participants priority needs for spatial information expressed during the first seminar, include an outlook on possible future spatial information applications.

To register for these events, please contact Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai, email: mnguyen@worldbank.org.

Kids Video Conference Session, Kids of Vietnam and Philippines

June, 5, from 13:00-16:00 (By invitation only)

The “Kids Session” is organized by the Tokyo Development Learning Center, in conjunction with the World Bank Tokyo Office, and its partners including VDIC, which is aimed at seeking to develop a tool-kit to train teachers in planning, designing, and implementing multicultural education programs for children. This session will focus on 2 main contents: (i) Kids session between Philippines and Vietnam and (ii) Discussion among DLC staff, teachers, potential donors, etc.

For further information, please contact Ms. Dang Thi Ngoc Lan, email: ldang@worldbank.org

Global Seminar Series among Asian Universities (By invitation only)

The World Bank offers this seminar series in order to promote better understanding of global issues among senior undergraduate and graduate students of the social sciences, international development, public policy and business. Following the previous sessions, session 9, 10 and 11 will work on following issues:

- Session 9 (June 7, from 07:00-09:00 a.m.): Corruption & Governance

- Session 10 (June 14, from 07:00-09:00 a.m.): UN and IFIs

- Session 11 (June 21, from 07:00-09:00 a.m.): Discussion on World Bank

A blended training course on Drug Information Searching and Analyzing Skills (By invitation only)

The training course will be held on May 18, 19, 20 and 21, 2007. For further information, please contact Ms. Dang Thi Ngoc Lan, email: ldang@worldbank.org

VDIC has been supporting the Drug Information Center, Hanoi Colleague of Pharmacy in building capacity in searching and effectively utilizing drug information through a number of training courses and workshops. Participants are key teaching and researching staff of the center and other pharmacists from some provinces in the North of Vietnam. The participants will learn how to evaluate and identify good information sources available on-line; analyze, select and create their own sources based on the actual needs. Trainers and facilitators of the course are specialists and experts from leading institutions of Vietnam and Sweden. The course's structure with diversified learning activities is expected to provide new technical knowledge and skills more effectively but also an opportunity exposing the learners to new ideas and choices on learning skills.

World Development Report 2007- Supporting Youth Voices Seminar Series - Session 2 (Open for public registration)

June 29, from 08:00-11:00 a.m.

The series are organized by the World Bank, and the Vietnam Development Information Center. Following the first session organized in April 19, session 2 will focus on increasing youth participation in the decision-making process at the national level through having key policy-makers attend session. To register for this event, please contact Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai, email: mnguyen@worldbank.org.

Funding Opportunities

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

2007 International Essay Contest for Young People - UNESCO

Young people up to 25 years old from around the world are invited to submit their creative ideas on the theme: "The role of media and information and communication technologies in building a peaceful world". What should be the role of the media and communication technologies in the future? How would you make use of these various tools of communication to help create a better world? The first prize winners will receive a cash award and a trip to Japan. The winners will be announced in November 2007 on the web sites of the Goi Peace Foundation and of UNESCO.

The contest is organised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the Goi Peace Foundation, Japan.

The deadline for entry is 30 June 2007.

For more information, please visit http://www.goipeace.or.jp/english/activities/programs/0702_00.htm

The First Annual Development Gateway Foundation Photo Contest

The Development Gateway Foundation photo competition is open to ALL photographers at least 18 years of age, except employees of the foundation and their immediate families. We are looking for compelling photographs of socio-economic development in developing countries. Four types of photographs will be accepted. 1) The images may show information and communications technologies helping ordinary people. 2) The images may show people making something, selling wares, working in a field, constructing a building or type of infrastructure, or acquiring knowledge. 3) The images could be abstract images representing hope, the future, or capacity building. 4) The photographs may also include images of original artwork from a developing country. Please do not include photographs of groups of people posing.

Each entry must include a written statement explaining how that image is representative of development. Images will be judged on technical excellence, composition, overall impact, and artistic merit. Each participant may submit up to 3 photographs total. Each digital photograph must be uploaded to the foundation server.

Deadline for submitting entries is September 21, 2007.

The top 10 photographs will be posted on the Development Gateway Foundation Web site. All visitors to the site will be able to vote once.

For more information, please visit http://www.dgfoundation.org/news-events/photo-contest.html?intcmp=800

Mondialogo School Contest

Imagine two student groups from different parts of the world who have never met before. They know nothing or very little about each other’s lives. They are now called upon to establish contact, exchange thoughts and become partnered teams.

Intercultural education entails:

- Deciding on a common working language

- Selecting appropriate communication channels

- Overcoming time zones and different school holidays

- Reaffirming one’s own identity [“I” phase]

- Discovering, appreciating and respecting the partner team’s culture [“YOU” phase]

- Actively exchanging thoughts and ideas, agreeing on a mutual topic and conducting a joint project [“WE” phase]

This learning process can easily be integrated into school activities and may yield lifelong benefits.

Along with the contact details of their partner team, supervising teachers will receive a comprehensive SchoolKit from Mondialogo. The SchoolKit will provide practical guidelines, pedagogical materials and suggestions, as well as the project report form to be submitted for the evaluation of projects. Teams will have 5 months to conduct their joint projects with their respective partner teams.

Send in your project result, a photo of your team and the Project Report Form to UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France, to arrive by 31 May 2008.

For more information, please visit http://www.mondialogo.org

Volvo Adventure Award

The award is for teams of two to five young people working on a practical action project that will improve their school or community environment. It is an award for ongoing environmental projects that have had a positive impact on the environment. If you are just starting out we also offer resources to help you plan and develop your project based on successful past projects. Many winners have registered one year and entered the following year.

The young people aged 13 to 16 years should be devising action plans to help their environment. You will need to show the role that young people have had in the project and the actions they have taken. Your project can focus on any environmental subject that you have found interesting. For example we have had projects focussing on:

1. Biodiversity – how young people help animals and plants in their community;

2. Waste – what young people have done to reduce waste, reuse and recycle more;

3. Water – how young people improved the water quality in their community or school;

4. Energy – how young people helped to reduce energy use or make it more sustainable;

5. Transport – how young people campaigned to reduce local traffic congestion.

All you have to do is register and return your entries to us. The best entries will be asked to join an international conference to present their ideas in Sweden and compete for the final prizes. All of the ideas and action plans will be published and presented to the United Nations Environment Programme.

The deadline for submitting projects is midnight on the 31st of January.

For more information, please visit http://www.volvoadventure.org/

UNESCO Literacy Prizes: call for nominations

“Literacy and health” is the focus of UNESCO’s five 2007 International Literacy Prizes, worth US$20,000 each. UNESCO has awarded literacy prizes annually since 1966, to recognize outstanding projects worldwide and to highlight the importance of literacy. The principal prizes in 2007 are the International Reading Association Literacy Award, the two King Sejong Literacy Prizes and the two Confucius Prizes.

Health is the current theme of the United Nations Literacy Decade (UNLD), for which UNESCO is the lead agency, 2007. The prizes will therefore focus on literacy and its links with general health care, nutrition, family and reproductive health and health-related community development. In addition, The King Sejong Prizes emphasize the use of mother tongue languages in developing countries, while the Confucius Prizes reward outstanding literacy activities for rural adults and out-of-school youth, particularly women and girls.

The deadline is 15 June.

For more information, please visit http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php-URL_ID=53236&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

2nd Annual Friends of the Earth International Photo Competition

2007 theme: food and agriculture

Friends of the Earth International is excited to announce our second-ever photo competition. This international photo competition will gather photos from around the world on the theme of food and agriculture, and feature the best shots in our 2008 wall calendar and in an activist cookbook.

We are looking for imaginative, striking photos related to food and agriculture around the world in the following categories. We have given some ideas for subjects within these themes, but please do use your imagination when submitting photos!

1. People: Who feeds the world? Photos entered in this category should feature food producers around the planet: agriculturalists, fishers, livestock farmers, pastoralists, forest dwellers, indigenous peoples, migrant workers, and so forth.

2. Nature's bounty: Here we are looking for photos of the essential elements of food production and the final harvest: land, soil, seeds, and water, for example, as well as crops, livestock, fish, biodiversity, and so forth.

3. Markets: In this category we are looking for photos that capture the buying, selling, trading and exchanging of food in fora ranging from solidarity economies to local markets to supermarkets.

4. Cooking and eating: The preparation, cooking and enjoyment of food is central to every culture. Photos entered in this category should capture people eating food: traditional cuisine, gourmet dinners, fast food, and everything in between.

The competition is open to everyone, and we particularly encourage young people, women, and people living in the developing world to enter.

The deadline for entries is 15 June 2007.

For more information, please visit http://www.foei.org/en/photo/competition

Call for SRE Scholarships for Foreigners - Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Mexico

The 2008 call is comprised of 103 programs encompassing virtually every area of knowledge. It contains a series of specific programs involving direct participation by various Mexican higher education and research institutions, principally public ones, but also includes the participation of important private institutions as well. Scholarships are not open to foreigners residing in Mexico. Foreign diplomats accredited in Mexico and their family members do not qualify as eligible candidates.

Deadline: July 31, 2007; November 30, 2007

For more information, please visit http://becas.sre.gob.mx/Foraigners/Foraigners.htm

General Scholarships - National Federation of the Blind (NFB)

Each year at its national convention, the National Federation of the Blind presents a broad array of scholarships to recognize the achievements of blind scholars.

All applicants for these scholarships must be legally blind and pursuing, or planning to pursue, a full-time, post-secondary course of study in the fall semester of 2007, in the United States, except that one scholarship may be given to a full-time employee also attending school part time.

Deadline: March 31, 2008

For more information, please visit http://www.nfb.org/nfb/scholarship_program.asp?SnID=2084147270

Erasmus Mundus Call for Proposals - European Union (EU)

The Erasmus Mundus programme awards funds to the selected Erasmus Mundus Master's consortia which they will use to provide scholarships to highly qualified third-country graduate students and scholars to allow them to attend the selected Erasmus Mundus Master's Course, or to carry out teaching and research assignments and scholarly work related to the course in the participating institutions.

The grant for a one-year Erasmus Mundus Master's Course amounts to a yearly total of Euros 21,000 per student and Euros 13,000 per scholar. However, if a one-year Erasmus Mundus Masters Course comprises 12 real study months, rather than 10, the yearly total amounts to Euros 24,200 per student. The scholarship for students for a two-year Erasmus Mundus Master's Course amounts to Euros 42,000.

For more information, please visit http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/static/en/mundus/call2007/index.htm

Georgina Sweet Fellowship - Australian Federation of University Women (AFUW)

The trustees of the Australian Feduration of University Women (AFUW) Inc. Education Trust invite applications for the Georgina Sweet Fellowship to support a woman postgraduate to undertake advanced post-first degree study or research in any field, at an Australian university.

An applicant must:

- hold a degree from a recognised university;

- be a financial member of a National Federation or Association of the International Federation of University Women; and

- be formally accepted by the university at which she proposes to study.

Deadline: July 31, 2007

For more information, please visit http://www.afuw.org.au/georgina.htm

Regional Collaboration Grants - Toyota Foundation - Japan

The comparative and collaborative research grants support research that deals with two or more countries chosen for their similarities or contrasts; projects that involve participation of scholars from different countries in Southeast Asia, and across various disciplines in the humanities and social sciences; workshops and conferences on a particular theme or aspect of Southeast Asian studies; and visiting lecturers from within the region.

This program is open to any national of a Southeast Asian country, including East Timor, residing in Southeast Asia regardless of institutional affiliation. Priority shall, however, be given to applications from universities and research institutions.

Deadline: October 2, 2007

For more information, please visit http://www.toyotafound.or.jp/e_guide/eSEA.htm#SEASREP

Incoming Fellowships to the UK from Asia - Royal Society - United Kingdom

The research undertaken must be on a subject within the natural sciences, including physics, chemistry, mathematics, engineering science, agricultural and medical research, the scientific aspects of archaeology, geography, experimental psychology, and the history of science. The Royal Society does not cover social sciences or clinical medical research.

Applicants must be of postdoctoral or equivalent status at the time the award is taken up. Scientists in the final year of their Ph.D. may submit an application.

Deadline note for South East Asia, South Korea and Japan Fellowships: early February annually

For more information, please visit http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/funding.asp?id=2349

Energy Globe Award for Sustainibility

It is our duty and responsibility to make sure that in the future our young people find an environment that is worthy to live. This was the driving force that made Mr. Wolfgang Neumann 7 years ago start the “World Award for Sustainability”, today’s most prestigious and acknowledged environmental award. The ENERGY GLOBE aims at informing the international public about as many sustainable projects as possible, which are reproducible.

The ENERGY GLOBE is awarded to projects from all over the world which make careful and economical use of resources and employ alternative energy sources. The winning projects are presented in the categories earth, fire, water, air and youth at a tv gala, which is broadcast by international TV stations reaching 2.5 billion households. Every year, about 700 projects from all over the world are submitted in the ENERGY GLOBE Award competition.

Anyone wishing to apply for the Energy Globe Award 2007 must complete an application form and send it electronically or in hard copy.

For more information, please visit http://www.energyglobe.info/

The World Bank Young Professionals Program 2008

The Young Professionals Program is a starting point for an exciting career in the World Bank. The Program is designed to attract outstanding young and motivated individuals from around the world, who have demonstrated a commitment to development, supported by academic success, professional achievement and potential for leadership. The Program recruits through a highly selective and competitive process and then facilitates their rapid integration into the World Bank's business and culture.

Deadline: July 15, 2007.

For more information, please visit http://go.worldbank.org/FVOVD83WI0

JAPAN PRIZE 2007: International Educational Television Program Contest

JAPAN PRIZE 2007 is now accepting entries to three divisions: Program Division, Web Division, and Proposal Division.

The Japan Prize International Education Program Contest, established by NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), is an award for excellent TV programs with high educational value. The Japan Foundation sponsors one of its awards, called the Japan Foundation President's Prize.

The JAPAN PRIZE International Educational Program Contest aims at contributing to the advancement of educational TV programs around the world and the promotion of international understanding and cooperation.

Divisions & Categories

1. Program Division: TV programs which have educational value

2. Web Division: Educationally valuable websites associated with TV programs

3. Proposal Division: Proposals for TV programs which have educational value

The JAPAN PRIZE will offer an award for an excellent proposal for an educational program to support and encourage producers in countries/regions with limited means such as budget and technical facilities to realize their proposal into production and broadcast.

Entry Acceptance: April 1 (Sun), 2007 - July 31 (Tue), 2007

For more detailed information, please visit http://www.nhk.or.jp/jp-prize/index_e.html

NIAS Fellowship Programme - Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIAS)

The Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study's (NIAS's) basic mission is to stimulate and promote research and to disseminate knowledge in the humanities and social sciences. NIAS policy emphasises the symbiosis among various disciplines within the humanities and social sciences, and among diverse scientific methods. To improve and stimulate the quality of scholarship in these areas an exchange of knowledge and insights in an international context is considered vitally important.

The minimum requirement to be eligible for a NIAS Fellowship is a Ph.D. degree.

Deadline: July 1, 2007

For more information, please visit http://www.nias.knaw.nl/en/fellowships/

Postdoctoral Prize Research Fellowships in the Social Sciences - University of Oxford

Nuffield College intends to appoint a number of Postdoctoral Prize Research Fellows in the social sciences (except economics) whose responsibility will be to engage in independent scholarly research. The main interests of the college are in politics and sociology, but these are broadly construed to include, for example, social science approaches to history, social and medical statistics, international relations, social psychology, and social policy.

Deadline: November 3, 2007

For more information, please visit http://www.nuffield.ox.ac.uk/General/jobs/PPRF2005/SocialSciences/SSciences.aspx

ERC Advanced Investigator Grant Scheme (ERC Advanced Grant) - European Research Council (ERC)

The European Research Council (ERC) will be the first pan-European funding agency for frontier research. The ERC will support independent investigators and foster basic research at the frontiers of knowledge and beyond the frontiers of established disciplines. The ERC Advanced Investigator Grant Scheme (ERC Advanced Grant) will provide broader support for excellent and innovative frontier research projects by individual teams led by investigators at all career stages.

The grants will support projects carried out by individual teams headed by a single principal investigator of any nationality and, if necessary, include additional team members. These teams could be of national or trans-national character.

For more information, please visit http://erc.europa.eu

Luisa Mallari Fellowships for M.A./Ph.D. Research in Southeast Asian Studies - Toyota Foundation

The Luisa Mallari Fellowship for M.A. and Ph.D. research in Southeast Asian Studies, named after the late Filipino scholar of Malaysian literature who was also a former SEASREP grantee, allow currently enrolled graduate students to carry out library or field research on a Southeast Asian country other than their own or on a comparative topic involving two or more Southeast Asian countries.

Southeast Asian nationals, including East Timorese, under the age of 40 and enrolled in Social science or humanities graduate programs in a Southeast Asian university are eligible to apply.

Deadline: October 2, 2007

For more information, please visit http://www.toyotafound.or.jp/e_guide/eSEA.htm#SEASREP

Fellowships at the National Endowment for Democracy

The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) invites applications to its Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program. Established in 2001 to enable democracy practitioners and scholars from around the world to deepen their understanding of democracy and enhance their ability to promote democratic change, the program is based at NEDs International Forum for Democratic Studies, in Washington, D.C.

Program: The program offers five-month fellowships for practitioners to improve strategies and techniques for building democracy abroad and five- to ten-month fellowships for scholars to conduct original research for publication. Practitioners may include activists, lawyers, journalists, and other civil society professionals; scholars may include professors, research analysts, and other writers. Projects may focus on the political, social, economic, legal, and cultural aspects of democratic development and may include a range of methodologies and approaches.

Eligibility: The fellows program is intended primarily to support practitioners and scholars from new and aspiring democracies. Distinguished scholars from the United States and other established democracies are also eligible to apply. Practitioners are expected to have substantial experience working to promote democracy. Scholars are expected to have a doctorate, or academic equivalent, at the time of application. The program is not designed to pay for professional training or to support students working toward a degree. A working knowledge of English is an important prerequisite for participation in the program.

Deadline: Applications for fellowships in 2008-2009 must be received no later than November 1, 2007.

For more information please visit http://www.ned.org

Summer Internships at IGES Projects - Japan

IGES is accepting applications for summer internships at its research projects with the aim of promoting understanding of its work by offering the opportunity for practical training through internships to capable people who wish to be active in fields related to the research of policies concerning environmental issues in the future.

Projects recruiting interns:

- Climate Policy Project

- Biofuels Project

- Waste and Resources Project

- Freshwater Project

- Capacity Development and Education Project

This program is for students at a Japanese or foreign graduate school.

The intern will assist with research work under the instruction of the project manager or the training supervisor of the project which he or she belongs to.

Internship term is from 1 July to 30 September, 2007 (Actual term is up to each project's schedule) at IGES Hayama headquarters (2108-11, Kamiyamaguchi, Hayama, Kanagawa 240-0115 Japan)

IGES shall cover travel expenses necessary for the intern's training between his/her residence in Japan and the place of training. If you live in a foreign country, travel expenses between the residence outside Japan and the place of training will be at your own expense.

Interns will be able to use accommodations within the IGES building if there are any vacant rooms.

Closing date for application: 20 June 2007

For more information please visit http://www.iges.or.jp/en/news/saiyo/200706intern/

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