VDIC NEWSLETTER
August 2008

 

 

CONTENTS

 

VDIC News. 1

Free Training Sessions Provided by VDIC.. 1

Exhibitions at VDIC.. 1

Library. 2

Selected Resources at VDIC on Indigenous people.. 2

Selected Resources at VDIC on Youth.. 2

Selected Resources at VDIC on Climate Change.. 2

Highlights from the New Additions to VDIC Library.. 3

Selected Publications for Sale at VDIC.. 4

Distance Learning Center Events in August 2008. 6

Information on Development Projects in Vietnam.. 7

New Disclosure World Bank Operational Project Documents for Vietnam... 7

United Nations Projects in Vietnam - Highlights. 8

Funding Opportunities. 9

 

 

VDIC News  

 

Free Training Sessions Provided by VDIC

 

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

 

IMPORTANT NOTICES FOR PARTICIPANTS:

 

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

* 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:              August 26, 2008 -- Time: 10:00am to 12:00 noon

 

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:              August 26, 2008 -- Time: 02:00pm to 04:00pm

 

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.

 

International Day of the World's Indigenous People - 9 August 2007 - “Climate change, bio-cultural diversity and livelihoods: the stewardship role of indigenous peoples and new challenges”.

 

Many indigenous communities are already needing to adapt their way of life due to the changing environment -- from Sami reindeer-herding communities in Sweden whose reindeer are unable to find food beneath the thick ice due to heavier than normal snowfalls, to indigenous communities in the Andes where extreme weather events are creating serious food security problems.

 

In the words of Sheila Watt-Cloutier, an Inuit activist who was recently awarded the Mahbub ul Haq Award for Excellence in Human Development by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon,: “We are all connected.  The Arctic is geographically isolated from the rest of the world, yet the Inuk hunter who falls through the thinning sea ice is connected to melting glaciers in the Andes and the Himalayas, and to the flooding of low-lying and small island States.”

 

According to a recent report from the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, several indigenous communities in Alaska are actively looking into relocation options for entire communities due to land and coastal erosion caused by the thawing of the permafrost and large storm-driven waves.

 

“More than 80 per cent of Alaskan communities, comprised mostly of indigenous peoples, are identified as vulnerable to either coastal or river erosion,” says the report.

 

Relocation is also an issue in small island States, such as Vanuatu and Samoa, where rising sea levels and flooding from extreme weather events are a problem.  According to the same report, one community in Vanuatu has been forced to abandon their homes and move half a kilometre inland, as their original settlement is now being flooded up to five times a year.

 

High-altitude areas are not only seeing melting glaciers and ice peaks, but according to the report, some are also seeing negative impacts on their agriculture as a result of climate change and drought. In the Cordillera in the Philippines, 2000-year-old rice terraces are under attack from giant two-foot earthworms that have been thriving due to dwindling water supplies, causing soil and terrace walls to dry up even further.

 

International Youth Day - 12 August 2008 – Youth and climate change: Time for action

 

The selection of this theme for IYD 2008 is in recognition of the fact that climate change has already begun to devastate communities and deepen the effects of poverty and hunger. This situation complicates the challenges that youth face. However, young people are increasingly adding their voices to the call for action on climate change.

 

It is important to actively engage youth in areas of preparedness, risk reduction, adaptation and mitigation:

 

- Preparedness and disaster risk reduction is about building individual and community capacities so that the likelihood of climate change-induced disasters is reduced and that people are able to respond promptly, expeditiously and effectively.

- Adaptation entails actions that moderate harm, or exploit benefits, of climate change.

- Mitigation entails actions that minimizes or cushions the adverse impacts of climate change.

 

International Youth Day gives the world an opportunity to recognize the potential of youth, to celebrate their achievements, and plan for ways to better engage young people to successfully take action in the development of their societies. It presents a unique opportunity for all stakeholders to rally together to ensure that young people are included in decision-making at all levels.

 

Small exhibitions at VDIC on these occasions provide brief information on the topics.

 

Library

 

For more information about VDIC library services and resources, please visit http://www.vdic.org.vn/?name=library&op=viewDetailNews&id=354&mid=322

 

Selected Resources at VDIC on Indigenous people

 

For more comprehensive list, please contact nvu2@worldbank.org.

 

ECO-DEV-V6. Globalization and the Asian economic crisis: indigenous responses, coping strategies, and government reform in Southeast Asia. Vancouver: Centre for Southeast Asia Research, 2000.

 

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.

 

GEN-EDU 6. CARE International in Vietnam. Income generation and training assistance for women and HRA ethnic minority farmers in Quang Ngai province of Vietnam. CARE International, 1998.

 

HEA-CHI 8. Bui, Thanh Thi. Diarrhea management in children of the Dzay and Dzao ethnic groups in Lao Cai province of Vietnam: the role of maternal education. Hanoi: London school of hygiene and tropical medicine, 2000.

 

HEA-REP-V16. Quỹ Dân số Liên Hợp Quốc (UNFPA). Đào tạo cho người cung cấp dịch vụ chăm sóc sức khỏe sinh sản tại các tỉnh miền núi. Quỹ Dân số Liên Hợp Quốc (UNFPA), 2007.

 

HEA-REP-V16. Quỹ Dân số Liên Hợp Quốc (UNFPA). Kiến thức và hành vi của cộng đồng dân tộc thiểu số về sức khỏe sinh sản. Quỹ Dân số Liên Hợp Quốc (UNFPA), 2007.

 

HEA-REP-V16. UNFPA. Knowledge and behaviour of ethnic minorities on reproductive health.      UNFPA, 2007.

 

PARTNERSHIP FILES. Nhom hanh dong chong doi ngheo. Poverty Task Force. Day manh cong tac phat trien doi voi cac dan toc thieu so = Promoting ethnic minority development. Ha Noi: Chuong trinh phat trien cua Lien hop quoc, 2002-06. Full text http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTVIETNAM/Resources/Localizing-MGDs-for-Poverty9.pdf

 

POV-RUR V5. Vien dan toc. Ngan hang the gioi. Ky yeu hoi thao xoa doi giam ngheo: van de va giai phap o vung dan toc thieu so phia Bac Viet Nam = Proceedings of workshop on poverty reduction: issues and solutions for ethnic minorities in northern moutainous areas in Vietnam. Hanoi, Vietnam: Nha xuat ban nong nghiep, 2004.

 

POV-RUR-V4. Bui, Minh Dao. LPRV. Mot so van de giam ngheo o cac dan toc thieu so Viet Nam = Poverty Reduction Issues of Ethnic Minorities in Vietnam. Hanoi: Social Science Publishing House, 2003.

 

SOC-CHI-V44. Rodier, Chantal. Tiếp cận và lồng ghép về chăm sóc phát triển trẻ thơ tại vùng dân tộc miền núi: Bài học kinh nghiệm. Enfants et Development; Save the Children UK, 2007.          

 

SOC-CHI-V44. Rodier, Chantal. Toward an integrated approach to early childhood development in an ethnic minority context: Lessons learned. Enfants et Development; Save the Children UK, 2007.

 

SOC-ETH 3. WHO. Health and Ethnic Minorities in Viet Nam = Suc khoe va nguoi thieu so o Viet Nam. Hanoi, Vietnam: WHO, 2003-06. Full text in English http://www.un.org.vn/who/docs/engwho.pdf

 

SOC-ETH 7. Gunewardena, Dileni. World Bank. DECRG. Sources of ethnic inequality in Vietnam. S.l.: s.n., 2000-03-31. Full text http://wbln0018.worldbank.org/Research/workpapers.nsf/f7ff86a8cbbd411a852566db005f7b60/
077599a5a13f75a6852568a8006d12e8?OpenDocument

 

SOC-ETH 9. Baulch, Bob. World Bank. DECRG. Ethnic minority development in Vietnam : a socioeconomic perspective. S.l.: s.n., 2002-05-31. Full text http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2002/
05/30/000094946_02051604452763/Rendered/PDF/multi0page.pdf

 

SOC-ETH-V [Internet]. Imai, Katsushi; Raghav Gaiha. Poverty, Inequality and Ethnic Minorities in Vietnam. University of Manchester. Full text http://www.bwpi.manchester.ac.uk/resources/Working-Papers/wp10Imai_Gaiha.pdf

 

SOC-ETH-V [Internet]. Turk, Carolyn; Swinkel, Rob. Understaning Ethnic Minority Poverty in Vietnam. World Bank, 2007. Full text http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTVIETNAM/Resources/Ethnic_Minority_Poverty_in_Vietnam7.doc 

 

SOC-ETH-V2. Institute of Development Studies; DFID. The economic development of ethnic minorities in Vietnam. 2008.

 

Understaning Ethnic Minority Poverty in Vietnam / World Bank 2007. Full text  http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTVIETNAM/Resources/Ethnic_Minority_Poverty_in_Vietnam7.doc

 

Selected Resources at VDIC on Youth

 

For more comprehensive list, please contact nvu2@worldbank.org.

 

GEN-EDU 2. Tổ chức lao động Quốc tế. Bình đẳng giới và kỹ năng sống: Bộ tài liệu đào tạo cho nữ và nam thanh niên Việt Nam. Hà Nội, Việt Nam: Tổ chức Lao động Quốc tế, 2004.

 

HEA-REP 15. Quan, Le Nga; Than, Thi Lan Huong. Concepts, skills of planning and implementing behaviour change communicaion activities: a guide to behaviour change communication in improving reproductive and sexual health of youth and adolescents. Hanoi, Vietnam:. 2007.

 

HEA-REP 15. A guide behaviour change communication in improving reproductive and sexual health of youth and adolescents. Quan, Le Nga (ed); Than, Thi Lan Huong (ed). World Population Fund. 2007.

 

HEA-REP-V10. UNFPA; Europe Union; VINAFPA; Marie Stopes International Vietnam. Tài liệu hướng dẫn sức khỏe sinh sản vị thành niên thanh niên. Hà Nội: Marie Stopes International Việt Nam, 2005. Full text. http://vietnam.unfpa.org/documents/ARH%20Toolkit%20Vol1Eng.pdf

 

HEA-REP-V14. Determinants of preference/intention to use condoms among unmarried youths in Vietnam: PhD dissertation. Trinh, Van Thang. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 2007.

 

ICT-IT-V1. Ảnh hưởng của Internet đối với thanh niên Hà Nội = The effects of Internet on youth in Hanoi. Bùi, Hoài Sơn. Nhà xuất bản Khoa học xã hội. 2006.

 

LAB [Internet]. Global employment trends for youth. Geneva: ILO, 2006. Full text. http://www.ilo.org/public/english/employment/strat/download/gety06en.pdf

 

LAB-HRD-V7. Nguyen, Huu Dzung; MOLISA; Institute of Labour Science and Social Affairs. Research on labour market and career guidance for Vietnamese youth at current time: summary report (Independent research theme at national level, research theme code DTDL- 2003/11). Hanoi: Labour and Social Affairs Publishing House, 2005.

 

LAB-MAR-V8. United Nations Country Team Viet Nam. Challenges to youth employment in Viet Nam. Hanoi: UN, 2003. Full text. http://www.un.org.vn/undocs/youthempl/YouthEmployment.pdf

 

LAB-MAR-V9. Dang, Nguyen Anh; Le, Bach Duong; Nguyen, Hai Van. Youth employment in Viet Nam: characteristics, determinants and policy responses. Geneva: ILO, 2005. Full text. http://www.ilo.org/public/english/employment/strat/download/esp2005-9.pdf

 

SOC-CHI [Internet]. Youth research. World youth report 2005: Young people today, and in 2015. New York: United Nations, 2005. Full text. http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/wyr05.htm

 

SOC-CHI [Internet]. Understanding youth issues in selected countries in the Asian and Pacific region. United Nations. United Nations. 2007. Full text. http://www.unescap.org/esid/psis/publications/YouthRep/Youth%20Report.pdf

 

SOC-CHI 1. World Bank. HDNVP. Children and youth: a framework for action. World Bank. 2005. Full text. http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/
WDS_IBank_Servlet?pcont=details&eid=000160016_20050711153817

 

SOC-CHI 18. Thanh niên di cư: Báo cáo tình trạng dân số thế giới năm 2006 - Phụ lục về thanh niên. New York: United Nations Population Fund, 2006. Full text. http://www.unfpa.org/swp/2006/moving_young_eng/introduction.html

 

SOC-CHI 21. Plan International. I'm a teenager: what happened to my rights?. UK, 2004.

 

SOC-CHI 34. The role of youth skills development in the transition to work: A global review. Adams, Avril V.. World Bank. 2007. Full text. http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTCY/Resources/395766-1187899515414/RoleofYouthSkills.pdf

 

SOC-CHI-V20. Việt Nam. Bộ Y tế; Việt Nam. Tổng cục Thống kê; Tổ chức Y tế Thế giới; Quỹ Nhi đồng Liên Hợp Quốc. Điều tra quốc gia về vị thành niên và thanh niên Việt Nam. Hà Nội: Bộ Y tế, 2005. Full text. http://www.unicef.org/vietnam/media_2383.html

 

SOC-CHI-V20. Vietnam. Ministry of Health, Vietnam. General Statistics Office; World Health Organisation; United Nations Children's Fund. Survey assessment of Vietnamese youth. Hanoi: Ministry of Health, 2005. Full text. http://www.unicef.org/Vietnam/media_2383.html

 

SOC-CHI-V40. Haub, Carl; Phuong, Thi Thu Huong. Adolescents and youth in Vietnam. Hanoi: Cpfc, 2003. Full text. http://www.synergyaids.com/documents/VietNam_adolsandyouth.pdf

 

SOC-DIS-V1. Situation of children and youth with disabilities in Ninh Binh and Quang Nam provinces: Baseline survey report. Catholic Relief Services (CRS); World Concern Development Organization (WCDO); USAID. Catholic Relief Services (CRS); World Concern Development Organization (WCDO); USAID. 2006.

 

SOC-DRU-T1. The 2003 GYTS in Vietnam: a preliminary report on youth tobacco use. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2003. Full text. http://www.wpro.who.int/NR/rdonlyres/D24A22BD-13C0-4D5B-ADA0-B26F5CA1EDFA/0/VietNam.pdf

 

SOC-DRU-V2. Phan, Thi Mai Huong; Institute of Psychology. Thanh niên nghiện ma túy: Nhân cách và hoàn cảnh xã hội. Hanoi, Vietnam: Nha xuat ban Khoa hoc Xa hoi, 2005.

 

WB-YOU 2. Kuznicka, Anna; Girardier, Pierre. International essay competition 2006 report and winning essays: Youth contribute to solving community problems, youth influence decision making. World Bank. 2006.

 

Selected Resources at VDIC on Climate Change

 

For more comprehensive list, please contact nvu2@worldbank.org.

 

(REF) WBZ-UN 1 [Internet]. United Nations. Human Development Report 2007/2008. Fighting climate change: Human solidarity in a divided world. United Nations, 2007. Full text. http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr2007-2008/

 

(REF) WBZ-UN 1. Chương trình phát triển Liên Hiệp Quốc. Báo cáo phát triển con người 2007/2008. Cuộc chiến chống biến đổi khí hậu: Đoàn kết nhân loại trong một thế giới phân cách. Chương trình Phát triển Liên Hợp Quốc, 2007. Full text. http://www.undp.org.vn/undpLive/System/Outreach/Publications/Publication-Details?contentId=2487

 

ENV-CLI [Internet]. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Climate Change 2007. The Synthesis Report. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 2007. Full text. http://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/ar4-syr.htm

 

ENV-CLI [Internet]. Satterthwaite, David; Huq, Saleemul ; Reid, Hannah ; Pelling, Mark ; Lankao,  Patricia Romero. Adapting to climate change in urban areas. The possibilities and constraints in low- and middle income nations. International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), 2007. Full text. http://www.iied.org/pubs/display.php?o=10549IIED

 

ENV-CLI [Internet]. Working Group on Climate Change and Development. Up in smoke?. Asia and the Pacific – The threat from climate change to human development and the environment. Oxfam International, 2007. Full text. http://www.oxfam.org/en/policy/briefingnotes/bn_asia_up_in_smoke_nov07

 

ENV-CLI 2. Stern, Nicholas. The economics of climate changes. The Stern review. Cambridge University Press, 2007. Full text http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/independent_reviews/stern_review_economics_climate_change/
sternreview_index.cfm

 

ENV-CLI 3. World Bank. East Asia Environment Monitor 2007. Adapting to climate change. World Bank, 2007. Full text. http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTEAPREGTOPENVIRONMENT/Resources/
CCAM_FinalVersion06-19.pdf?resourceurlname=CCAM_FinalVersion06-19.pdf

 

ENV-CLI 4. The World Bank. International trade and climate change. Economics, legal, and institutional perspectives. The World Bank, 2008.

 

ENV-CLI 5. Sanderson, Jamie; Islam, Sardar M.N.. Climate change and economic development. SEA regional modelling and analysis. Palgrave, 2007.

 

ENV-CLI-V [Internet]. Carew-Reid, Jeremy. Rapid Assessment of the Extent and Impact of Sea Level Rise in Viet Nam. International Centre for Environmental Management (ICEM), 2008. Full text. http://www.icem.com.au/02_contents/06/documents/icem_slr/ICEM_SLR_final_report.pdf

 

ENV-CLI-V [Internet]. IIMI, Atsushi;. Estimating global climate change impacts on hydropower projects. Applications in India, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. World Bank, 2007. Full text. http://go.worldbank.org/6T059129J0

 

ENV-DIS 2. Hội Chữ thập đỏ Hà Lan; Hội Chữ thập đỏ Việt Nam. Biến đổi khí hậu và phòng ngừa thảm họa: Việt Nam: Học cách sống chung với biến đổi khí hậu hay thích ứng với một thực tại mới. Hà Nội: S.n., 2004.

 

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.

 

ENV-DIS 3. Beckman, Malin; Le, Van An; Le, Quang Bao. Living with the floods: coping and adaptation strategies of households and local institutions in Central Vietnam. stockholm: Stockholm Environment Institute, 2002.

 

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.

 

IND-ENE 26. Asian Development Bank; Department for International Development (DFID). Energy Efficiency and Climate Change Considerations for On-road Transport in Asia. Asian Development Bank, 2006. Full text. http://www.adb.org/Documents/Reports/Energy-Efficiency-Transport/default.asp

 

Highlights from the New Additions to VDIC Library

 

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

 

(REF) ECO-DIS-V4. General Statistics Office. Result of the Vietnam household living standards survey 2006 = Kết quả khảo sát mức sống hộ gia đình năm 2006. Statistical Publishing House, 2008.

 

EDU-POL 22. Lee, Sing Kong (ed.); Goh, Chor Boon (ed.); Fredriksen, Birger (ed.); Tan, Jee Peng (ed.). Toward a better future: Education and training for economic development in Singapore since 1965. World Bank, 2008. Development practice in education. Full text http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTAFRREGTOPEDUCATION/Resources/444659-1204656846740/4734984-1212686310562/Toward_a_better_future_Singapore.pdf  

 

EDU-POL-V8. Fredriksen, Birger (ed.); Tan, Jee Peng (ed.). An African exploration of the East Asian education experience. World Bank, 2008. Development practice in education. Full text http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTAFRREGTOPEDUCATION/Resources/444659-1204656846740/4734984-1212686310562/African_exploration_of_East_Asian_Education_Experience.pdf   

 

ENV-LAN-V1. Ravallion, Martin; van de Walle, Dominique. Đất đai trong thời kỳ chuyển đổi: Cải cách và nghèo đói ở nông thôn Việt Nam. Nhà xuất bản văn hóa thông tin, 2008.

 

ENV-POL-V2. Dore, Giovanna; Brylski, Philip; Nygard, Jostein; Tran, Thi Thanh Phuong. Review and analysis of the pollution impacts from Vietnamese manufacturing sector = Đánh giá và phân tích tác động ô nhiễm do ngành công nghiệp chế biến, chế tạo tại Việt Nam. The World Bank, 2008.

 

GOV-COR 26. Campos, Edgardo; Pradhan, Sanjay. Các hình thái tham nhũng: giám sát các khả năng tham nhũng ở cấp ngành. Nhà xuất bản văn hóa thông tin, 2008.

 

HEA-FIN 12. Savedoff, William D. (ed.); Gottret, Pablo (ed.). Governing mandatory health insurance: Learning from experience. World Bank, 2008.

 

(REF) HEA-POP-V8. Bộ Văn hóa, Thể thao và Du lịch; Tổng cục Thống kê; Viện Gia đình và Giới; Quỹ Nhi đồng Liên hợp quốc. Kết quả điều tra gia đình Việt Nam năm 2006. Bộ Văn hóa, Thể thao và Du lịch; Quỹ Nhi đồng Liên hợp quốc, 2008. Full text http://www.un.org.vn/images/stories/press_centre/press%20center%202008/bao_cao_tom_tat_tiengviet.pdf  

 

(REF) HEA-POP-V8. Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; General Statistical Office; Institute for Family and Gender Studies; UNICEF. Results of nation-wide survey on the family in Viet Nam 2006: Key findings. Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; UNICEF, 2008. Full text http://www.un.org.vn/images/stories/press_centre/press%20center%202008/bao_cao_tom_tat_tienganh.pdf.   

 

ICT-MED 14. Islam, Roumeen (ed.). Information and public choice: From media markets to policy making. World Bank, 2008.

 

ICT-MED 15. Mefalopulos, Paolo. Development communication sourcebook: Broadening the boundaries of communication. World Bank, 2008. Full text http://go.worldbank.org/T81HKIYI90  

 

SOC-MIG-V3. Le, Bach Duong (ed); Khuat, Thu Hong (ed). Market trasformation, migration and social protection in a transforming Vietnam. The Gioi Publishers, 2008.

 

 

Selected Publications for Sale at VDIC

 

More featured titles for sale are listed at

http://www.vdic.org.vn/?name=bookstore&op=viewDetailNews&id=155&mid=328

 

Các hình thái tham nhũng: Giám sát các khả năng tham nhũng ở cấp ngành

Tác giả: J. Edgardo Campos và Sanjay Pradhan

Tiếng Việt – Nhà xuất bản Văn hóa Thông tin, 2008.

Giá tiền: 1 USD.

 

Tham nhũng là hiện tượng xuất hiện ở khắp nơi trên thế giới. Nó xảy ra tại các quốc gia, khu vực rất khác biệt về hệ tư tưởng, lịch sử, văn hóa, chế độ chính trị… và đã dẫn tới những hậu quả hết sức nặng nề. Việc nghiên cứu về điều hành nhà nước và chống tham nhũng dựa trên kinh nghiệm đã có những bước tiến dài trong 10 năm trở lại đây và cung cấp ngày càng nhiều bằng chứng theo kinh nghiệm cho thấy tham nhũng làm giảm đầu tư tư nhân, làm chậm tăng trưởng và kìm hãm các nỗ lực xóa đói giảm nghèo.

 

Cuốn sách này của Ngân hàng Thế giới trình bày về các ngành, quản lý tài chính công, và vấn đề chống rửa tiền, qua đó cung cấp một khung có tính hướng dẫn cho các phân tích nhằm mục đích chỉ dẫn cách lồng ghép các biện pháp chống tham nhũng vào quá trình xây dựng chương trình và thiết kế dự án…

 

Đất đai trong quá trình chuyển đổi: Cải cách và nghèo đói ở nông thôn Việt Nam

Tác giả: Martin Ravallion và Dominique van de Walle

Tiếng Việt -- Nhà xuất bản Văn hóa Thông tin, 2008.

Giá tiền: 1 USD

 

Cuốn sách này là nghiên cứu sâu về những nỗ lực của Việt Nam trong cuộc chiến chống nghèo đói sử dụng các cải cách đất đai định hướng thị trường. Trong những năm 1980 và 1990, Việt Nam đã tiến hành nhiều cải cách thể chế trọng yếu và đất nước sau đó đã chứng kiến một tỉ lệ giảm nghèo ấn tượng. Vậy những cải cách thể chế đó đóng vai trò gì ? Có hay không những hiệu quả thu được từ công cuộc cải cách phải đánh đổi bằng sự bất bình đẳng ? Có tồn tại đồng thời người thắng lẫn kẻ thua ? Mức độ gia tăng của tình trạng không đất ở khu vực nông thôn sau các cuộc cải cách là dấu hiệu của thành công hay thất bại ?

 

Cuốn sách này xem xét tác động lên mức sống của hai giai đoạn cải cách luật đất đai : năm 1988 khi đất được phân bổ cho hộ gia đình theo các quyết định hành chính và thị trường được tự do hóa ; và năm 1993 khi giấy chứng nhận quyền sử dụng đất được cấp và lần đầu tiên giao dịch đất được thừa nhận chính thức. Để đánh giá tác động của những thay đổi này một cách đầy đủ, các phân tích dựa trên số liệu khảo sát hộ gia đình của các tác giả được dựa trên nền tảng lý thuyết kinh tế lẫn các kiến thức về lịch sử và xã hội trong bối cảnh nghiên cứu. Cuốn sách này vạch ra những bài học từ những trải nghiệm của Việt Nam và đề xuất các gợi ý cho các cuộc tranh cãi về chính sách hiện tại của Trung Quốc và những nơi khác.

 

Các tác giả đã thực hiện nghiên cứu về các cuộc cải cách trong lĩnh vực nông nghiệp ở Việt Nam một cách rõ ràng, cẩn thận và dễ hiểu. Họ chỉ ra rẳng, chính sách giao đất cho dân năm 1988 đã tránh được trên diện rộng cái gọi là «tập trung duy ý chí » và tạo ra các nông hộ có quy mô tương đồng. Thực tế cho thấy chính sách này đã giúp sản xuất được nhiều hơn, hiệu quả hơn chính sách tập thể hóa trước đó. Để đảm bảo mục tiêu công bằng, cải cách này không hướng vào mục tiêu tối đa hóa năng lực sản xuất. Tuy vậy, theo như kết luận của các tác giả, cải giả phải trả cho sự hy sinh đó là không lớn. Các tác giả cũng xem xét liệu rằng Trung Quốc có thể học được gì từ những cải cách kinh tế quen thuộc ở Việt Nam.

Michael Lipton

Sáng lập viên và giáo sư nghiên cứu, Ban Nghiên cứu Nghèo, Đại học Sussex, Brighton, Vương quốc Anh

 

Đây là cuốn sách rất thú vị và được thực hiện một cách công phu. Các tác giả là những chuyên gia đầu ngành trong lĩnh vực này và thực tế cuốn sách đã chứng minh điều đó. Họ đã dựa trên những phân tích giản dị để xử lý một loạt các vấn đề mấu chốt như liệu rằng tình trạng không đất có phải là một dấu hiệu của sự thành công hay thất bại ? Các tác giả cugn dựa trên những phân tích của mình để đi đến các kết luận cẩn trọng, liên kết vấn đề này với những chủ đề đang được tranh luận về tính bình đẳng và hiệu quả ở Việt Nam. Tôi kỳ vọng ấn phẩm này sẽ là một công trình có tầm quan trọng và tầm ảnh hưởng lớn, không chỉ ở Việt Nam mà còn trên cả phạm vi thế giới.

 

Johan Swinnen, giáo sư kinh tế phát triển, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Vương quốc Bỉ

 

Vietnam Development Report 2008: Social Protection

Joint donor report to the Vietnam Consultative Group Meeting, Hanoi, December 6-7, 2007

English and Vietnamese -- Published December 2007 by the World Bank in Vietnam

Price: $ 7.00 (English); $ 1 (Vietnamese)

 

Vietnam is at the dawn of unprecedented economic and social transformation. How well will the institutional arrangements of Vietnam support this transformation? How can they contribute to making the personal journeys of millions of citizens become stories of prosperity and accomplishment, not of hardship and uncertainty? This report aims to contribute to the discussion of appropriate social protection strategies for Vietnam. It does so in the understanding that this is a new area, closer to the second-generation reforms faced by middle income countries than to the structural reforms Vietnam has so successfully gone through over the last two decades. It also does so in the understanding that a common vision exists among policy makers, academics and the population at large. But at this early stage the specifics remain unclear, often resulting in frustration in the daily implementation of social policies and programs. Because the vision is clear, the report focuses on the specifics. While its scope is wide, the topics covered can be regrouped into three main areas: opportunity to thrive, support for those left behind and insurance to cope with shocks.

 

The report is organized under the form of "vertical", self-standing chapters dealing with each of the key issues to be addressed by the National Assembly and by policy makers in government during the next few years. These chapters can be seen as brief policy notes, trying to provide an analytical structure for the discussion. Because of their brevity, they cannot go in depth into each of the aspects covered, and can only sketch the findings of more rigorous and detailed studies. However, for those interested in digging deeper, the report includes an extensive bibliography, mainly made of references produced by local researchers and think tanks.

 

The report also tries to extract a few major policy recommendations, cutting across all these "vertical" chapters, which can be summarized under the form of four policy priorities: extending coverage, strengthening incentives, improving information and managing resources. These recommendations amount to basic principles which could help build a more integrated social protection system in Vietnam.

 

World Development Report 2008: Agriculture for Development

by World Bank 

English and Vietnamese -- Published October 2007 -- ISBN-13: 978-0-8213-6807-7

Price: $ 8.00 (English); $ 1 (Vietnamese)

 

The world's demand for food is expected to double within the next 50 years, while the natural resources that sustain agriculture will become increasingly scarce, degraded, and vulnerable to the effects of climate change. In many poor countries, agriculture accounts for at least 40 percent of GDP and 80 percent of employment. At the same time, about 70 percent of the world's poor live in rural areas and most depend on agriculture for their livelihoods.

 

World Development Report 2008 seeks to assess where, when, and how agriculture can be an effective instrument for economic development, especially development that favors the poor. It examines several broad questions:

 

·          How has agriculture changed in developing countries in the past 20 years? What are the important new challenges and opportunities for agriculture?

·          Which new sources of agricultural growth can be captured cost effectively in particular in poor countries with large agricultural sectors as in Africa?

·          How can agricultural growth be made more effective for poverty reduction?

·          How can governments facilitate the transition of large populations out of agriculture, without simply transferring the burden of rural poverty to urban areas?

·          How can the natural resource endowment for agriculture be protected? How can agriculture's negative environmental effects be contained? This year's report marks the 30th year the World Bank has been publishing the World Development Report.

 

Finance for All?: Policies and Pitfalls in Expanding Access

by World Bank 

English -- Published November 2007 -- ISBN-13: 978-0-8213-7291-3

Price: $ 9.00

 

Access to financial services varies sharply around the world. In many developing countries less than half the population has an account with a financial institution, and in most of Africa less than one in five households do. Lack of access to finance is often the critical mechanism for generating persistent income inequality, as well as slower growth.

 

Finance for All?: Policies and Pitfalls in Expanding Access documents the extent of financial exclusion around the world; addresses the importance of access to financial services for growth, equity and poverty reduction; and discusses policy interventions and institutional reforms that can improve access for underserved groups. The report is a broad ranging review of the work already completed or in progress, drawing on research utilizing data at the country, firm and household level.

 

Given that financial systems in many developing countries serve only a small part of the population, expanding access remains an important challenge across the world, leaving much for governments to do. However, not all government actions are equally effective and some policies can be counterproductive. The report sets out principles for effective government policy on broadening access, drawing on the available evidence and illustrating with examples.

 

"Finance for All? is a much needed report on the state of access to finance around the world. It provides sensible measures of access and offers sound policy advice, including the caution that access to finance is much more than a simply access to credit. It is a must-read for policy makers, activists, academics, and anyone interested in development."

RAGHURAM G. RAJAN,

Eric J. Gleacher Distinguished Service Professor of Finance, University of Chicago, and

former Economic Counselor and Director of Research, International Monetary Fund

 

"The revolution in financial access has been driven by bankers, activists, donors, and governments. Research has lagged behind, but the next steps will require hard-headed analysis about what has worked and where to focus innovation. Finance for All? gathers lessons from a growing body of new research and presents it sharply. The arguments and evidence will inform and provoke readers, and will surely frame coming debates."

JONATHAN MORDUGH,

Professor of Public Policy and Economics, New York University,

Director, The Financial Access Initiative, and

Co-author of The Economics of Microfinance

 

"Finance for All? represents a vigorous and broad review of the existing academic research and current practice on the important subject of access to financial services. The report is a carefully crafted analysis that sets forth the current status of empirical research, describes a variety of best practices, and identifies a crucial issues that must be addressed if poor and low income people and micro and small enterprises are to have access to a broad range of financial services on a sustainable basis. This compelling report will surely provide a useful tool for policy makers and other decision makers in designing financial systems that work for the poor."

RICHARD WEINGARTEN,

Executive Secretary, United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), and

Chairman, United Nations Advisors Group on Inclusive Financial Sectors

 

International Trade in Health Services and the GATS: Current Issues and Debates

Edited by Chantal Blouin , Nick Drager , Richard Smith 

English -- Published September 2005 by World Bank , World Health Organization -- ISBN: 0-8213-6211-9    

Price: $ 10.00

 

Health ministries around the world face a new challenge: to assess the risks and respond to the opportunities of the increasing openness in health services under the World Trade Organization's (WTO) General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). International Trade in Health Services and the GATS addresses this challenge head-on by providing analytical tools to policymakers in health and trade ministries alike who are involved in the liberalization agenda and, specifically, in the GATS negotiations.

This book informs and assists policymakers in formulating trade policy and negotiating internationally. There is ongoing and animated international debate about the impact of GATS on public services in general and health in particular. In response, the book offers different perspectives from more than 15 leading experts. Some of the authors stress opportunities linked to trade in health services, others focus more on the risks.

 

The book offers:

 

- Detailed legal analysis of the impact of the agreement on health policy

- An overview of trade commitments in health-related services

- New empirical evidence from nine country studies

- A simple 10-step explanation on how to deal with GATS negotiations.

 

International Trade in Health Services and the GATS is a must-have resource for policymakers and other practitioners working in the trade and health sectors.

 

International Trade and Climate Change: Economic, Legal, and Institutional Perspectives

By The World Bank

English -- Published October 2007 -- ISBN-13: 978-0-8213-7225-8

Price: $ 6.00

 

Climate change remains a global challenge requiring international collaborative action. Another area where countries have successfully committed to a long-term multilateral resolution is the liberalization of international trade. Integration into the world economy has proven a powerful means for countries to promote economic growth, development, and poverty reduction. The broad objectives of the betterment of current and future human welfare are shared by both global trade and climate regimes. Yet both climate and trade agendas have evolved largely independently through the years, despite their mutually supporting objectives. Since global emission goals and global trade objectives are shared policy objectives of most countries, and nearly all of the World Bank's clients, it makes sense to consider the two sets of objectives together.

 

This book is one of the first comprehensive attempts to look at the synergies between climate change and trade objectives from economic, legal, and institutional perspectives. It addresses an important policy question - how changes in trade policies and international cooperation on trade policies can help address global environmental spillovers, especially GHG emissions, and what the (potential) effects of (national) environmental policies that are aimed at global environmental problems might be for trade and investment. It explores opportunities for aligning development and energy policies in such a way that they could stimulate production, trade, and investment in cleaner technology options.

 

"This is a timely, informative and useful publication; indeed, a valuable contribution to the pressing debate on the role that trade and trade policy play and can play in supporting climate change mitigation and the transition to a sustainable energy future."

-Ricardo Melendez-Ortiz

Chief Executive, International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), Geneva

 

"This is clearly a major contribution to a body of literature on an increasingly salient topic. This will be a standard reference and a must-read study for several years. Its wide scope covers a lot of relevant issues, but with an appropriate in-depth focus on selected key issues. Data on tariffs and NTBs will get a lot of attention around the world and should be significant input for analyses and negotiations at the WTO and in other trade forums."

Thomas Brewer

Associate Professor, Georgetown University, Washington, DC

 

Vietnam Environment Monitor 2005: Biodiversity

By World Bank, MONRE and SIDA

English -- Published 2005 by World Bank

Price: $ 5.00

 

The Vietnam Environmental Monitor report chronicles trends, challenges and priorities that the country faces in environmental management. This year's report is the fourth in the series, and takes a close look at conservation of the country's most unique and fragile environmental resource, its biodiversity. As in previous issues, focused on environmental conditions generally (2002), water (2003), and solid waste (2004), this Monitor provides a frank assessment of biodiversity status and trends, highlights key issues, and identifies experiences and lessons which can guide decision makers in setting priorities for future action to improve the management of Vietnam's ecosystems, species, and genetic resources. The Monitor promotes biodiversity conservation as an essential aspect of Vietnam's pursuit of sustainable development. While it attempts to show that biodiversity is found, and needs to be conserved in all systems -- including those heavily influenced by people, such as agricultural landscapes -- the main emphasis of this Monitor is on biodiversity in natural ecosystems. In addition, coverage of reptiles, amphibians and microbiological species and of genetic diversity was constrained by the availability of studies and data.

 

Agricultural Atlas of Vietnam: A depiction of the 2001 Rural Agriculture and Fisheries Census

By FAO and GSO

Billingual English and Vietnamese -- Published 2007 by Cartographic Publishing House

Price: $ 50.00 (book); $ 1.25 (CD-ROM)

 

This atlas of Vietnam for the first time combines detailed agricultural statistical data from the 2001 Rural Agriculture and Fisheries Census with small-area geographic information system (GIS) data. A great variety of census variables has been analyzed and presented as maps at commune level. The broad range of agricultural statistics contained in the atlas is designed to provide a comprehensive overview of the geography of agricultural production in rural Vietnam.

 

Through the distribution of this atlas to government institutions at different administrative levels, to educational institutions and libraries throughout the country, as well as to the wider public through the internet, it is hoped that these maps will help foster an increased understanding of the spatial characteristics of agriculture in Vietnam amongst policy makers, researchers, teachers, students and other interested individuals.

 

Distance Learning Center Events in August 2008

 

For more information about our Distance Learning Center services, facilities and events, please visit http://www.vdic.org.vn/?name=learningevents&op=viewDetailNews&id=311&&mid=330

 

APO Toyota Production System Course (by invitation only)

August 4 - 6, 2008, from 08:30 - 17:30 every course day

 

Organized by the Asia Productivity Center, the course looks at Toyota Production System (TPS), which is known as a lean manufacturing / production system, a systematic elimination of all types of waste: overproduction, waiting, transportation, inventory, motion, and defective units. The 3-full-day course will be delivered via the Global Development Learning Network to Asian countries,  where there is a huge interest in effective production management. Covering key topics such as philosophy of lean production systems and their benefits; change in business background and paradigm shift in production; innovation in logistics and production systems; and customizing the TPS for local application, the course aims to enable the participants to set up a flexible and effective production system for small and medium sized production in their own manufacturing contexts.

 

Blended Learning Course on International Financial Reporting Standards (by invitation only)

August 5 & 6, 12:00 - 17:00 every videoconference day

 

The course is organized by the World Bank in partnership with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). The course aims to train the trainers of international financial reporting standards and will provide international certification of those trainers to disseminate this knowledge through the provision of training programs within their own countries. The course consists of 7 videoconference workshops through the Global Development Learning Network connecting 6 Asian countries, self-study using an interactive electronic learning package, remote tutor support, online forum, webinars or clinics to address participants' queries and concerns.

 

Blended Learning Course on Leadership Skill Development  (registration closed)

August 7 - 27, 2008, from 08:30 - 12:00 every course day

 

This is one of the courses offered  in the Visionary Leaders Training Program, which is co-organized by Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Australian National University (ANU) and the Global Development Learning Network Asia Pacific. The 5-module course aims to increase understanding and develop fundamental skills on leadership for Vietnamese managers. Through a blend of 5 video-conference lectures by ANU professor, 5 local face-to-face sessions, 1 seminar with a renowned leader, participants will discuss the context for leadership in the next decade, the difference between management and leadership, organizational vision, mission and social cause, emotional intelligence, and leadership styles. The first course was held in March - June 2008; this second course builds on the sucesses of the first one and one of the added features is the use of Moodle as the course management system.

 

Information on Development Projects in Vietnam

 

New Disclosure World Bank Operational Project Documents for Vietnam

 

The Disclosure Unit of the World Bank is responsible for the implementation and dissemination of documents relating to the World Bank’s disclosure policy http://www1.worldbank.org/operations/disclosure/. On a regular basis, the Unit releases operational documents to the public through a network of Public Information Centers (PICs) worldwide. For assistance on disclosed documents, please contact one of the PICs at a location near you.

 

For previous listings, please visit http://go.worldbank.org/QU93EOHWG1. Alternatively, you are welcome to visit VDIC or World Bank’s mini Public Information Corners (mini-PICs) at your city/province libraries to view hard copies of World Bank project documents in Vietnam. List of mini-PICs in Vietnam can be found at http://www.vdic.org.vn/?name=library&op=viewDetailNews&id=162&&mid=322&cmid=327.

 

List of World Bank’s projects in Vietnam and detail project information can be accessed at www.worldbank.org/vn >> select “Projects & Programs”.

 

Vietnam - Agriculture Competitiveness Project: Integrated Safeguards Data Sheet

Full text document can be accessed at http://go.worldbank.org/EBVKD5CA40

 

Vietnam - Coastal Cities Project: Integrated Safeguards Data Sheet

Full text document can be accessed at http://go.worldbank.org/L8GA472BZ0

 

Vietnam - Da Nang Priority Infrastructure Investment Project - Project Appraisal Documents

 

The objective of the Da Nang Priority Infrastructure Investment Project is to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of urban services under the control of Da Nang city through a package of priority investments including urban upgrading, environmental improvement and strategic road access, as well as measures for institutional strengthening for management of urban services. There are four components to the project. The first component of the project is urban area upgrading. This component will fund: (a) tertiary infrastructure (community level) upgrading and service improvements in 14 low income areas; (b) construction of three resettlement sites; and (c) micro-finance for housing improvement. The second component of the project is environment infrastructure improvement. This component will finance: (a) drainage linking to the tertiary systems of all 14 low income areas; (b) improvement to primary and secondary drainage systems; (c) Phu LOC river environmental improvement; and (d) improvement and extension of primary wastewater systems. The third component of the project is urban roads and bridges. This component will support the construction of two major road links for improving access to the fast growing new district of Cam Le: (a) city center to Southern area; and (b) Southern Da Nang link road section. The fourth and the final component of the project is capacity building and project implementation support. This component will provide technical assistance and training to enhance the capacity of Da Nang City's departments to carry out their responsibilities in: (a) housing and land management; (b) urban development management; (c) urban technical infrastructure management; (d) municipal finance management; and (e) to support the Project Management Unit (PMU) in project implementation.

 

Full text document can be accessed at http://go.worldbank.org/EWQQD51VM0

 

Vietnam - Northern Delta Transport Development Project - Project Appraisal Documents

 

The Northern Delta Transport Development Project for Vietnam development objective is to enhance the efficiency, environmental sustainability, and safety of transport infrastructure and services, through the alleviation of physical and institutional bottlenecks, in two major waterway corridors in the Northern Delta Region. There are three components to the project. The first component of the project is multimodal transport corridor investments in the Northern Delta Region consisting of: (i) dredging, bend corrections, shoal regulation and aids to navigation in the inland waterway corridors between Viet Tri and Quang Ninh and between Hanoi and the Ninh Co River estuary; (ii) an access channel bypassing the mouth of the Ninh Co River estuary and a canal connecting the Day and Ninh Co Rivers; (iii) new facilities at Viet Tri and Ninh Phuc river Ports; and (iv) a pilot maintenance contract. The second component of the project is investments in ferry boat stages. This subcomponent will include physical improvements to 15-30 pilot ferry boat stages. Access to these ferries from the road is often dangerous and has resulted in accidents and fatalities. In conjunction with the physical improvements, the Project will support the implementation and operationalization of a framework of standards for the design and operation of the different size ferry boat stages under its institutional support component. The framework will be developed under Mekong Delta Transport Infrastructure Development Project (MDTIDP). The third component of the project is institutional support to ministry of transport (MOT), Vietnam inland waterway administration (VIWA) and the provinces. This component consists of three subcomponents: institutional support to VIWA; training; and project audit services.

 

Full text document can be accessed at http://go.worldbank.org/RS1J751WB0

 

Vietnam - Rural Distribution Project: Project Appraisal Document

 

The objective of the Rural Distribution Project is to improve the reliability and quality of medium voltage service to targeted retail electricity distribution systems. There are seven components to the project. The first component of the project is improvement of the rural distribution system in the Northern Region. This component will rehabilitate and strengthen rural distribution networks in about 15 provinces in the northern region of Vietnam, which are the responsibility of Power Company No.1 (PC1). The second component of the project is improvement of the rural distribution system in the Southern Region. This component will rehabilitate and strengthen rural distribution networks in about 20 provinces in the southern region of Vietnam, which are the responsibility of Power Company No.2 (PC2). The third component of the project is improvement of the rural distribution system in the Central Region. This component will rehabilitate and strengthen rural distribution networks in about 11 provinces in the central region of Vietnam, which are the responsibility of Power Company No.3 (PC3). The fourth component of the project is improvement of the rural distribution system in the area of Hai Phong City. This component will rehabilitate and strengthen rural distribution networks in the rural areas and islands surrounding Hai Phong City, in the north of Vietnam, which are the responsibility of Hai Phong Power Company (PC Hai Phong). The fifth component of the project is improvement of the rural distribution system in Hai Duong province. This component will rehabilitate and strengthen rural distribution networks of Hai Duong province in the northern region of Vietnam, which are the responsibility of Hai Duong Power Company (PC Hai Duong). The sixth component of the project is improvement of the rural distribution system in Dong Nai province. This component will rehabilitate and strengthen rural distribution networks in Dong Nai province in the southern region of Vietnam, which are the responsibility of Dong Nai Power Company (PC Dong Nai). The seventh and the final component of the project is corporate development of PCs. This component will support the corporate development of first, second, and third PCs. It will focus on building capacity of the PCs so that they can in the future act as independent participants in the power market as it develops according to the Government's road map for reform.

 

Full text document can be accessed at http://go.worldbank.org/91R9Y01X10

 

Vietnam - Third Rural Finance Project: Project Appraisal Document

 

The objective of the Third Rural Finance Project for Vietnam will be to increase economic benefits to rural private enterprises and households by increasing their access to finance. The expected outcomes will include: (i) improved access to financial services for rural entrepreneurs; (ii) increased capital investment made by the rural entrepreneurs as well as increased employment; (iii) increased lending, particularly term lending to the rural private sector for capital investment by all participating financial institutions (PFIs) on market-based terms. There are three components to the project. The first component is the increase capital investment by rural enterprises - rural development fund. This component, the Rural Development Fund (RDF), is designed to address the term financing constraints of financial institutions to provide funding to rural enterprises for longer-term investment needs. The goal is to enable rural private entrepreneurs to access medium to long-term financing for capital investments, such as equipment and new technologies, which will enable opportunities for efficiency gains and business expansion. The second component is the increase access to microfinance in the rural economy - micro-finance loan fund. This component, the Micro-finance Loan Fund (MLF), will provide a small line of credit to demonstrate the commercial viability of lending to micro-enterprises and household businesses. These may be defined as formal and informal businesses employing 2-3 employees outside of their immediate families. Finally, the third component is the build institutional capacities and new products. The institutional building component is a core element to the success of the RFIII project. This component is designed to help strengthening the financial institutions participating in the project and demonstrating a credible strategy for expanding access to finance in rural areas of Vietnam. This component is also designed to help demonstrate that new markets can be found and that these can be commercially viable. These new markets can come in the form of new customers, new products and services, and new institutions participating in the project.

 

Full text document can be accessed at http://go.worldbank.org/TNP6451XR0

 

Vietnam - Land Administration Project: Project Appraisal Document

 

The objectives of the Land Administration Project are to increase access to land information services by all stakeholders through development of an improved land administration system in selected provinces in Vietnam. Such a system is considered to be an essential public good to be provided by the Government of Vietnam and is embedded in the government's responsibility to guide and regulate a continuation of sustainable economic and social development. There are three components to the project. The first component is the modernization of the land registration system. This component will support the development of an accurate, current and complete information system to support land registration through: (a) completing and updating all cadastral mapping showing all land parcels; (b) completing and updating all land records for land use rights and land use; (c) further developing and implementing computerized land record system; and (d) selected policy studies in support of the land administration system. The second component is the improvement of land registration service Delivery. This component will provide support for three main areas: (i) modernization and improvement of Land Registration Offices (LROs) to implement the government's policy for one door single service centers for land registration; (ii) access to land registration data through all LROs and the Internet; and (iii)comprehensive program to support public awareness raising and better communications of land registration and participation in the processes to complete and update land records, surveying and mapping. Finally, the third component will support the overall implementation of the project through project management monitoring and evaluation.

 

Full text document can be accessed at http://go.worldbank.org/NRXRTS1YJ0

 

Vietnam - New-Model Universities Project: Project Information Document

 

Full text document can be accessed at http://go.worldbank.org/SJBSYMHQM0

 

Vietnam - New-Model Universities Project: Integrated Safeguards Data Sheet

 

Full text document can be accessed at http://go.worldbank.org/I4IY9L6XZ0

 

Vietnam - Agriculture Competitiveness Project: Project Information Document

 

Full text document can be accessed at http://go.worldbank.org/E3SBDFZ2B0

 

Vietnam - Agriculture Competitiveness Project: Integrated Safeguards Data Sheet

 

Full text document can be accessed at http://go.worldbank.org/RYK8CCZDU0

 

Vietnam - Poverty Reduction Support Credit Project - Project Paper

 

The Seventh Poverty Reduction Support Credit Project supports actions to restructure the state sector and promote business development. It also covers measures aimed at fostering social inclusion and better managing natural resources. And it supports governance reforms in areas such as public financial management, public administration, and legal and judicial development. These fundamental reforms provide the foundation upon which the government can then effectively implement sectoral policy actions. The potential volatility of capital inflows makes it important for Vietnam to secure resources on a long-term basis and to signal the support of the international community to its reform program. Strong capital inflows and government interventions in the exchange rate market to prevent the appreciation of the dong resulted in higher inflation, a current account deficit and an asset price bubble in 2007. Bank lending and investments of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in the stock market and in real estate amplified these trends. Market sentiment might have reversed Sound macroeconomic management will be critical to sustain a strong economic performance and continued poverty reduction in this more turbulent environment. To address this risk, the current credit supports measures aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of macroeconomic policies. They include the assessment of SOE investments in the financial and real estate sectors, the strengthening of banking supervision and corporate governance in banks, and the adoption of criteria to prioritize public sector investments.

 

Full text document can be accessed at http://go.worldbank.org/9PHY4NX1I0

 

Vietnam - Higher Education Project - Implementation Completion and Results Report

 

Ratings for the Higher Education Project for Vietnam were as follows: outcomes were moderately satisfactory, the risk to development outcome was moderate, the Bank performance was satisfactory, and the Borrower performance was also satisfactory. Some lessons learned included: continuity between the teams responsible for project preparation, design, and project implementation can have a major impact on the project start-up. Likewise, continuity in the staff responsible for project oversight, management and implementation is a major contributor to success. Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) activities must be within the capacity of the borrower and may need continuing Bank support over and above the Bank's supervision budgets in the form of institutional development funds or parallel technical assistance grants. Measurement of outcomes related to institutional strengthening and capacity building is a challenge, especially where behavior and attitudinal change underlies the project's objectives. On projects that support large reforms, it is equally difficult to isolate the contribution of the project from that of the broader range of strategies being pursued by the Government.

 

Full text document can be accessed at http://go.worldbank.org/8J7KU6KFQ0

 

United Nations Projects in Vietnam - Highlights

 

Viet Nam Promoting Energy Conservation in Small and Medium Enterprises

 

Over the past decade, Viet Nam has taken important legal and institutional measures to protect its environment and conserve its natural resources with a comprehensive Environment Protection Law that was enacted in 1993; and the Energy Conservation and Energy Efficiency (EC&EE) Degree (Decree 102) that were enacted in 2003. However, the lack of necessary capacity and awareness in energy conservation and energy efficiency are the main reasons that explain why under a baseline scenario, the efforts on energy conservation in SME in Viet Nam will continue to be promoted in a fragmented, inadequately funded and inadequately coordinated manner through the various central and local programs of various agencies.

 

The Project “Viet Nam Promoting Energy Conservation in Small and Medium Enterprises” (PECSME) is an integrated set of activities designed to address in a holistic fashion the barriers to widespread adoption of energy conservation measures and practices in Viet Nam’s SME sector. Through this intervention, UNDP aims to support economic growth that take into account environmental protection and rational use of natural resources for poverty reduction. The project will achieve its objectives through programs with existing SME infrastructure support providers on: policy and institutional support development; communications and awareness; technical capacity development; energy efficiency services provision support; financing support; and, demonstrations.

 

It will contribute to the transformation of Viet Nam’s SMEs from highly energy inefficient and polluting to energy efficient with greatly reduced pollution through the operation of a carefully selected mix of barrier removal activities implemented by government agencies, financial institutions, education providers, NGOs and mostly energy efficiency service providers (EESPs).

 

The main and direct beneficiaries of the project are: SMEs in five sub-sectors, namely brick, ceramics, textiles, paper and food processing; energy efficiency services providers; energy efficiency equipment manufacturers; and, local communities in the ceramic and brick making areas. Other stakeholders, namely MOST, ASMED, SMEPC, MOI, MOF, local government agencies, banking institutions, environment protection funding institutions, NGOs and technical universities and colleges will also benefit through capacity building and technical assistance.

 

Project information can be found at http://www.undp.org.vn/undpLive/digitalAssets/9885_33143i_prodoc.pdf

 

Funding Opportunities

 

For more funding opportunities, please read previous VDIC newsletters at http://www.vdic.org.vn/?name=newsletter&op=viewDetailNews&id=230&mid=350

 

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

 

Australian Development Research Awards - 2008 Funding Round - Call for Applications

 

AusAID would like to announce a call for the submission of Applications for the 2008 Funding Round for the Australian Development Research Awards. The Awards are a pillar of the recently launched AusAID Development Research Strategy which significantly scales up AusAID's development research program. The Funding Round process introduces greater transparency, consistency and quality assurance in AusAID's research program.

 

The Australian Development Research Awards are designed to attract quality research that informs policy development and increases the general stock of knowledge around development issues.

 

The 2008 Funding Round will award funding for research in the following nine priority theme areas:

 

1.         Development Effectiveness

2.         Disability

3.         Economics

4.         Education

5.         Environment

6.         Food Security

7.         Gender

8.         Governance and State Building and

9.         Health

 

This round is open for proposals submitted by Australian and international research organisations and institutions.

 

The Funding Round will accept proposals of up to three years in duration.

 

Successful projects are eligible to receive funding between $50,000 and $250,000 per year.

 

Applications for AusAID to be an industry partner under the Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage project scheme will also be considered under the Australian Development Research Awards.

 

The original Application must be submitted online via this website. If you experience any technical difficulties please contact research@ausaid.gov.au

 

Note: The online submission facility will open on July 8, 2008. This facility will enable proposals to be saved and worked on prior to the closing date of August 29, 2008.

 

CLOSING DATE: 5pm AEST Friday 29th August 2008.

 

For more information please visit http://www.ausaid.gov.au/research/awards.cfm  

 

Post-Graduate Fellowship at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation - IHME

 

Call for applications: Currently accepting applications for our Post-Graduate Fellowship winter cohort to begin in February 2009.

 

"….The vision of IHME is to make available high-quality information on population health, its determinants, and the performance of health systems for all countries. We seek to achieve this directly, by catalyzing the work of others and by training researchers and policy makers. Our goal is to improve the health of the world's populations by providing the best information.

 

The IHME Post-Graduate Fellowship Program provides a unique opportunity for individuals with graduate-level training and a strong quantitative background to conduct in-depth, methodological research on a variety of global health topics with the  mentorship of faculty and senior researchers. Through research, training workshops and

mentorship, the program is intended to enhance the analytical skills of future academics and professional leaders in the field of global health measurement and evaluation…"

 

Applications must be received by September 1, 2008. Interviews with selected applicants will occur in September.

 

For more information please visit http://www.healthmetricsandevaluation.org/print/PGFWinter09Ad.pdf

 

Regional Paediatric Diabetes and Endocrinology Capacity Development Fellowship Programme

 

The World Diabetes Foundation in conjunction with Gertrude's Children Hospital, Aga Khan University Hospital, University of Nairobi and the European Society of Paediatric Endocrinologist (ESPE) is pleased to announce the second intake candidates for the Paediatric Endocrinology Fellowship program.

 

The goal of the program is to:

 

* Provide pediatricians with the knowledge and skill to diagnose and manage childhood diabetes mellitus and other endocrine disorders with an appropriate mix of onsite and home country training.

 

* Facilitate establishment of comprehensive pediatric diabetes and endocrinology clinics.

 

The program will be facilitated by both local and international faculty. Learning comprises six months of both didactic and practicals at the collaborating institutions in Nairobi, six months of practice in home country and three months of consolidation and sitting for oral and written exams. Certification will be by ESPE.

 

Application deadline: 31 August 2008

 

The language of instruction in the program is English.

 

World Diabetes Foundation (WDF) is awarding six scholarships for each intake of pediatricians from the public sector. These scholarships cover the cost of tuition, modest stipend, accommodation and international air tickets. It's expected that the fellows will remain on their home institution payroll throughout the nine months of training in Nairobi.

 

Eligibility for application includes:

 

* National Medical Board recognition of specialist training in pediatrics.

 

* Letter of recommendation from two referees – academic and social – attesting to suitability of the candidate to undertake higher training in the sub specialty.

 

* Guarantee of availability of a practicing and training position in home institution for at   least three years after graduation from the program.

 

* Ability to raise international medical insurance cover.

 

Short-listed applicants will be contacted at least four weeks before the course begins.

 

For more information please visit http://www.procor.org/discussion/displaymsg.asp?ref=3719&cate=ProCOR+Dialogue  

 

IQsensato Research Awards - A Writing Competition on the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Development Agenda

 

IQsensato announces its first writing contest under its Research Awards scheme. The contest is intended to encourage and reward young researchers and students from developing countries writing on the implementation of the WIPO Agenda.

 

Essays are invited on the topic: “The policy and practical impact of the WIPO Development Agenda in developing countries”. The essay should address the following main question:

Can, and/or has, the Development Agenda made a difference in how intellectual property policy is approached in developing countries? If yes, what are some practical examples?  If, no what needs to be done to ensure that the implementation of the Development Agenda makes a positive difference in these countries?

 

The essays, provided they have not been published elsewhere, may be: (1) specifically written for this competition; (2) a paper submitted as a class assignment or prepared as part of fulfilling degree requirements; or (3) an independent study. The essays should be sent electronically to: info@iqsensato.org with the subject heading “Research Awards Submission”. The cover e-mail should indicate the name, nationality and date of birth of the entrant.

 

Submission rules are as follows:

 

• Eligibility: Submissions are welcome from young researchers or students who are nationals of a developing country. This means individuals who hold the nationalities of one or more of the 130 countries which are Members of the Group of 77. The list of these countries is available at http://www.g77.org/doc/members.html. Entrants must be below 30 years of age.

 

• Language: All submissions must be in English.

 

• Length of essay: The essay should not be more than 7,000 words including textboxes,

footnotes or endnotes.

 

The prizes for the writing competition are:

 

• First Place: The first place winner will receive €1,000 in addition to having an edited version of their essay published by IQsensato.

 

• Second place: The second place winner will receive €750 in addition to having an edited version of their essay published by IQsensato.

 

• Third place: The third place winner will receive €500 in addition to having an edited version of their essay published by IQsensato.

 

• Special mentions: Other essays of good quality will get a special mention and edited versions will also published by IQsensato.

 

The deadline for all submissions is 18h00 Central European Time (CET) on Friday, 15 August 2008. Late entries will not be considered.

 

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

 

EcoHealth Forum 2008 - Competition for journalists

 

Be one of 5 journalists (from all over the world) to cover the meeting of the world’s experts on the relationships between health and the environment, in Merida (Mexico), 1 – 5 December 2008.

 

The World Federation of Science Journalists - in collaboration with Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) announces a competition offering journalists the chance to interview the top world’s experts on health and the environment, in Merida (Mexico), 1 – 5 December 2008.

 

ENTRY GUIDELINES

 

Send electronically your CV, coordinates, identification pages of your passport, three articles or audio/video files on health and environmental issues (in the original language), and a one-page essay in English on why you should win this competition:

 

Email: info@wfsj.org

 

TITLE OF YOUR E-MESSAGE: EcoHealth Competition

 

Applications must be received before 2nd September 2008.

 

Winners will be announced on 6th October 2008.

 

Visit: For more information please visit http://www.ecohealth2008.org/anuncio.php

 

Associated websites:

 

* EcoHealth Forum 2008: http://www.ecohealth2008.org/anuncio.php

* The World Federation of Science Journalists: http://www.wfsj.org/

 

British Chevening Scholarships

 

Chevening Scholarships, funded by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, are prestigious scholarships that enable graduates and young professionals from Vietnam to pursue postgraduate studies in the UK and gain new expertise for the benefit of their own country.

 

The British Embassy will open recruitment for the 2009-10 academic year in July 2008.

 

What kind of courses can be studied under a Chevening Scholarship?

 

Most scholarships are awarded for one year postgraduate degree courses, but applications are also welcome from candidates who wish to study a short course (lasting at least 3 months). Preference will be given to courses that contribute to the UK's global foreign policy objectives.

 

Examples of suitable courses include:

 

Economics

Law /Criminal Justice Studies

Political Science

Human Rights/Democracy

Development Studies

Journalism

Public Administration

Finance & Banking

International Security

Business Studies

International Relations

Environmental Studies/Engineering

 

This list is by no means exhaustive and applications for scholarships in other subjects will be considered.

 

If candidates wish to study on a course for which academic fees exceed £10,000 per year, then they should expect to part-fund their study.

 

Important note: Candidates are strongly advised to secure a confirmed place at a British University before interview. Those invited to interview will be asked to give strong reasons for their final choice of university and subject of study.

 

Candidates should study the prospectuses of UK universities (available at the British Council Information Centres in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City) and start applying for places on courses immediately - even before submitting their Chevening application. The British Council can assist applicants in finding information about British universities.

 

We encourage applications from all provinces of Vietnam, from the private sector as well as from government and NGOs.

 

Applicants should normally be aged between 25-35 years.

 

Any queries about the selection process should be directed to Ms Tran Thi Hong Gam or Ms Le Thi An Giang (tel: (04) 8436780) at the British Council in Hanoi.

 

For more information please visit http://www.chevening.com/ and http://www.britishcouncil.org/vietnam/  

 

Behavioral and Social Science Research on Understanding and Reducing Health Disparities - Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

 

The purpose of this funding opportunity is to encourage behavioral and social science research on the causes and solutions to health and disabilities disparities in the U.S. population. Health disparities between, on the one hand, racial/ethnic populations, lower socioeconomic classes, and rural residents and, on the other hand, the overall U.S. population are major public health concerns.

 

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

 

Deadline: September 19, 2008; September 18, 2009

 

For more information please visit http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-07-380.html  

 

Fondo Mink'a de Chorlavi - Grupo Chorlavi

 

Grupo ChorlavÝ calls public and private organizations interested in the rural problems of Latin America to participate in the Mink'a de Chorlaví Fund. The competition's theme is "international migration and development of poor rural territories in Latin America and the Caribbean."

 

Deadline: September 28, 2008

 

For more information please visit http://www.grupochorlavi.org/webchorlavi/concurso2007/convocatoriaing.htm  

 

Research Fellowship Program - Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) 

 

The Research Fellowship Program (RFP) is administered by Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)-International Conservation's Training and Capacity Building Program and jointly funded by the BP Conservation Programme. The RFP is a small grants program designed to build capacity for the next generation of conservationists through supporting individual field research projects that have a clear application to the conservation of threatened wildlife and wildlife habitat. The program seeks projects that are based on sound and innovative conservation science and that encourage practices in conservation that can contribute to sustainable development.

 

Deadline: March 15, 2009

 

For more information please visit http://www.wcs.org/international/rfp/rfpapplication  

 

Kenneth W. Russell Fellowship - American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR)

 

The American Center of Oriental Research (ACOR) offers the Kenneth W. Russell Fellowship to support a graduate student for participation in an ACOR-approved archaeological research project that has passed an academic review process.

 

Deadline: February 1, 2009

 

For more information please visit http://www.bu.edu/acor/1page08-09.htm  

 

ASIA Fellows Awards - Asian Scholarship Foundation

 

The principal goal of the ASIA Fellows Awards is to increase the overall awareness of intellectual resources in the countries of northeast, south, and southeast Asia and to contribute to the growth of long-range capabilities for cross-regional knowledge sharing. The ASIA Fellows Awards seek to:

 

- develop regional expertise;

- establish a multilateral network of Asian specialists from many disciplines, professional fields, and countries;

- stimulate interdisciplinary research and inter-societal comparison; and

- contribute to new developments within existing area studies communities.

 

The grant provides the following:

 

1. Round-trip travel between home country and host country

2. In-country living allowance to cover housing and other expenses based upon the cost-of-living in the host country

3. Limited accident and health insurance

4. Field trip and language training allowance

5. Research allowance

 

Qualified nationals: Bangladesh; Bhutan; Brunei; Burma (Myanmar); Cambodia; China; Hong Kong; India; Indonesia; Japan; Laos; Malaysia; Maldives; Nepal; Pakistan; Philippines; Singapore; South Korea; Sri Lanka; Taiwan; Thailand; Vietnam

 

Deadline: January 11, 2009

 

For more information please visit http://www.asianscholarship.org/?head=GrantInformation&p=detail  

 

Entries Open for 2008 Developing Asia Journalism Awards (DAJA)

 

The Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) announced  today it is again sponsoring the Developing Asia Journalism Awards (DAJA) to acknowledge Asian and Pacific print journalists who cover development trends and the impact these have on the countries and people of the region. This year they will focus on excellence in journalistic reporting in four strategic areas of development.

 

Awards will be based on a journalist's works (published and non-published including those in translation) during 2007-08. The best 25 submitted articles will be selected by a distinguished jury of practicing journalists and their authors will be invited to a four-day training and awards program in Tokyo in November 2008. Winners in the following categories and prizes will be selected from these 25 articles and awards will be given at the conclusion of the program.

 

Developing Asia Journalism Award Categories

 

1. Governance

2. Regional integration

3. Infrastructure

4. Environment

 

The closing date for entries is Friday, 22 August 2008, 6:00 p.m., Tokyo time.

 

For more information please visit http://www.adb.org/Media/Articles/2008/12519-asian-journalists-awards/  

 

CALL FOR PAPERS: Low-Carbon Climate-Resilient Society - Issues and Challenges for Asia

 

IGES invites submission of papers focusing on suitable policy frameworks to achieve a low-carbon, climate-resilient society in Asia. Papers proposing strategies for a post-2012 climate change regime, which recognises and rewards policies and measures that facilitate the development of a low-carbon future in Asia, are especially welcome.

 

IGES will select a few of the submitted papers and award the winning authors with an honorarium of USD1,500 per paper. The winning entries will be published such as a special issue of a relevant journal.

 

The deadline for full paper submissions will be 1 November 2008.

 

For further details, please visit http://www.iges.or.jp/en/cp/callpaper_lcs_200811.html   

 

Staying Alive Awards

 

The MTV Staying Alive Foundation is pleased to announce that the application process for our next round of grants is now open! The grants are for projects that will start in 2009.

 

The deadline for December 2008 proposals is the 15th September 2008, and all successful applicants will be announced on World AIDS Day (1st December 2008)

 

For more information please visit http://www.staying-alive.org/en/foundation/other_links/apply_award_0  

 

The Water Integrity Network (WIN) Small Grants Fund

 

The overarching goal of the Fund is to stimulate and support local actions to fight corruption in the water sector, and thereby reduce poverty. It is targeted to Civil Society organisation (CSO) members of the WIN working in developing and transition countries. Individual WIN Members may affiliate with a member CSO to apply.

 

Among the multiple objectives are:

 

(i) empowering water CSOs to work in partnership with CSOs involved in anticorruption and governance reform;

(ii) enabling CSOs to draw on an independent source of financing for anti-corruption work, where it is important to retain independence; and

(iii) Improving understanding of practical, collaborative approaches, tools and methodologies to detect and prevent corruption in the water sector using and inclusive approach.

 

Further aims are to stimulate and highlight the valuable role that CSOs can play in improving anti-corruption performance of public sector institutions in water, and steps to imbed governance improvement mechanisms in public partnership arrangements with communities and the private sector.

 

In 2008 we plan to award five (5) Small Grants up to €20,000 each, and ten (10) Micro Grants of up to €2,000 each to support local actions. The grants will be competitively awarded based on a transparent evaluation of applications received.

 

Applicants: CSOs must be legally constituted and registered according to laws in their respective home country. And they must have by-laws to enable them to enter into agreements with the Executing Agency (Transparency International). Members of WIN who are not CSO’s may affiliate with a member CSO to apply.

 

For more information please visit http://www.waterintegritynetwork.net/page/1653  

 

Robert S. McNamara Fellowships Program

 

The Robert S. McNamara Fellowships Program provides support to young researchers working in academic and research institutions from eligible countries preparing a doctoral thesis. Research grants cover residence costs for a 5 to 10 month period in a renowned university or research center. Fellows are expected to advance their research work mainly by using the facilities and resources provided by the host institution and by interacting with peers.

 

Only lecturers and researchers from eligible countries working on their doctoral thesis can apply for the fellowship. Candidates should be under 45 years, and have completed any course work or exams required for their doctoral program.

 

Permanent URL for this page: For more information please visit http://go.worldbank.org/LZYMB47270   

 

IRCSET Scholarship for Master and Doctorate

 

IRCSET's Embark Postgraduate Research Scholarship Scheme is designed for either Masters or Doctorate level researchers in the sciences, engineering or technology.

 

The Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering & Technology invites applications for funding from intending postgraduate researchers under the Embark Postgraduate Research Scholarship Scheme.

 

The programme will fund up to 165 Masters or Doctorate level researchers in the sciences, engineering and technology.

 

A number of additional scholarships will be jointly funded by industry as part of IRCSET Enterprise Partnership Scheme. This scheme fosters mutually beneficial collaboration between the academic and commercial research sectors.

 

For more information please visit http://www.ircset.ie/grant_schemes/postgrad.html  

 

CALL FOR PROPOSALS - activities, which fall within the general sphere of drug demand reduction in Viet Nam

 

Grants to non-governmental organizations funded by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), through the special donation from the Drug Abuse Prevention Centre (DAPC), Tokyo.

 

CRITERIA FOR THE AWARDING OF GRANTS

 

Grants may be awarded for activities, which fall within the general sphere of drug demand reduction in Viet Nam. Although preference will be given to proposals in the field of prevention and education, treatment and rehabilitation activities will not be excluded. Following UN policy, we will also appreciate receiving proposals that demonstrate gender-awareness.

 

This funding scheme will not cover proposals relating to the subject of the legalization of certain drugs, establishment of databases and information systems, and for needle-exchange schemes. Furthermore, funds will not normally be given to support travel, meetings, conferences or similar gatherings. Grants may be awarded either for self-contained activities or for activities that are a component of a larger project.

 

Applicants should be Vietnamese NGOs. Only bona fide NGOs will be considered (not commercial operations).

 

Awards will not exceed US$ 6,900 and proposals should normally be for amounts of not less than US$ 5,000.

 

HOW TO APPLY

 

NGOs must submit applications through UNODC Viet Nam Country Office. Each application should include a completed Project Proposal Summary Form. To receive this form, please contact UNODC by e-mail: fo.vietnam@unodc.org.

 

The closing date for submitting applications to UNODC is 25 August 2008.

 

Japanese Grant Aid for Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS) Program

 

The JDS Program is to provide nationalities of Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Kyrgyz Republic, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Philippines, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam with opportunities for academic research at Japanese higher educational institutions under the Grant Aid assistance by Government of Japan. From last year, the recruitment for Kyrgyz Republic is newly started. (The new recruitment for Indonesia was terminated at the year of 2005.)The objective of this program is to support the respective Government in its efforts to facilitate its own plans for human resource development mainly for capacity building and institutional building, and thereby extend and enhance the bilateral relationship with Japan.

 

The JDS Program targets young government officers for public sector, researchers, business people and others with the potential to play leadership roles in their specialties after return to each country as well as to become leaders in their homeland in the 21st century.

 

This Program is implemented by the related Ministry of the respective countries, Government of Japan and JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency). These JDS fellows have been sent to Japanese higher educational institutions to study the following subjects, depending on the targeted countries:

 

     *       Law-Public policy/Administration

     *       Economics-Business Administration

     *       International Relations

     *       Agriculture/Rural Development,Agricultural Policy

     *       Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

     *       Educational Administration

     *       Health Administration

     *       Engineering

     *       Infrastructure Management

     *       Industrial Development-Environmental Policy

 

For more information please visit http://sv2.jice.org/jds/scholarships/index.html  

 

Global Green Energy Awards

 

*Are you part of a local sustainable energy project that’s inspirational, innovative, and worthy of international recognition? Do you know of one?*

 

*The Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy* are seeking inspirational and innovative local sustainable energy projects based in countries with developing economies. Entry is free, and up to seven winners will receive £20,000 each in prize money for project development, with one Energy Champion awarded £40,000. The Awards will be presented at a VIP ceremony in London in June 2009. The application form is online at For more information please visit http://www.ashdenawards.org/int_awards.

 

Benefits of an international Ashden Award include:

 

* Prize money of up to £40,000.

* The chance to bring your sustainable energy solutions into the international arena.

* Continuing development support where appropriate.

* A documentary film about your award-winning work.

* Media exposure.

 

We know that when it comes to developing cleaner, sustainable energy solutions, some of the most ingenious and practical ideas are coming out of rural communities in the developing world.

 

What does it take to be a winner?

 

The projects must:

 

* Be up and running, delivering sustainable energy at a local level for at least one year.

* Benefit the environment.

* Be technically rigorous.

* Have an element of innovation.

* Make a genuine difference to local peoples’ lives, both socially and economically.

* Be replicable and help encourage the widespread uptake of local, sustainable energy.

 

Awards are given for the service to communities provided by the use of sustainable energy, rather than for the technology used. Award-winning work will provide services in one or more of the following areas: food security; health, education and welfare; light and power for homes and businesses; enterprise.

 

Examples of past winners

 

Past winners have used various technologies to deliver a number of benefits to local communities and achieve carbon savings, including fuel-efficient stoves, micro-hydro plants, biogas plants, solar energy systems and water pumps. Many are doing this by boosting local peoples’ income, providing employment or training, installing lighting for schoolwork and even improving women’s status in their community. Details of the 2008 International winners, including short films, are online at http://www.ashdenawards.org/international_winners_2008

 

Supporters of the Awards include Ashden Awards Patron HRH The Prince of Wales, Prof. Wangari Maathai, former US Vice-President Al Gore, and Jonathan Porritt CBE.

 

Timetable for the Ashden Awards 2009

 

International entries needed by 21 October 2008.

 

Tuesday 21 October 2008: Deadline for receipt of Expression of Interest forms. All forms will be acknowledged within seven days.

 

Thursday 13 November 2008: Up to 25 applicants will be invited to submit a full application, and will be sent a form and specific questions. All other Expression of Interest applicants will be notified.

 

Thursday 11 December 2008: Deadline for receipt of full applications. All applications will be acknowledged within seven days.

 

Tuesday 6 January 2009: Deadline for receipt of references for full applications.

 

Early February 2009: First meeting of International judging panel to select about 10 applications for shortlist. All other full applicants will be notified.

 

February and March 2009: Judges and assessors visit short-listed applicants.

 

Early April 2009: Second meeting of International judging panel to select up to eight finalists. All other short-listed applicants will be notified.

 

April and May 2009: Preparation of publicity and technical information about finalists.

 

Mid June 2009: Finalists to London for interviews, Awards ceremony, seminars and publicity activities.

 

For further information and application forms visit www.ashdenawards.org.  

 

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

 

The Government of Mexico, through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE), conducts varied and flexible work, in keeping with the nation's commitment and objective of proving and strengthening its capacity for world dialogue. Thus, the Foreign Ministry reaffirms this commitment to a policy of diversifying the close ties that validate Mexico as a country with many affinities. In order to meet the strategic objectives established by the National Development Plan (NDP) as regards foreign policy, the SRE, through its General Directorate for Cultural Affairs, has proved to be highly dynamic in fostering the development of human capital, through activities of cooperation in education.

 

The scholarships provide support in the following areas:

 

1. Enrollment and school fees, where applicable

2. Monthly allowance, equal to 4 D.F. (Federal District-Mexico City) minimum wages for a specialty, master's, or master's-level research, as well as for studies in the Spanish language and Mexican culture (this currently amounts to $6,310.80 pesos); or 5 D.F. (Federal District-Mexico City) minimum wages for a doctorate or doctoral research, as well as postdoctoral visits, medical specialties or subspecialties, and expert and artistic visits (this currently amounts to $7,888.50 pesos)

3. Medical insurance coverage

4. At the beginning of the scholarship, transportation from Mexico City to the location of the academic institution

 

Eligibility: Scholarships or grants are not open to persons residing in Mexico nor are they available to foreign diplomats accredited in Mexico or members of their families. Persons who have acquired dual nationality through naturalization will not qualify as eligible candidates.

 

Deadline: August 7, 2008; December 5, 2008

 

For more information please visit http://portal2.sre.gob.mx/becas/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=38&Itemid=61  

 

Foreigners' Fellowships Programme - Onassis Public Benefit Foundation

 

The Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation offers an annual programme of research grants and educational scholarships addressed to foreign full members of national academies, university professors of all levels, researchers including Ph.D. holders, artists, translators of Greek literature, elementary and secondary school teachers of the Greek language as a foreign language, postgraduate students, and Ph.D. candidates.

 

The scholarship does not cover the month of August. The scholarship will provide the following:

 

- A round-trip air ticket (economy class) for the scholarship recipient only

- A monthly allowance of €1,200 for subsistence, accommodation and all other expenses

 

Eligibility: Category C Education Scholarships are addressed to postgraduate students and Ph.D. candidates. There is an age limit of 40 years.

 

Deadline: January 31, 2009

 

For more information please visit http://www.onassis.gr/english/scholars/announcement.php  

 

Asian Youth Fellowship (AYF) - Japan Foundation - Tokyo

 

The Japan Foundation Asia Center offers scholarships to Asian students who wish to study at graduate schools in Japan and have a strong wish to contribute to regional cooperation after obtaining a master's or Ph.D. degree under the Asian Youth Fellowship program.

 

Grant coverage during the preparatory course includes the following:

 

1. Expenses necessary for participation in the official curriculum (transportation, teaching material, etc.)

2. Meals during the program

3. Accommodation (a single room) at the institute

4. Overseas travel insurance for disease and injury for the duration of the program

5. Round-trip, economy-class airline

6. Japanese visa as a trainee

 

Citizenship: Bangladesh; Brunei; Burma (Myanmar); Cambodia; Indonesia; Laos; Malaysia; Philippines; Singapore; Thailand; Vietnam.

 

Deadline: Varies

 

For more information please visit http://www.asiaseed.org/ayfj/  

 

 

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