VDIC NEWSLETTER
March 2009

 

 

CONTENTS

 

VDIC News. 1

Free Training Sessions Provided by VDIC.. 1

Exhibitions at VDIC.. 1

Library. 1

Selected Resources on water resources management at VDIC.. 2

Highlights from the New Additions to VDIC Library.. 2

Selected New Publications for Sale at VDIC.. 4

Distance Learning Center Events in March 2009. 7

Information on Development Projects in Vietnam.. 7

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

Funding Opportunities. 10

 

 

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:              March 20, 2009 -- Time: 09:30am 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” plus EndNote instructions

 

Date:              March 20, 2009 -- Time: 01:30pm 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 and (iv) learn how to use EndNote software to automatically manage your referencing works.

 

Exhibitions at VDIC

 

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

 

22nd March - World Day for Water 2009: Transboundary water

 

The world’s 263 transboundary lake and river basins include the territory of 145 countries and cover nearly half of the Earth’s land surface. Great reservoirs of freshwater also move silently below our borders in underground aquifers.

 

With every country seeking to satisfy its water needs from limited water resources, some foresee a future filled with conflict. But history shows that cooperation, not conflict, is the most common response to transboundary water management issues.

 

Over the last 60 years there have been more than 200 international water agreements and only 37 cases of reported violence between states over water. We need to continue to nurture the opportunities for cooperation that transboundary water management can provide.

 

We share the responsibility for managing the world’s transboundary waters for current and future generations.

 

Whether we live upstream or downstream, we are all in the same boat.

 

Small exhibitions at VDIC on these occasions provide brief information on this topic.

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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 on water resources management at VDIC

 

WAT [Internet]. Asian Development Bank (ADB). Asian Water Development Outlook 2007.  Asian Development Bank (ADB). 2007. http://www.adb.org/Water/Knowledge-Center/awdo/default.asp

 

WAT [Internet]. Hodgson, Stephen. Modern water rights. Theory and pratice. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). 2006. http://www.fao.org/icatalog/search/dett.asp?aries_id=108058

 

WAT [Internet]. Le, Huu Ti. Good practice on strategic planning and management of water resources in Asia and the Pacific. New York: United Nations, 2005. http://www.unescap.org/esd/water/publications/water/wrs/85/wrs85.pdf

 

WAT-RES [Internet]. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); European Observatory of Mountain Forests (EOMF); International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD); Red Latinoamericana de Cooperación Técnica en Manejo de Cuencas Hidrográficas (REDLACH); World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF). The new generation of watershed management programmes and projects. A resource book for practitioners and local decision-makers based on the findings and recommendations of a FAO review. FAO. 2006. http://www.fao.org/docrep/009/a0644e/a0644e00.htm

 

WAT-RES 12. Herbertson, Peter. Water conservation: a guide to promoting public awareness. New York: UN, 2001.

 

WAT-RES 24. Hunt, Constance Elizabeth. Thirsty planet: strategies for sustainable water management. London: Zed Books, 2004.

 

WAT-RES 26. United Nations. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. Principles and practices of water allocation among water-use sectors. New York: United Nations, 2000.

 

WAT-RES 6. Chiến lược quốc gia về tài nguyên nước đến năm 2020. Hà Nội: Cultural Information Publishing House, 2006.

 

WAT-RES 9. Finger, Matthias.; Tamiotti, Ludivine; 1973-, Allouche, Jeremy (eds.). The multi-governance of water: four case studies. State University of New York Press, 2006.

 

WAT-RES-V1. National water resources strategy towards the year 2020. Hanoi: Cultural Information Publishing House, 2006.

 

WAT-RES-V3. Institute of Meteology and Hydrology. Sổ tay phổ biến kiến thức tài nguyên nước Việt Nam. Hà Nội: Nông nghiệp, 2006. 

 

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

 

AGR 23. Đặng, Kim Sơn. Kinh nghiệm quốc tế về nông nghiệp, nông thôn, nông dân trong quá trình công nghiệp hóa. Nhà xuất bản Chính trị Quốc gia, 2008.

 

BAN-CAP-V2. Niimi, Yoko; Reilly, Barry. Gender Differences in Remittance Behavior: Evidence from Viet Nam. Asian Development Bank (ADB), 2008. Fulltext http://www.adb.org/Documents/Working-Papers/2008/Economics-WP135.pdf

 

ECO-POL-V65. Kornai, Janos (ed.); Qian, Yingyi (ed.). Market and socialism: In the light of experiences of China and Vietnam. Palgrave Macmillan; International Economic Association (IEA), 2009.

 

EDU-POL-V11. Hirosat, Yasushi (ed.); Kitamura, Yuto (ed.). The political economy of educational reforms and capacity development in Southeast Asia: Cases of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Springer, 2009.

 

ENV-CLI 8. Ngân hàng Thế giới. Thành phố thích ứng với khí hậu: Cẩm nang về giảm nhẹ khả năng bị thương tổn trước thiên tai. Nhà xuất bản văn hóa thông tin, 2009.

 

GEN-V5. Werner, Jayne. Gender, household and state in post-revolutionary Vietnam. Routledge, 2009.

 

HEA-AVI 4. Hội Phụ nữ Việt Nam; Bộ Nông nghiệp và Phát triển Nông thôn; Ngân hàng Thế giới. Phòng tránh cúm gia cầm: Báo cáo đánh giá dự án - Trợ giúp các hộ nghèo bảo vệ đàn gia cầm và bảo vệ chính mình. Quỹ Phát triển Xã hội Nhật Bản. Dự án Tái tạo Đàn gia cầm cho Hộ nông dân, 2008.

 

HEA-AVI 4. Vietnam Women's Union; Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD); World Bank. Guarding against avian influenza: Project evaluation report - Helping poor households to protect their poultry and themselves. Japan Social Development Fund. Smallholder Poultry Restocking Project, 2008.

 

HEA-DEV 34. Yazbeck; Abdo S. Attacking inequality in the health sector: A systhesis of evidence and tools. The World Bank, 2009.

 

HEA-FIN-V2. Lieberman, Samuel S.; Wagstaff, Adam. Tài chính và cung ứng dịch vụ y tế ở Việt Nam: Hướng tới tương lai. Ngân hàng Thế giới, 2008.

 

HEA-FIN-V3. Ministry of Health (MOH); Health Partnership Group (HPG). Joint Annual Health Review 2008: Health Financing in Viet Nam. Ministry of Health (MOH); Health Partnership Group (HPG), 2008. Fulltext http://www.wpro.who.int/NR/rdonlyres/E9742AA1-384E-4AF8-9203-A1DEDA1DC355/0/annual_health_review.pdf

 

INF [Internet]. Brooks, Douglas H. (ed.); Hummels, David (ed.). Infrastructure's Role In Lowering Asia's Trade Costs: Building for Trade. Edward Elgar; Asian Development Bank (ADB), 2009. Fulltext http://www.adbi.org/book/2009/01/30/2823.infrastructures.role.asia.trade.costs/

 

INF-URB-V [Internet]. Tanner, Thomas; Mitchell, Tom; Polack, Emily; Guenther, Bruce. Urban Governance for Adaptation: Assessing Climate Change Resilience in Ten Asian Cities. Institute of Development Studies (IDS), 2009. Fulltext https://cms.ids.ac.uk/UserFiles/file/poverty_team/climate_change/Wp315%20web.pdf

 

INF-URB-V2. Steinberg, Florian. Revitalization of Historic Inner-City Areas in Asia: The Potential for Urban Renewal in Ha Noi, Jakarta, and Manila. Asian Development Bank (ADB), 2008. www.adb.org/Documents/Reports/revitalization-inner-city/default.asp  

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Selected New 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

 

Banking the Poor: Measuring Banking Access in 54 Economies

by World Bank 

English -- Published October 2008 by World Bank -- ISBN-13: 978-0-8213-7754-3

Price: $ 13.00

 

How many people are using banking services in poor countries? What financial services are used? And how could access to banking services be expanded to include more people? Banking the Poor explores these questions, through responses to questions in surveys undertaken in 54 countries, mostly in Africa.

 

The biggest contribution of this study is new data. Banking the Poor collects information from two sources: central banks and leading commercial banks in each surveyed country. It explores associations between countries’ banking policies and practices and their levels of financial access, measured in terms of the numbers of bank account per thousand adults.

 

Banking the Poor finds that the surest way to increased access is job growth that leads to more income. But it also finds that more complexity and costs such as monthly fees are linked to lower access. Access is not enhanced by loading up accounts with features that enhance convenience such as overdraft provision. Instead these features appeal to people who are already banked. Even mobile banking in its current form is primarily aimed at existing clients. On the other hand, availability of a basic “no-frills” bank account with minimal charges is linked to more access.

 

Innovative Financing for Development

Edited by Suhas Ketkar , Dilip K. Ratha 

English -- Published September 2008 by World Bank ISBN: 0-8213-7685-3

Price: $ 13

 

Developing countries need additional, cross-border capital channeled into their private sectors to generate employment and growth, reduce poverty, and meet the other Millennium Development Goals. Innovative financing mechanisms are necessary to make this happen. Innovative Financing for Development is the first book on this subject that uses a market-based approach. It compiles pioneering methods of raising development finance including securitization of future flow receivables, diaspora bonds, and GDP-indexed bonds. It also highlights the role of shadow sovereign ratings in facilitating access to international capital markets. It argues that poor countries, especially those in Sub-Saharan Africa, can potentially raise tens of billions of dollars annually through these instruments.

 

The chapters in the book focus on the structures of the various innovative financing mechanisms, their track records and potential for tapping international capital markets, the constraints limiting their use, and policy measures that governments and international institutions can implement to alleviate these constraints.

 

"This publication assembles several essays focusing on the new market-based ways of raising development finance, which is a crucial complement to public funding for creating jobs, alleviating poverty, and achieving other Millennium Development Goals by 2015. This book will help better our understanding of development finance. Policy makers and business leaders in the developing world, as well as students, will benefit from it immensely."

- Muhammad Yunus

2006 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

 

World Development Report 2009: Reshaping Economic Geography

by World Bank 

English -- Published November 2008 -- ISBN: 0-8213-7607-1

Price: $ 12

 

Rising densities of human settlements, migration and transport to reduce distances to market, and specialization and trade facilitated by fewer international divisions are central to economic development. The transformations along these three dimensions—density, distance, and division—are most noticeable in North America, Western Europe, and Japan, but countries in Asia and Eastern Europe are changing in ways similar in scope and speed. World Development Report 2009: Reshaping Economic Geography concludes that these spatial transformations are essential, and should be encouraged. The conclusion is not without controversy. Slum-dwellers now number a billion, but the rush to cities continues. Globalization is believed to benefit many, but not the billion people living in lagging areas of developing nations. High poverty and mortality persist among the world's "bottom billion", while others grow wealthier and live longer lives. Concern for these three billion often comes with the prescription that growth must be made spatially balanced. The WDR has a different message: economic growth is seldom balanced, and efforts to spread it out prematurely will jeopardize progress.

 

The Report:

 

- documents how production becomes more concentrated spatially as economies grow.

- proposes economic integration as the principle for promoting successful spatial transformations.

- revisits the debates on urbanization, territorial development, and regional integration and shows how today's developers can reshape economic geography.

 

Global Economic Prospects 2009: Commodities at the Crossroads

by World Bank    

English -- Published December 2008 by World Bank ISBN: 0-8213-7799-X

Price: $ 15

 

The eruption of the worldwide financial crisis has radically recast prospects for the world economy. Global Economic Prospects 2009 analyzes the implications of the crisis for low- and middle-income countries, including an in-depth look at long-term prospects for global commodity markets and the policies of both commodity producing and consuming nations.

 

Developing countries face sharply higher borrowing costs and reduced access to capital, cutting into their capacity to finance investment spending. The looming recession presents new risks, coming as it does on the heels of the recent food and fuel crisis.

 

Commodity markets, meanwhile, are at a crossroads. Following decades of low prices and weak investment in supply capacity, commodity prices first spiked and have now plummeted in response to the financial crisis.

 

In the longer run, commodities are not expected to be in short supply. Prices should be higher than they were in the 1990s but much lower than in the recent past. These higher prices should provide producers with sufficient incentive to discover new supplies, improve output from existing resources, and promote greater conservation and substitution with more abundant alternatives. At the same time, slower population growth will ease the pace at which commodity demand grows. Policies to limit carbon emissions and boost agricultural investment, along with the dissemination of efficient techniques, should also contribute to this long-term outcome.

 

This year’s Global Economic Prospects also looks at government responses to the recent price boom.

 

"While developing countries entered this tumultuous period with much improved fundamentals, this crisis is expected to test severely both them and the international financial system. In the longer run, even after developing country growth recovers, commodity supply should keep pace with demand, but policy will need to foster conservation efforts and technological progress. In particular, if poor countries are to maintain domestic food self-sufficiency, governments will need to strengthen investment in rural infrastructure, agricultural research, and technological outreach."

- Justin Yifu Lin

Senior Vice President and Chief Economist, The World Bank

 

Development Economics through the Decades: A Critical Look at Thirty Years of the World Development Report

by Shahid Yusuf 

English -- Published December 2008 by World Bank ISBN: 0-8213-7255-6    
Price: $ 12

 

Since 1978, the World Bank's annual World Development Report (WDR) has provided in-depth analysis and policy recommendations on a specific and important aspect of international development from agriculture, the role of the state, economic growth, and labor to infrastructure, health, the environment, and poverty. In the process, it has become a highly influential publication that is consulted by international organizations, national governments, scholars, and civil society networks to inform their decision-making processes.

 

In this essay, Shahid Yusuf examines the last 30 years of development economics, viewed through the WDRs. The essay begins with a brief background on the circumstances of newly independent developing countries and summarizes some of the main strands of the emerging field of development economics. It then provides a sweeping examination of the coverage of the WDRs, reflecting on the key development themes synthesized by these reports and assessing how the research they present has contributed to policy making and development thought. The book then looks ahead and points to some of the big challenges that the World Bank may explore through future WDRs. The essay is followed by five commentaries, each written by a distinguished economist or development practitioner, which further explore this terrain from different perspectives.

 

Together, the contents of this volume provide an extraordinary and remarkably compact tour of development economics through, around, and beyond the WDR. It will be invaluable to anyone interested in the evolution of development economics over the past three decades as well as for students, scholars, and policy makers in the field of development.

 

"Shahid Yusuf's essay on the World Development Reports is a masterful overview of what has at the same time been 30 years of development economics at the World Bank."

 

- Kemal Dervis

Head, United Nations Development Programme

 

"The reader benefits from Dr. Yusuf's insights into how development economics has changed and how political priority in development has changed over more than 30 years."

- Takatoshi Ito

Graduate School of Economics, University of Tokyo, and

Former Deputy Vice Minister for International Finance, Ministry of Finance of Japan

 

"This volume not only offers an invaluable retrospective of the World Bank's best thinking on development but also has the analytical caliber and policy insights to become an indispensable source for those dealing with the present and future growth and equity challenges faced by the developing countries."

- Ernesto Zedillo

Former President of Mexico and

Director, Yale Center for the Study of Globalization

 

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Distance Learning Center Events in March 2009

 

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

 

ASEAN Post-Summit Dialogue (by invitation only)

March 2 from 9:00-11.30 a.m

 

The 14th ASEAN Summit, which is being held in Thailand from Feb 27 to Mar 1, 2009, is the first since the entry into force of the ASEAN Charter on 15 December 2008. The Charter is a milestone in the history of cooperation in the region, as it sets out the vision of the ASEAN Community of the future which comprises the political-security, economic and socio-cultural pillars. Following the conclusion of the ASEAN Summit, the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr Surin Pitsuwan will present an overview of the major decision and initiatives agreed upon by the ASEAN Member States in a dialogue called: Post-ASEAN Summit 2009 - a Briefing by Dr Surin Pitsuwan, Secretary-General of ASEAN via Videoconferencing in 8 member countries including: Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, The Phillipines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The session is supported by the World Bank and the Global Development Learning Network (GDLN) in the Asia Pacific.

 

Seminar Series of International Symposium for Cardiac Surgery (by invitation only)

March 12, 2009 from 19:00 p.m - 22:00 p.m

 

The program is funded by VinaCapital Foundation in partnership with World Heart Foundation and Global Development Learning Network Asia Pacific. The series aim to improve capacity for cardiac surgery in developing countries such as: Vietnam, China, Indonesia, Bangladesh, India; with the world's best in cardio-thoracic surgery, cardiology and pediatric cardiac care. The series consists of 11 videoconferences, with webcasting and upon the completion of the Series, participants will receive a CDRom of all the lectures and materials used during the Series.

 

For more inforamtion, please contact Ms Dang Thi Thu Huong, email hdang2@worldbank.org, telephone: 04-3934 6600, ext. 706.

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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 found at www.worldbank.org/vn >> select “Projects & Programs”.

 

Vietnam-Vietnam Renewable Energy Development Project - Integrated Safeguards Data Sheet

 

Document Date:  2009/01/29

 

The objective of the proposed project is to increase the supply of electricity to the national grid from renewable energy sources on a commercially, environmentally and socially sustainable basis. 

 

The project will have three components: (1) the investment project implementation component, (2) the regulatory development component, and (3) the pipeline development component. Each component is outlined below:

 

Component 1: Investment Project Implementation Component

 

Subcomponent 1: Credit to Support Renewable Energy Investments (total financing $235.55 million, of which IDA $149.2 million). This sub-component will provide a re-financing facility to participating commercial banks (PBs) for loans to eligible renewables-based projects not exceeding 30MW developed by private sponsors.  The facility would refinance up to 80 percent of the loans made by PBs to eligible projects.

 

Subcomponent 2:  Technical Assistance for Investment Project Implementation (total financing $2.43 million, of which $2 million from IDA). This sub-component will provide technical assistance for application review and project management by MOIT and for building the capacity of participating banks and project sponsors to prepare, appraise, finance, and implement renewables-based projects according to international best practices.

 

Component 2: Regulatory Development Component (Total financing $1.02 million equivalent of which $0.8 million from IDA and AU$0.35 million co-financed by TF). This component will provide technical assistance for developing the regulatory infrastructure and building the requisite capacities of MOIT, the Electricity Regulatory Authority of Vietnam and other relevant government agencies for renewable energy development particularly for grid-connected electricity generation projects not exceeding 30 MW.

 

Component 3: Pipeline Development Component (Total financing $3.32 million equivalent of which AU$3.15 million financed by TF). This component will support activities to facilitate the development of further renewable energy projects contributing directly to building a pipeline of renewable energy projects. 

 

Renewable energy projects provide additional energy to the grid to improve the quality and availability of power, especially in rural remote areas, where they are generally located. Hence, such projects lead to improvements of local productive capacity, business environment as well as social, educational and cultural life. Construction and operation of RE facilities are likely generate employment opportunities and improve access of rural communities. The positive direct and indirect social benefits to rural development are well recognized in Vietnam and supported by central and local governments, mass organizations and individuals.

  

Previous in-country experience in developing renewable energy projects, especially small hydropower plants shows that these projects cause some change in land use and impact the lives of people living in the project areas. These sub-projects are also likely to be located in hilly areas where, in Vietnam, ethnic minorities live.  However, no major issues have been identified in the first five subprojects appraised so far.

  

Renewable energy displaces thermal generation, and thereby avoids emissions of local and global pollutants resulting from burning coal, gas and oil.  The costs from local emissions, mainly in the form of damage to people's health, is likely to increase as Vietnam's levels of electricity consumption and urbanization increase.  Renewable energy provides low emission electricity, but can have other local environment consequences, including impacts on natural habitats and forests, flora and fauna, and to landscapes. it can result, in the case of biomass based projects in local emissions.  The renewable energy subprojects are not expected to have major impacts as the screening exercise will exclude all subprojects with large adverse impacts. 

 

For more information please visit http://go.worldbank.org/VHP7ZL3X50

 

Vietnam - Second Phase of the Second Program for Communes Facing Extreme Hardship in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas (Program 135) - Project Information Document

 

Document Date:  2009/01/26

 

The Program Development Objective is to improve the results of one of Vietnam’s National Target Programs for poverty reduction, the “Program for Socio-Economic Development in Communes Facing Extreme Hardship in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas (2006-2010)”, known as “Program 135, through strengthening the four, main policy areas: (i) poverty targeting; (ii) decentralization, participation and empowerment; (iii) fiduciary transparency and accountability; and (iv) monitoring and evaluation.

 

The proposed operation is fully aligned with the Bank’s Country Partnership Strategy 2007 to 2011 which is based on GoV’s Socio-Economic Development Plan (2006-2010).  The proposed operation specifically supports the “Strengthen Social Inclusion” pillar and particularly the outcomes of “better access to services and infrastructure for the rural poor”, and “ethnic minorities in rural areas more fully integrated into development processes”

 

The proposed operation would be the second in a programmatic series of three Development Policy Credits (DPCs) over the life of P135-2 (2006-2010) to support the sustained implementation of the reform elements of this Government program in support of achievement of the agreed program outcomes:

 

- DPC1 (US $50 million equivalent) supported those critical aspects of the reform agenda which provided the framework for a program consistent with the agreed outcomes. The prior actions in this case were primarily policy and institutional actions already shown to deliver results through strengthening community-level ownership over the planning, execution, management and construction supervision, and operation and maintenance of basic infrastructure investments;

 

- DPC2 (US $50 million equivalent) would support additional actions which have been identified during the first two years of implementation and the recent mid-term review to reinforce the reform agenda.  The prior actions would include revised policy and supporting documents in key areas such as production support and competitiveness of local procurement to permit more effective implementation by provinces, districts and communes, as well as strengthening of the monitoring and oversight functions at the central level;

 

- DPC3 (US $50 million equivalent) would support updating of policy actions based on implementation experience, as well as the application of lessons learned under the program to the design of the follow on NTPs in those areas where the reforms have proven to support more effective progress towards the program objectives and outcomes.

 

For more information please visit http://go.worldbank.org/QPEKIKFR10

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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.

 

Please let us know if you have directly benefited from an opportunity information disseminated by VDIC.

 

The World Bank in Vietnam - Civil Society Fund 2009 - Call for Proposals

 

The Civil Society Fund (formerly known as Small Grants Program) of the World Bank was created in 1983 as a way of supporting small, nonprofit, civil society organizations (CSOs). The Social Development Civil Society Fund (Civil Society Fund or CSF) seeds and supports activities that build capacity to enhance development outcomes. Activities strengthen mechanisms for inclusion, accountability, and people’s participation. Activities also strengthen partnerships with public sector, other civil society organizations, and the private sector.

 

We are pleased to announce the start of the Civil Society Fund 2009 for Vietnam with the total amount equivalent to 692 million Vietnam Dong made available for in-country grants to national CSOs.

 

Activities eligible for grant receipt this year should focus on capacity building, empowering and strengthening the voice of vulnerable groups including disadvantage children, youth and women, people with disabilities, urban migrants and ethnic minorities. The activities should aim at supporting these vulnerable groups and promoting social inclusion.

 

Activities may include, but are not limited to workshops or seminars to enhance engagement skills and/or knowledge to promote the participation of the vulnerable groups to the development process; appropriate communication campaigns to improve public service delivery and policymaking process; or innovative networking efforts to build capacity.

 

Grants from Civil Society Fund must be used for specific activities to be completed within one year of the date the grant is awarded. Priority is given to organizations not supported by the Small Grants Program in previous years and organizations are not eligible for more than three grants from the Small Grants Program or Civil Society Fund within a five-year period.

 

Please note that the CSF will not provide support for operational projects; research programs; formal academic training programs; ongoing institutional support; scholarships, fellowships, study programs; equipment purchase, service provision, construction of facilities or for individuals applying on their own behalf, including for travel or studies. Due to limited funding availability, only organizations with a development rather than charity purpose will be eligible. The maximum size of each grant will be 85 million Vietnam Dong. Grant proposals will be assessed on a competitive basis, to select the most innovative activities.

 

If your CSO meets the above-mentioned requirements and would like to apply for a grant, please pick up an application form and guidance at the World Bank Office Reception, 8th floor, 63 Ly Thai To Street, Hanoi or download from our website http://www.worldbank.org/vn. For more information please contact Ms. Bồ Thị Hồng Mai (tel: 04 3936 7300, fax: 04 3934 6597; email: mbo@worldbank.org) or visit the website. Organizations outside Hanoi may also contact our office to get this form by mail or email. The deadline for submission of your application is March 20, 2009 (for those outside Hanoi, the deadline is based on the date of the post-office stamp). Decisions on grants will be made by end-April, 2009 and the selected proposals will be notified shortly afterwards.

 

UNU-IAS Fellowship Programmes

 

Every year UNU-IAS offers PhD and Postdoctoral fellowships to provide young scholars and policy-makers, especially from the developing world, with a multi-disciplinarily context within which to pursue advanced research and training that is of professional interest to the successful applicant and of direct relevance to the research agenda of their selected UNU-IAS or UNU-ISP programme.

 

The fellows are resident at UNU-IAS in Yokohama or UNU-ISP in Tokyo, Japan for the full term of the fellowship. This gives the PhD and Postdoctoral fellows the opportunity to gain from the broader research programme of lectures, seminars, workshops and conferences arranged by UNU-IAS and UNU-ISP. UNU's close institutional links with Japanese affiliated professors and visiting professors from key universities and think tanks in Japan also allows fellows to link into the broader Japanese academic and research community.

 

An essential part of the application for both the PhD and Postdoctoral fellowships is a research proposal outlining the intended work at UNU-IAS and UNU-ISP. Applicants are evaluated on the following criteria:

 

(i) The research objectives of the applicant and the quality of the research proposal;

(ii) the relevance of the research proposal to the ongoing or planned research activities of the applicant's selected Research Programme at UNU-IAS or UNU-ISP;

(iii) the applicant's academic merit and the potential for successful research while at UNU-IAS or UNU-ISP.

 

The application deadline is 31 March 2009 (17h00 Tokyo time).

 

More information: http://www.ias.unu.edu/sub_page.aspx?catID=6&ddlID=127

 

The International Foundation for Science (IFS) Young Scientists Grant

 

The International Foundation for Science (IFS) is accepting applications from young scientists in developing countries for IFS Research Grants to do research on the sustainable management, use, or conservation of biological or water resources. This broad statement covers natural science and social science research on agriculture, soils, animal production, food science, forestry, agroforestry, aquatic resources, natural products, water resources, etc. Applications are accepted all year and are to be made on an IFS Application Form.

 

Closing Date: Until filled

 

More information: http://www.ifs.se/Programme/granting_programme.asp 

 

Scholarships for the Master of Arts in International Development Studies Program at Chulalongkorn University

 

A number of scholarships from the ASEAN Foundation and the Siam Cement Group are available for the 2009-2010 year Master of Arts in International Development Studies (MAIDS) Program at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand. Applicants must be nationals of selected ASEAN countries, have a Bachelor’s degree in the Social Sciences, have two years of work experience, and have proficiency in English (minimum TOEFL 550, IELTS 6.0, or CU-TEP 550).

 

Accepting Applications until March 31st, 2009!

 

More information: http://www.ids.polsci.chula.ac.th/index.htm 

 

Call for concept note “Promoting Social Accountability in Vietnam” – Oxfam GB

 

Oxfam Great Britain announces the availability of funding to support Vietnamese non-governmental organizations (VNGOs) and community based organizations (CBOs) in policy related work. Policy work may include but not be limited to various types of activity such as policy analysis, survey, research, study, and advocacy etc. Areas of policy focus should be poverty reduction, and people’s participation. Policy work could be at any level, ranging from commune, district, provincial to national level.

 

This project is under the “Promoting Social Accountability in Vietnam” programme that Oxfam Great Britain is implementing in Vietnam. The programme is co-funded by Irish Aid.

 

The concept note should be written in Vietnamese. Deadline for concept note application is 10 March, 2009, 5:00 p.m.  

 

For more information please contact:

 

Truong Thu Huyen

Programme Officer

Right to be Heard Programme

Oxfam Great Britain

16 Mai Hac De

Ha Noi, Viet Nam

Tel: +844-945 4362; ext. 116

Fax: +844-945 4365

Email: tthuyen@oxfam.org.uk

Web: www.oxfam.org.uk

 

Opening – World Bank Scholarships and Fellowships for 2009

 

The Scholarship Program and the Fellowships Program are vehicles for knowledge sharing and capacity building in the developing world. The Programs provide opportunities for graduate and postgraduate studies leading to masters and doctoral degrees in development-related fields for mid-career professionals from eligible developing countries. 

 

- The Robert S. McNamara Fellowships Program (RSM Fellowships). Deadline: February 28, 2009.

- The Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program (JJ/WBGSP), sponsored by the Government of Japan. Deadline: March 31, 2009.

 

Read more at http://www.worldbank.org/wbi/scholarships/

 

Global and regional Development Marketplace competitions invite proposals

 

The 2009 Development Marketplace global grant competition is seeking innovative solutions addressing Climate Adaptation in three sub-themes. The call for proposals will be open from February 12 through April 9, 2009. Winning projects will receive a US$ 200,000 grant for implementation over two years.

 

For more information, visit www.developmentmarketplace.org

 

WB Photo contest on peacebuilding

 

The Conflict, Crime and Violence team (CCV) in the Social Development Department (SDV) is proud to announce the Photo Contest Imagining Peace: The World Bank Contribution to Peace-Building and Prevention of Violence, as part of a two-day event on “Violence Prevention: A Critical Dimension of Development” at the World Bank on April 6 and 7, 2009.

 

The photo contest seeks to feature photographs taken by World Bank Group and IMF staff and consultants working on projects and activities that contribute to sustainable peace and that decrease or prevent violence. Pictures of peace-building activities and violence prevention programs will be considered as well as other development efforts that contribute to peace and reduction of violence.

 

All entries must be received by 5pm Monday, March 9th, 2009, Washington, DC time.

 

For more information, visit http://go.worldbank.org/KVT24VG170 

 

USAID Women’s Leadership Training in Economics (WLTIE) Program

 

WHAT is the WLTIE Program? The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is pleased to announce the 2009 Women’s Leadership Training in Economics (WLTIE) program. The Program is designed to help develop a new generation of women economists who will become leaders in economic policy making and to serve as role models for future generations of women economists in Vietnam.

 

The Program will provide three full scholarships for two-year US-based Masters in economics programs.

 

Upon graduation, WLTIE women are expected to return to Vietnam to participate in the economic policy-making activities.

 

WHAT does the scholarship provide? The WLTIE scholarship covers tuition and fees, monthly stipend, health insurance and round-trip airfare to the United States.

 

WHO can apply? Competition is open to all applicants meeting the following minimum criteria:

 

- Be a female Vietnamese citizen

- Have undergraduate degree in economics or a related field

- Have at least three years of work experience in related areas

- Be proficient in English

- Be employed, presently or previously, in the Vietnamese government with aspiration for future government/public sector service

- Have not earned bachelor’s/master’s degree from a U.S. university within last 3 years.

 

Deadline for submission of application: March 31, 2009.

 

More information: http://vietnam.usembassy.gov/usaid_scholarship.html

 

Calling entrepreneurs for sustainable development: SEED Awards 2009

 

Apply now if:

 

- you are finding new ways of simultaneously improving incomes and strengthening livelihoods; tackling poverty and marginalisation; and managing     and conserving natural resources and ecosystems; and

 

- you are developing a new concept that brings together people and organizations from different backgrounds to work in partnership, and partners are pooling their commitment and human, financial, and natural resources; and

 

- your project or enterprise is in the early stages of development and keen to increase its impacts; and

 

- your project or enterprise is locally-led, with strong community engagement, and takes place in a country or countries with a developing economy or economy in transition; and

 

- your project or enterprise displays entrepreneurship in its broadest sense and shows a proven concept that has market potential; it must demonstrate financial sustainability in the long term and should have a draft business plan.

 

Detailed eligibility criteria are available at www.seedinit.org. Before submitting your application, you will be asked to complete an eligibility checklist.

 

Winners of the 2009 SEED Awards for entrepreneurship in sustainable development receive a tailored package of support services, worth up to $40,000, to help their venture to become established and to increase their impact. This includes access to relevant expertise and technical assistance, meeting new partners and building networks, developing business plans and identifying sources of finance.

 

The deadline for applications is 16 March 2009. Application forms can be filled in online or downloaded from the SEED Initiative website at www.seedinit.org.  

 

World Forestry Institute (WFI) International Fellowship Program

 

WFI International Fellowship Program - term: 6-12 months - applications accepted year-round.  The WFI Fellowship brings professionals in natural resources to conduct a practical research project at the World Forestry Center.  In addition to projects, Fellows participate in weekly field trips, interviews and site visits to Northwest forestry organizations, research labs, universities, public and private timberlands, trade associations, mills, and corporations.  The Fellowship is a unique opportunity to learn about sustainable forestry from the Pacific Northwest forestry sector, and to work with colleagues from around the world.  Fellowships are open to any country, and there is a matching grant from the Harry A. Merlo Foundation.  Over 70 Fellows from 23 countries have participated to date.  Applications are accepted year-round. 

 

For details, visit:  http://wfi.worldforestry.org/fellowship-1.htm 

 

Prizes for rural women 2009 - Call for Nominations

 

The Women’s World Summit Foundation WWSF cordially invites you to submit nominations for its 16th annual edition of the prize for women’s creativity in rural life, honouring creative and courageous women and women’s organisations working to improve the quality of life in rural communities around the world.

 

Since inception of the prize program in 1994, 344 Laureates have been honoured for their creativity (as of 2009 US$1000 per laureate and US$3000 for established organisations in Africa).

 

All laureates and their profiles are published on the WWSF web site: http://www.woman.ch/home.php. A travelling exposition and a global poster is giving visibility to all the prize winners.

 

Given your experience, interest and perspective with regard to issues of development, human rights, micro-credit, peace building and empowerment of women, WWSF greatly appreciate your participation and thank you in advance for sending your candidates. Prize winners will be selected from complete nominations that include all the required documents mentioned in the attached nomination guidelines. Incomplete nominations will not be considered.

 

Your candidates should arrive no late than 31 March, 2009 preferably by mail to the WWSF executive director, Women’s World Summit Foundation, 11 Avenue de la Paix 1202 Geneva, Switzerland or email: wrwd@wwsf.ch

 

http://www.scidev.net/en/announcements/prizes-for-rural-women-2009-call-for-nominations.html

 

The Borlaug Leadership Enhancement in Agriculture Program (LEAP)

 

The Borlaug LEAP fellowship program is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to enhance the quality of thesis research of graduate students from developing countries who show strong promise as leaders in the field of agriculture and related disciplines. LEAP is part of the overall Borlaug International Agricultural Science and Technology Fellows Program sponsored by the USDA. The LEAP program will support engaging a mentor at a Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) system center to support and enhance thesis research and mentoring experience.

 

Citizens of a USAID-assisted country who are currently enrolled as an MS or PhD student at a U.S. or developing country university can apply for this program.

 

Applications are welcome throughout the year. However, reviews are conducted twice a year and the administrative deadline for the next review is 11 March 2009.

 

For more information please visit http://leap.ucdavis.edu/ 

 

IN.Wallonia-Brussels International Excellent Grants

 

In a context of greater mobility and globalisation, a new grant programme has recently been set up by Wallonia-Brussels International (WBI). This programme sets out to reflect the themes of the competitiveness clusters designated by the MARSHALL plan, a plan launched by the Walloon Region of Belgium. It is designed to allow our Universities to host university students from institutions of excellence abroad. An identical programme exists for graduates from Wallonia and Brussels who wish to study in a university of excellence abroad.

 

Applicants should hold a higher education diploma of Master’s level delivered by a recognised foreign institution that is deemed to be equivalent to the Master’s level by the Competent Authorities of Wallonia-Brussels.

 

Type of programme :

 

1- Grants of a duration of at least 1 year at doctorate or post-doctorate level. This aims to support the various competitiveness clusters of the MARSHALL plan, priority will be given to the following fields of study: transport and logistics, mechanical engineering,

life sciences, agri-food industry, aeronautics – aerospace. Consideration may also be given to all other fields of study, human, fundamental or applied sciences.  Applicants are welcome from all countries. All applications must be accompanied by the letter of intent or the admission letter of the host institution in Wallonia-Brussels.

 

Deadline for submissions : 15 March 2008 for periods of study during the academic year 2009-2010

 

2- Short term research grants of a duration of 1 to 3 months. This aims to support the various competitiveness clusters of the MARSHALL plan, priority will be given to the following fields: transport and logistics, mechanical engineering, life sciences, agri-food industry, aeronautics – aerospace. Consideration may also be given to all other fields of study, human, fundamental or applied sciences. Applicants from all countries will be given due consideration.

 

Deadline for applications:

 

For periods of study between February 2009 and May 2009 : 1st September 2009

For periods of study between June and September 2010 : 1st of March 2009

For periods of study between October and January 2010 : 1st of June 2009

 

For more information please visit http://www.wbi.be/cgi/bin3/render.cgi?id=0132992_article&userid=&lang=ln3&rubr=trad_en 

 

50th International Speech Contest in Japanese

 

The Japan Foundation, International Education Center, and Hakodate City co-organize the 50th International Speech Contest in Japanese. This year, in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the opening

of the Hakodate Port, the contest will be held in Hakodate City, Hokkaido on May 30.

 

http://www.jpf.go.jp/e/japanese/event/benron/

 

Application deadline will be 5:00 p.m. Thursday, April 9, 2009.

 

For more information about application, please access to the website of International Education Center http://www.nichibei.ac.jp/news/news_speechcontest50.html (in Japanese).

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