VDIC NEWSLETTER
October 2009

 

 

CONTENTS

 

VDIC News. 1

Free Training Sessions Provided by VDIC.. 1

Exhibitions at VDIC.. 1

Library. 2

Selected resources on rural women at VDIC.. 2

Highlights from the New Additions to VDIC Library.. 2

Selected Publications for Sale at VDIC.. 3

Distance Learning Center Events in October 2009. 7

Information on Development Projects in Vietnam... 7

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

Funding Opportunities. 8

 

 

VDIC News

 

Free Training Sessions Provided by VDIC

 

Class contents:

 

1. “Searching the Internet: basic skills” class

 

Date:              October 21, 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.

 

2. “Referencing skills” plus EndNote instructions

 

Date:              October 21, 2009 -- Time: 01:30pm to 04:30pm

 

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.

 

Who: Everyone is welcome.

 

How to register: 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.

 

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

 

Course materials: Please read the course materials available online 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.

 

What to bring: 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.

 

Exhibitions at VDIC

 

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

 

15 October 2009 - International Day of Rural Women

 

The idea of honouring rural women with a special day was put forward by international NGOs at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995. It was suggested that 15 October be celebrated as “World Rural Women’s Day,” the eve of World Food Day, in order to highlight the role played by rural women in food production and food security.

 

The International Day of Rural Women directs attention to both the contribution that women make in rural areas, and the many challenges that they face. Women play a critical role in the rural economies of both developed and developing countries. In most parts of the developing world they participate in crop production and livestock care, provide food, water and fuel for their families, and engage in off-farm activities to diversify the family income. In addition, they carry out vital functions in caring for children, older persons and the sick.

 

Women make an important contribution to food production. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), 428 million women work in the agricultural sector around the world, compared to 608 million men. In many parts of the world, agriculture is the first sector of employment for women, for instance in Sub-Saharan Africa and in South Asia, where respectively 68 per cent and 61 per cent of working women are employed in agriculture.

 

Small exhibition at VDIC provides 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 rural women at VDIC

 

For more comprehensive list materials on gender available at VDIC, please contact nvu2@worldbank.org.

 

United Nations’ web site on International Day of Rural Women http://www.un.org/womenwatch/feature/idrw/

 

International Day of Rural Women web site http://www.rural-womens-day.org/

 

AGR-FAR-V3 [Internet]. Brunton, Virginia. The role of women in the safe production, promotion and utilisation of indigenous vegetables [Vietnam]. ACIAR, 2008. Fulltext http://www.aciar.gov.au/publication/FR2008-25.  

 

ECO-ADM-P 27. Sổ tay hướng dẫn về giới trong các dự án cung cấp nước và vệ sinh nông thôn. Ngân hàng Phát triển châu Á, 2000.

 

GEN-POL 1. Bộ Nông nghiệp và Phát triển Nông thôn. Chiến lược giới trong nông nghiệp và phát triển nông thôn đến năm 2010. Nhà xuất bản Văn hóa - Thông tin, 2003.

 

POV-GEN 1. Phụ nữ nghèo nông thôn trong điều kiện kinh tế thị trường. Nhà xuất bản Chính trị Quốc gia, 1996.

 

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-FOR 44. WWF Chương trình Việt Nam. Bộ công cụ xác định rừng có giá trị bảo tồn cao Việt Nam. WWF Chương trình Việt Nam, 2008.

 

BAN-COR 4. Brigham, Eugene F.; Houston Joel F. Quản trị tài chính. South-Estern Cengage Learning, Mason, USA; Cengage Learning, Singapore, 2009.

 

ECO-ADM-H29. Sunoo, Jan Jung-Min; Lee, Chang Hee; Do, Quynh Chi. Vietnam: A foreign manager's HR survival guide. ILO; ILO-Vietnam Industrial Relations Project, 2009.

 

ECO 24. Beaud, Michael; Dostaler, Gilles; Nguyễn, Đôn Phước (dịch). Tư tưởng kinh tế kể từ Keynes: Lịch sử và từ điển những tác giả chính. Nhà xuất bản Tri thức, 2008.

 

ECO-DEV-A25. Ghesquiere, Henri; Phạm, Văn Nga; Phạm, Hồng Đức dịch. Bài học thành công của Singapore. Cengage Learning, Singapore, 2008.

 

HEA-POP-V4. Trịnh, Duy Luân; Rydstrom, Helle; Burghoorn, Wil (chủ biên). Gia đình nông thôn Việt Nam trong chuyển đổi: Chương trình hợp tác nghiên cứu Việt Nam - Thụy Điển, Dự án VS-RDE-05. Nhà xuất bản Khoa hoc Xã hội, 2008.

 

HEA-POP-V5. Guilmoto, Christophe Z.. Recent change in the sex ratio at birth in Viet Nam: A review of evidence = Những biến đổi gần đây về tỷ số giới tính khi sinh ở Việt Nam: Tổng quan các bằng chứng. UNFPA, 2009.

 

INF-TRA-S7. ALMEC Corporation; Nippon Koei Co., Ltd.. The study on National Road Traffic Safety Master Plan in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam until 2020: Final report (4 volumes). Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA); National Traffic Safety Committee, Vietnam (NTSC), 2009.

 

INF-TRA-S7. Công ty ALMEC; Công ty TNHH Nippon Koei. Nghiên cứu Quy hoạch Tổng thể An toàn Giao thông Đường bộ tới năm 2020 tại nước Cộng hòa Xã hội Chủ nghĩa Việt Nam : Báo cáo cuối kỳ (4 tập). Cơ quan Hợp tác Quốc tế Nhật Bản (JICA); Ủy ban An toàn Giao thông Quốc gia Việt Nam (NTSC), 2009.

 

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Selected Publications for Sale at VDIC

 

Please note that books are only available for sale at VDIC premise and

we provide no courier service for this activity.

 

To help protect our environment, VDIC stops giving clients plastic bags. VDIC clients can choose between buying paper bags at 1,000 VND each or fabric bags at 5,000 VND each.

 

More titles for sale are listed at

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

 

Human development report 2009: Overcoming barrier: Human mobility and development <new>

Available for sale on 6 October 2009

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) -- 2009 October -- ISBN: 978-0-230-23904-3

Price: 9 USD

 

Human development is about putting people at the centre of development. It is about people realizing their potential, increasing their choices and enjoying the freedom to lead lives they value. Since 1990, annual Human Development Reports have explored challenges including poverty, gender, democracy, human rights, cultural liberty, globalization, water scarcity and climate change.

 

Migration, both within and beyond borders, has become an increasingly prominent theme in domestic and international debates, and is the topic of the 2009 Human Development Report (HDR09). The starting point is that the global distribution of capabilities is extraordinarily unequal, and that this is a major driver for movement of people. Migration can expand their choices– in terms of incomes, accessing services and participation, for example -- but the opportunities open to people vary from those who are best endowed to those with limited skills and assets. These underlying inequalities, which can be compounded by policy distortions, will be a theme of the report.

 

The report will investigate migration in the context of demographic changes and trends in both growth and inequality. It will also present more detailed and nuanced individual, family and village experiences, and explore less visible movements typically pursued by disadvantaged groups such as short term and seasonal migration.

 

Báo cáo phát triển thế giới 2009: Tái định dạng địa kinh tế [World Development Report 2009: Reshaping economic geography]

Ngân hàng Thế giới -- Nhà xuất bản Chính trị Quốc gia, 2008

Giá tiền: $2.00

 

Sự tăng mật độ dân cư, di cư và giao thông làm giảm khoảng cách tới thị trường và sự chuyên môn hóa và hoạt động thương mại do một số ít hơn các nhóm kiểm soát chính là vấn đề trung tâm của sự phát triển kinh tế. Sự chuyển đổi giữa ba yếu tố này: mật độ, khoảng cách và phân chia, có thể dễ dàng nhận thấy nhất tại Bắc Mỹ, Tây Âu và Nhật Bản, tuy nhiên các nước châu Á và Đông Âu cũng đang biến đổi theo cách tương tự cả về phạm vi và tốc độ. Báo cáo Phát triển Thế giới 2009 kết luận rắng sự thay đổi về mặt không gian là then chốt và nên được khuyến khích. Tuy nhiên kết luận này không phải là không còn tranh cãi. Số người sống trong các khu nhà ổ chuột hiện nay đã lên tới hàng tỷ người, nhưng làn sóng di cư tới các thành phố vẫn tiếp diễn. Người ta tin rằng toàn cầu hóa có lợi cho nhiều người nhưng không phải là hàng tỷ người đang sống tại những khu vực kém phát triển tại các nước nghèo. Tỷ lệ nghèo và tỷ lệ tử vong cao vẫn tồn tại trong nhóm “một tỷ người dưới đáy xã hội” trong khi những người khác lại trở nên giàu hơn và sống lâu hơn. Những mối quan ngại đối với nhóm ba tỷ người này thường đi kèm với giải pháp là việc tăng trưởng phải công bằng cả về không gian. Báo cáo cũng đưa ra một thông điệp khác: phát triển kinh tế hiếm khi cân bằng và mọi nỗ lực nhằm trải rộng sự phát triển một cách vội vàng sẽ phá hủy quá trình này. Báo cáo này: - ghi nhận quá trình tập trung hóa về không gian của việc sản xuất khi kinh tế phát triển ; - cho rằng sự hội nhập kinh tế là nguyên tắc để thúc đẩy sự chuyển đổi thành công về mặt không gian; - tiếp tục cuộc tranh luận về sự đô thị hóa, phát triển theo vùng và hội nhập vùng, qua đó cho thấy cách thức tái định dạng địa kinh tế trong thời đại hiện nay.

 

Sức mạnh của thiết kế điều tra: Cẩm nang dùng trong quản lý điều tra, diễn giải kết quả điểu tra và chi phối đối tượng điều tra [The power of survey design : a user's guide for managing surveys, interpreting results, and influencing respondents]

Iarossi, Giuseppe -- World Bank, 2006

Giá tiền: $1.00

 

Trong cuốn sách này, Giuseppe Iarossi đã dựa trên những kinh nghiệm phong phú của mình về thiết kế điều tra để viết nên một công trình rất hữu ích về cách thức thiết kế và tiến hành các cuộc điều tra. Đây là tài liệu hướng dẫn thực hành về tất cả các buớc liên quan đến việc triển khai một cuộc điều tra, bao gồm quản lý điều tra, thiết kế bảng hỏi, điều tra mẫu, tâm lý học của người được điều tra, sự tham gia điều tra, và quản lý dữ liệu. Đây là tài liệu tham khảo thực hành rất phong phú cho những người tạo ra dữ liệu điều tra cũng như người sử dụng kết quả điều tra.

 

Tài liệu tham khảo quản lý bền vững đất đai [Sustainable Land Management Sourcebook]

World Bank – 2009 -- Tiếng Việt

Giá tiền: 2 USD

 

Sự gia tăng nhu cầu về lương thực, thực phẩm và năng lượng sinh học đặt ra thêm nhiều thách thức cho đất đai, nước và rừng. Để giải quyết sự gia tăng nhu cầu về nguồn tài nguyên thiên nhiên đồng hành cùng với những thách thức này, Ngân hàng Thế giới nhấn mạnh đến việc quản lý bền vững đất đai, nguồn nước, thủy sản, rừng và chăn nuôi cùng với các vấn đề quản trị điều hành. Tài liệu Tham khảo về Quản lý Bền vững Đất đai được biên soạn để sử dụng như là một tài liệu cho những người làm công tác quản lý đất đai tra cứu toàn diện thông tin về các phương án tiếp cận quản lý đất đai hiệu quả, các sáng kiến trong đầu tư và sự giám sát chặt chẽ trong khả năng mở rộng quy mô. Dự định dành cho tài liệu tham khảo này là sự tiếp tục bổ sung các bài học từ các dự án của Ngân hàng thế giới ở mọi khu vực cũng như từ các dự án của các cơ quan đối tác song và đa phương, các tổ chức cấp quốc gia và các tổ chức dân sự xã hội.

 

Conditional Cash Transfers: Reducing Present and Future Poverty

by Ariel Fiszbein, Norbert Schady

English Paperback -- Published February 2009 by World Bank -- ISBN: 0-8213-7352-8

Price: $ 13.00 (English) -- $2.00 (tiếng Việt)

 

Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programs aim to reduce poverty by making welfare programs conditional upon the receivers' actions. That is, the government only transfers the money to persons who meet certain criteria. These criteria may include enrolling children into public schools, getting regular check-ups at the doctor's office, receiving vaccinations, or the like. They have been hailed as a way of reducing inequality and helping households break out of a vicious cycle whereby poverty is transmitted from one generation to another. Do these and other claims make sense? Are they supported by the available empirical evidence? This volume seeks to answer these and other related questions. Specifically, it lays out a conceptual framework for thinking about the economic rationale for CCTs; it reviews the very rich evidence that has accumulated on CCTs,; it discusses how the conceptual framework and the evidence on impacts should inform the design of CCT programs in practice; and it discusses how CCTs fit in the context of broader social policies. The authors show that there is considerable evidence that CCTs have improved the lives of poor people and argue that conditional cash transfers have been an effective way of redistributing income to the poor. They also recognize that even the best-designed and managed CCT cannot fulfill all of the needs of a comprehensive social protection system. They therefore need to be complemented with other interventions, such as workfare or employment programs, and social pensions.

 

"If we are serious about tackling poverty, we must get serious about trying new things. Conditional cash transfer programs have proven effective in countries across the globe and New York is proud to be the first American city to experiment with the innovative idea. This book provides an up-to-date assessment of CCT programs based on impact evaluations studies from across the world. We look forward to adding our evaluation results to an important body of research, and continuing our work with partners worldwide to reach our shared goal of breaking cycles of intergenerational poverty."

- Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor, New York City

 

"This book provides a careful and thorough assessment of the knowledge accumulated so far on conditional cash transfer programs; it will inform and orient academic economists and policy makers when thinking about starting, scaling-up and evaluating programs of this nature. Further, the book also raises issues that, in my view, are very relevant and have so far been under-emphasized, namely the need to place these programs within the broader context of countries' social policies. Fiszbein and Schady have produced a very valuable and timely work for all interested in poverty."

- Santiago Levy, Vice President, Inter-American Development Bank

 

Trợ cấp tiền mặt có điều kiện: Giảm nghèo trong hiện tại và tương lai

Ariel Fiszbein và Norbert Schady

Ngân hàng Thế giới, 2009

Giá tiền: 2 USD

 

Trợ cấp tiền mặt có điều kiện là các chương trình trợ cấp tiền mặt, thường là trợ cấp cho các hộ nghèo, với điều kiện họ phải đầu tư phát triển vốn con người cho con cái minh theo các yêu cầu được chương trình qui định trước. Các điều kiện về chăm sóc sức khỏe và dinh dưỡng thương yêu cầu các gia đình cho con đi kiểm tra sức khỏe định kỳ, theo dõi quá trình tăng trưởng, và tiêm phòng cho trẻ dưới 5 tuổi, chăm sóc trước và sau sinh cho các bà mẹ, hoặc yêu cầu các bà mẹ tham dự các cuộc nói chuyện định kỳ về trao đổi thông tin liên quan đến chăm sóc sức khỏe. Các điều kiện về giáo dục thường liên quan đến tỉ lệ nhập học, đối khi cũng có điều kiện nào đó liên quan đến kết quả học tập. Phần lớn các chương trình trợ cấp tiền mặt có điều kiện cấp tiền mặt cho các bà mẹ, một số chương trình có thể cấp tiền trực tiếp cho học sinh.

 

Nhiều quốc gia đã và đang áp dụng hoặc cân nhắc áp dụng chương trình này, ví dụ tại hầu hết các nước Mỹ Latin, Bănglađet, Inđônêxia, Thổ Nhĩ Kỳ, chương trình thí điểm ở Campuchia, Malauy, Marốc, Pakistan, Nam Phi… Chương trình này thậm chí đã lan từ các nước đang phát triển sang các nước phát triển, với những chương trình gần đây được triển khai ở New York và Washington DC.

 

Nếu chúng ta nghiêm túc trong mục tiêu xóa đói giảm nghèo, chúng ta phải nghiêm túc để thử làm những điều mới. Các chương trình trợ cấp tiền mặt có điều kiện đã chứng tỏ hiệu quả tại nhiều quốc gia trên thế giới và New York tự hào được là thành phố đầu tiên ở Hoa Kỳ thử nghiệm ý tưởng mới này. Cuốn sách này cung cấp những thông tin đánh giá cập nhật về các chương trình trợ cấp tiền mặt có điều kiện, dựa trên các nghiên cứu đánh giá tác động trên khắp thế giới. Chúng tôi mong muốn được bổ sung những kết quả đánh giá của mình vào nguồn tư liệu nghiên cứu quan trọng này và tiếp tục công việc của mình với các đối tác trên toàn thế giới để hướng tới thực hiện mục tiêu chung là phá vỡ vòng xoáy đói nghèo qua nhiều thế hệ. -- Michael R. Bloomberg, thị trưởng New York.

 

The Growth Report: Strategies for Sustained Growth and Inclusive Development

English Paperback -- Published July 2008 -- ISBN: 0-8213-7491-5

Price: $ 12.00 (English) -- $2.00 (tiếng Việt)

 

Why have only 13 developing world economies achieved sustained, high growth since World War II?

Why is engagement with the global economy necessary to achieve high growth?

Why do some countries' growth strategies fail to win the public's confidence?

Why are equity and equality of opportunity important components of successful growth strategies?

Why do many countries, blessed with natural resource wealth, not achieve high growth?

Why has no country ever sustained rapid growth without high rates of public investment?

Why does it not always pay to devalue the exchange rate? When does it?

Why is childhood nutrition so important to economic growth?

Why do some economies lose momentum when others keep on growing?

Why has no country ever sustained long-term growth without urbanizing?

Why should there be an end to energy subsidies?

Why do global warming and the rising prices of food, energy and minerals pose challenges to potential future growth in developing countries?

Why does the aging of the world population matter for developing countries growth and employment prospects?

 

The Growth Report does not have all the answers, but it does identify some of the key insights and policy levers to help countries achieve high, sustainable and inclusive growth.

 

The result of two years work by 19 experienced policymakers and two Nobel prize-winning economists, the Growth Report is the most complete analysis to date of the ingredients which, if used in the right country-specific recipe, can deliver growth and help lift populations out of poverty.

 

Báo cáo về tăng trưởng: Chiến lược tăng trưởng bền vững và phát triển hòa nhập

Ủy ban về Tăng trưởng và Phát triển, 2009

Giá tiền: 2 USD

 

- Tại sao chỉ có 13 quốc gia đang phát triển đạt được mức tăng trưởng cao và bền vững kể từ sau chiến tranh tế giới lần thứ 2?

- Tại sao việc tham gia vào nền kinh tế toàn cầu là cần thiết để đạt được mức tăng trưởng cao?

- Tại sao một vài chiến lược kinh tế của các nước lại không nhận được sự tin tưởng của công chúng?

- Tại sao sự công bằng và bình đẳng trong các cơ hội là cấu thành quan trọng của các chiến lược tăng trưởng thành công?

- Tại sao có nhiều quốc gia được trời phú cho nguồn tài nguyên dồi dào lại không đạt được mức tăng trưởng cao?

- Tại sao các quốc gia luôn luôn không phải trả giá khi giảm tỷ giá hối đoái? Khi nào thì làm việc này?

- Tại sao dinh dưỡng cho trẻ em lại quan trọng như vậy đối với tăng trưởng kinh tế?

- Tại sao một số quốc gia mất đà tăng trưởng trong khi các nước khác vẫn tiếp tục phát triển?

- Tại sao không có quốc gia nào đạt được tăng trưởng lâu dài bền vững mà không cần đô thị hóa?

- Tại sao cần phải chấm dứt việc bao cấp năng lượng?

 

Báo cáo Tăng trưởng không có tất cả các câu trả lời cho những câu hỏi trên, nhưng mang lại một số kiến thức quan trọng và một số đòn bẩy chính sách giúp các nước đạt được tăng trưởng cao, bền vững và hòa nhập.

 

Là kết quả của 2 năm nghiên cứu của 19 nhà lãnh đạo đầy kinh nghiệm và 2 nhà kinh tế đạt giải Nôben, Báo cáo Tăng trưởng tính đến thời điểm này là một nghiên cứu hầu như hoàn thiện về những khía cạnh mà nếu được sử dụng đúng cho từng hoàn cảnh quốc gia, thì có thể mang đến tăng trưởng và có thể giúp cho rất nhiều người dân ở các nước đang phát triển thoát khỏi nghèo đói.

 

The Challenge of Establishing World Class Universities

by Jamil Salmi

English Paperback -- Published February 2009 by World Bank -- ISBN: 0-8213-7865-1

Price: $ 11.00 (English) -- $1.00 (tiếng Việt)

 

Governments are becoming increasingly aware of the important contribution that high performance, world-class universities make to global competitiveness and economic growth. There is growing recognition, in both industrial and developing countries, of the need to establish one or more world-class universities that can compete effectively with the best of the best around the world. Contextualizing the drive for world-class higher education institutions and the power of international and domestic university rankings, this book outlines possible strategies and pathways for establishing globally competitive universities and explores the challenges, costs, and risks involved. Its findings will be of particular interest to policy makers, university leaders, researchers, and development practitioners.

 

Những thách thức trong việc xây dựng trường đại học đẳng cấp thế giới

Jamil Salmi -- Ngân hàng Thế giới, 2009.

Giá tiền: 1 USD

 

Các chính phủ ngày càng nhận thức rõ những đóng góp quan trọng mà các trường đại học có chất lượng cao và đạt đẳng cấp thế giới magn lại cho sự cạnh tranh toàn cầu và tăng trưởng kinh tế. Ở các nước công nghiệp và đang phát triển, người ta ngày cảng nhận thấy sự cần thiết phải xây dựng ít nhất là một hoặc hơn nữa các trường đại học đẳng cấp thế giới có thể cạnh tranh hiệu quả với những trường tốt nhất nằm trong số những trường đại học hàng đầu trên thế giới. Với việc phân tích những mục tiêu của việc thành lập các cơ sở giáo dục đại học đẳng cấp thế giới và nêu rõ vai trò của những bảng xếp hạng quốc tế và trong nước cho các trường đại học, cuốn sách này đưa ra những chiến lược và hướng đi có thể tiến hành nhằm xây dựng những trường đại học cạnh tranh toàn cầu và khám phá những thách thức, chi phí và những rủi ro liên quan. Những phát hiện của cuốn sách sẽ là mối quan tâm đặc biệt cho các nhà hoạch định chính sách, lãnh đạo các trường đại học, các nhà nghiên cứu và các cán bộ làm công tác phát triển.

 

Investment Policy Review: Vietnam

 

UNCTAD – 2009 -- ISBN: 978-92-1-112744-7.

Price: US$11

 

Viet Nam opened its economy to foreign investors in the late 1980s under the Doi Moi policy of renovation and economic reforms. Viet Nam managed to quickly attract significant inflows of FDI and their impact has been very strong. As a result, foreign investors have been a major force in the economic transformation of Viet Nam during the past two decades and in its integration into the world economy.

 

To fully exploit the potential of the country in attracting and benefiting from FDI, the Investment Policy Review (IPR) highlights a number of areas where Viet Nam could focus its attention for further reforms. This includes a policy to ensure that the economy has the skills it needs as it evolves and develops, using foreign workers where necessary. Measures to clearly separate the State´s ownership and regulatory functions are also proposed, together with a rationalization and simplification of fiscal incentives on corporate taxes. It is also suggested to selectively lift certain FDI entry restrictions and to shift the regulatory stance from "steer and control" to "regulate, monitor and enforce". Furthermore, the IPR, on the basis of an analysis of the electricity sector, proposes a number of measures to enable Viet Nam to attract FDI in power generation.

 

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Distance Learning Center Events in October 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

 

International Symposium for Cardiac Care Teleconference Training Series (by invitation only)

October 8, 2009, from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m

 

Funded by the VinaCapital Foundation Vietnam, the World Heart Foundation and supported by the World Bank Global Development Learning Network Asia Pacific, this regional program links surgeons and doctors involved in cardiac care in developing countries with the world’s best in cardio-thoracic surgery, cardiology and pediatric cardiac care.

 

The International Symposium for Cardiac Care will allows doctors from all over Vietnam to congregate in GDLN centers in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and other Asian sites for a series of lectures by exemplary leaders in the field of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery and Cardiology. The series is interactive and enables participants to ask questions after the presentations. The lectures are also webcast to enable worldwide participation and then compiled into a DVD series which will be distributed by World Heart Foundation to surgical programs in developing countries around the world. This session will be the first session on Cardiology (October 8, 2009), with the presentations of doctors from Cleveland Clinic Children's hospital, USA.

 

For more information and registration, 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 - Ho Chi Minh City Environmental Sanitation Project - Additional Financing - Project Information Documents

 

Vietnam - Road Network Improvement Project - Resettlement Instrument (Revised) (3 vols.)

 

Vietnam - Rural Distribution Project - Environmental Assessment (Revised) (3 vols.); Resettlement Instrument (Revised) (4 vols.)

 

Vietnam - Second Transmission Distribution Project - Additional Financing - Resettlement Instrument

 

Vietnam - Trung Son Hydropower Project - Environmental Assessment

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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.

 

Applications for HIV Research Trust Scholarships for 2010 are now open

 

This year the International AIDS Society (IAS) is again working with the UK-based HIV Research Trust to promote their 2010 competition for research training scholarships. These scholarships are for  physicians, nurses, scientists, and other health care professionals who are undertaking research in resource poor settings. The award is used to develop a candidate's career and, on return to the home institution, add to the capacity of their department to carry out research related to treatment and prevention.

Examples of acquired skills might be clinical trial experience, good clinical trial practice, data and trial management, acquisition of laboratory techniques and analyses, trial nurse skills, statistical expertise, aspects of ethics, economics, education and health behaviour.

 

The scholarships are usually for a period of 3-6 months depending on the nature of the proposal. Approximately US$1,200 a month will be available to cover return travel and subsistence while carrying out the research project with an additional sum (maximum US$2,000) to cover consumables and other additional expenses incurred by the hosting unit.

 

This year, the top-scoring grantee will also receive a scholarship to attend the XVIII International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2010) in Vienna, Austria.

 

Additional information is available on the IAS website at http://www.iasociety.org/Default.aspx?pageId=278 or on the HIV Research Trust website at http://www.hivresearchtrust.org.uk

 

Master and Doctoral Scholarship at Saitama University (Japan)

 

International Graduate Program on Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Graduate School of Science and Engineering at Saitama University. In this prospectus you will find all the necessary information about the program for prospective international students. The program offers excellent opportunities to highly qualified international students for pursuing graduate studies and research in the field of Civil and Environmental Engineering. This program first started accepting students in 1992 and has since awarded Master’s and Doctorate Degreesto 268 students from 24 countries. Currently, we have 71 students from 14 countries enrolled in the program.

 

The program is highly competitive and admits about 20-25 students each year. Most students are awarded scholarships by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of the Japanese Government, Asian Development Bank-Japan Scholarship Program, Joint World Bank-Japan Scholarship Program, or Special Program for Studies at Japanese Universities Program of the Inter-American Development Bank. In addition to these programs, several public and private organizations also grant scholarships to international students in our program. Not all students, however, are awarded scholarships, and we accept a few qualified self-financed students each year.

 

http://www.civil.saitama-u.ac.jp/fso/financial.htm

 

Chevening Scholarships Scheme and the Chevening Fellowship Scheme

 

The Chevening scholarships are funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 160 countries. Currently, the scholarships enable more than 2000 talented future leaders study in the UK through the main Chevening Scholarships Scheme and the Chevening Fellowship Scheme.

 

Who can apply?

 

Vietnamese nationals wishing to undertake post-graduate study or research at a UK university or institute of higher education. Individuals from all over Vietnam and officials from Government Ministries, the Communist Party, the National Assembly, Provincial People’s Committees, the legal/law enforcement professions, mass organisations, non-governmental and civil society groups, and the media are all encouraged to apply.

 

How long is the scholarship for?

 

From three to twelve months

 

How about the level of eligible courses?

 

Courses are usually at Masters level

 

Priority courses

 

Preference will be given to courses that contribute to the UK’s global foreign policy objectives. In Vietnam, these are:

 

• Tackling terrorism and weapons proliferation  and their causes

• Preventing and resolving conflict (including issues of governance, human rights and the rule of law)

• Promoting a low carbon, high growth global economy

• Developing effective international institutions

• Supporting the British economy and business

• Suppoting British Nationals overseas

• Supporting managed migration for Britain 

 

Deadline for applications: 23 November 2009.

 

http://www.britishcouncil.org/vietnam-education-chevening-scholarships.htm   

 

The Belgian Bilateral Scholarship Programme

 

Within the framework of its cooperation programme with Vietnam, the government of Belgium wants to support the government of Vietnam in its efforts to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development. The Belgian Bilateral Scholarships (BBS) constitute an important component of this cooperation programme, which aims to contribute to the long-term growth and stability of Vietnam.

 

Belgian Bilateral Scholarships, funded through the Directorate General for Development Cooperation (DGDC) under the Federal Public Service of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, enable young professionals from Vietnam to pursue postgraduate studies in Belgium and gain new expertise for the benefit of their country. The program is managed and implemented by the Belgian Embassy in Hanoi and the Belgian Technical Cooperation (BTC).

 

For the academic year 2010-2011, 40 scholarships are made available for Vietnamese nationals who want to obtain Master or PhD degrees from universities in Belgium.

 

Scholarships are awarded for Master and Mixed PhD studies which could be followed either in French or in English at a Belgian university.

 

Master studies in Belgium normally take 1 or 2 years, depending on the selected course and/or university. It is up to applicants to check on the website of the universities and to make their choice among the available Master courses. Applicants can apply for only one course at one university.

 

Mixed PhD studies normally last for 48 months of which 16 months will be spent in Belgium and the rest of the time in Vietnam. Applicants must choose the research subject and reach an agreement on the work plan with the promoters (Belgian and Vietnamese) before the submission of their application.

 

Within the framework of the Belgian Bilateral Scholarship Programme, the fields of study are not restricted. However, priority will be given to the areas of intervention of the Belgian development cooperation in Vietnam, notably: environment, water and sanitation, waste management, education, health, agriculture and rural development, engineering and governance.

 

Deadline for submission of applications: no later than 17h00, Monday 28th December 2009.

 

http://www.diplomatie.be/hanoi/default.asp?id=34&mnu=34

 

Proposals Invited for Marketplace on Innovative Financial Solutions for Development

 

The Agence Française de Développement (AFD), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the World Bank will co-host an international Marketplace on Innovative Financial Solutions for Development (2010 MIF) to be held in Paris on March, 4-5 2010.

 

The 2010 MIF will be dedicated to smart, fine-tuned, innovative financial mechanisms for mobilizing, channeling, and spending funds for development issues. The event will bring together development practioners, donors, philanthropists, social entrepreneurs, academics, representatives from across a range of financial institutions and policy makers to exchange experience and ideas on innovative development finance solutions. The 2010 MIF will be structured around workshops and a marketplace where innovators can showcase their initiatives and projects.

 

The main objectives of the event are to:

 

advance the agenda on innovative financial solutions for development;

facilitate knowledge sharing and learning, including South/South learning, on what kinds of innovative financial solutions for development work, what don’t, and how to design these solutions to maximize development impact and cost-effectiveness;

spur the evolution of cutting-edge projects that apply innovative financial mechanisms to development challenges.

 

The Competition

 

A key feature of the 2010 MIF will be a competition to garner and highlight fresh ideas on how innovative financing mechanisms can be used to better solve development challenges at local, country, regional, or global levels, with the goal that successful innovations can be scaled up and replicated broadly.

 

The winners will be awarded pilot grants to assist them in the implementation of their proposals.

 

Proposals are welcomed from all organizations involved in innovative finance focused on development, including financial institutions, private-sector companies, social enterprises, non-governmental and civil society organizations, government agencies, universities and other academic organizations, foundations, and development organizations. Guidelines and application forms can be accessed on this website.

 

Proposals must be submitted by November 15th 2009.

 

More information can be found at http://www.fininnov.org/

 

Grants for Increase Access to Financial Services

 

Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI), managed on behalf of its members by the German development organization (GTZ) and supported with a $35 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is a coalition of countries from the developing world committed to making savings accounts, insurance, and other financial services available to millions of people living on less than $2 a day.

 

AFI’s global network will enable developing countries to share knowledge so they can more effectively develop and implement policies designed to expand access to financial services. While many of the smartest policies to expand financial access have come from developing countries – such as mobile phone money transfer services in Kenya and agent banking in Brazil – knowledge of these solutions is scattered in pockets around the globe.

 

AFI provides policymakers with short- and long-term grants to develop and implement the most effective solutions for their countries’ individual circumstances.

 

Short-term grants are for addressing specific issues or making advances in the policy formulation process in preparation for larger initiatives. These grants, which cover a period of 6 to 12 months, will lead to outputs such as diagnostic studies, draft regulations and manuals, as well as build capacity in policy and regulatory agencies. The budget range for short-term proposals is $50,000 to $150,000.

 

Long-term grants are for implementing specific policy solutions that facilitate a rapid and significant expansion of financial services to the poor. The implementation period for these grants will be over 1 to 4 years. The normal budget range for long-term proposals is $400,000 to $1,200,000. AFI can also connect policymakers to donors and private sector partners for additional implementation support.

 

Knowledge exchange grants will be made available to raise collective awareness of policy solutions, create technical partnerships between countries, and link stakeholders to significantly develop the policy dialogue about universal access. Examples of knowledge exchanges include staff exchanges, study tours, national and regional conferences, peer reviews and regional working groups. The budget range for knowledge exchange proposals is $25,000 to $75,000. Applicants may apply independently or in association with desired exchange partners.

 

Who is eligible? AFI is looking for a diverse portfolio of grantees across the developing world, with a focus on Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. The short- and long-term grants are primarily targeted at regional, national and sub-national government institutions including Central Banks, Finance or other Ministries, regulatory oversight bodies and public banks. However, South-South exchange proposals may also be submitted by microfinance networks and associations.

 

For more information please visit http://www.afi-global.net/grants.htm

 

2010 Global Undergraduate Exchange Scholarship Program - U.S. Embassy Hanoi

 

Funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program provides scholarships for one semester or one academic year, enabling undergraduate students to study in a non-degree program at American universities. The goal of the program is to provide a diverse group of emerging student leaders with a substantive exchange experience at a U.S. college or university.

 

For the academic year 2010-11, the program will place approximately 90 students from countries in Asia at U.S. colleges and universities, starting in August 2010 or January 2011. Up to 10 scholarships are available for Vietnamese students. Scholarships are for either one academic-year (approximately 10 months) or one semester (approximately five months). The length of the scholarship award will depend upon the student applicant’s interests and availability, as well as placement options and availability of funds. In addition, participants will be eligible for two to four weeks of intensive English language instruction in the United States prior to the start of the academic portion of their program.

Scholarships will be available in all academic fields of study.

 

Deadline for both online and hard copy submissions: 5 PM, Monday, November 16, 2009.

 

http://sites.google.com/site/ugradvietnam/

 

World Challenge 09 - Vote now for your favourite project!

 

Now in its fifth year, World Challenge 09 is a global competition aimed at finding projects or small businesses from around the world that have shown enterprise and innovation at a grass roots level. World Challenge 09 is brought to you by BBC World News and Newsweek, in association with Shell, and is about championing and rewarding projects and business which really make a difference.

 

Back from weeks working in the field, BBC production team has now visited all 12 finalists of this year’s World Challenge. From Haiti to Sri Lanka, from Namibia to Afghanistan all projects have clearly demonstrated high levels of professionalism and the ability to change the communities in which they operate.

 

But who will be the winner?

 

Tune in to BBC World News from 3rd October to 7th November to watch a series of programmes about our 12 finalists. You can also read about them in Newsweek magazine, weekly from Monday October 5th.

 

To vote for your favourite project, visit the World Challenge website now. Voting is open from 28th September until 24.00GMT on 13th November and is limited to one vote per person.

 

The winner will be announced at the beginning of December on the World Challenge website, on BBC World News and in Newsweek magazine.

 

And if you want to find out how projects from previous years are doing, don’t miss the 14th November ‘5 years on’ episode of World Challenge on BBC World News. You can also check our website or pick up the edition of Newsweek magazine on sale November 16th.

 

http://www.theworldchallenge.co.uk/

 

2009 Photoshare Photo Contest and HIFA2015 Photography Award

 

The Photoshare Annual International Photo Contest is a major competition run by Knowledge for Health (K4Health) at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs (CCP). This year, we are delighted to announce that the Contest will include a special HIFA2015 Photography Award for the best photo in the category of Healthcare Providers.

 

Do you have photos of programs in action and the people you serve? Pictures illustrating the realities of urban and rural life in developing countries? Snapshots from your personal travels, volunteer service, or work experience? You may have an award-winning photo and a chance to win cash and/or a SLR digital camera!

 

Entries accepted August 20th - November 16th, 2009.

 

For further details, please see http://www.photoshare.org/contest/2009/2009photosharecontest.php

 

2009 Global Development Awards and Medals Competition

 

The Global Development Network (GDN) is now accepting submissions for the 2009 Global Development Awards and Medals Competition. The Competition offers cash prizes and travel expenses to all finalists to attend GDN's Annual Global Development Conference, held each year in a different country, to present their research proposals/papers and showcase an interesting on-project before an eminent jury for the final round. This year the final selection will be held in Prague, Czech Republic from January 16-18, 2010. The competition is generously funded by the Ministry of Finance, Government of Japan and other donors.

 

GDN’s competition is one of the biggest annual contests in the field of development research, receiving the largest number of applications globally from researchers working on development issues. Submissions for new research proposals, completed research papers and proposals for scaling-up on-going development projects are now being accepted under the categories listed below:

 

1. Japanese Award for Outstanding Research on Development: For applicants who have outstanding new research proposals that add a unique dimension to research on any of the three themes listed below

 

Prizes: First Prize: US $30,000; Second Prize: US $5,000

 

2. Medals for Research on Development: For excellent completed research papers on any of the three themes listed below

 

Prizes: First Prize: US $10,000; Second prize: US $5,000

 

3. Japanese Award for the Most Innovative Development Project: For exceptional on-going development projects that have given the maximum benefit to the local communities and need further financial assistance for scaling-up the project

 

Prizes: First Prize: US $30,000; Second Prize: US$ 5,000

 

The 2009 Global Development Awards and Medals Competition themes are:

 

- Globalization, Regulation and Development

- International Migration: Crossing Borders, Changing Lives?

- Regional Integration- Convergence Big Time, or, an Opportunity Wasted?

 

The competition is open to researchers and organizations from developing and transition countries. Submissions are welcome from all disciplines of social sciences.

 

Deadline: October 14, 2009.

 

For more information please go to: http://www.gdnet.org/cms.php?id=2009awards.  

 

Newton International Fellowships

 

Are you at the beginning of your research career - with the potential to be world-class? Is your research in the natural or social sciences, engineering or humanities? Do you want to build and maintain links with leading researchers in the UK? Then apply now for a Newton International Fellowship.

 

The next round of applications will open in December 2009.

 

http://www.newtonfellowships.org/index.html

 

UNU-ONY Junior Professional Fellow

 

The United Nations University Office at the United Nations, New York (UNU-ONY) recruits Junior Professional Fellows (JPFs) for two sessions each year running from August to January, and February to July. The internship title, "Junior Professional Fellows" reflects the high level of responsibility and opportunity given to those accepted into this program.

 

Please note that UNU-ONY Junior Professional Fellows positions require full-time commitments due to the high level of responsibilities given to our interns. These are unpaid positions. On the job training and support is provided throughout the internship.

 

Deadlines for applications are as follows:

 

- February 1st to July 31st Session: November 30th

- August 1st to January 31st Session: May 31st

 

For more details about the activities pertaining to each of the focus areas, please click here. UNU-ONY liaises with the UN Secretariat, the Permanent Missions, academia and foundations in five areas of activities

 

- Dissemination/communication

- Political and diplomatic linking

- Academic interplay

- Research and Policy

- Institutional Development

 

http://www.ony.unu.edu/internships   

 

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