Financing Africa: Through the crisis and beyond.

[Dataset available: http://hdl.handle.net/10411/17679]

Pensions in World Bank lending and analytical work : FY2002-2007

This paper presents an overview of the World Bank's lending and knowledge building activities that have improved pension systems in client countries during the past two decades. The objectives of this report are: i) to describe the policy framework that has guided the Bank's work on pension related issues; ii) to present relevant information about the nature and extent of the Bank's lending and policy advisory work in this area; and iii) to discuss some of the results that have been achieved through this work as well as future policy directions. The overview covers the level and characteristics of all lending operations that included a component related to pensions during FY2002-07, as well as over a longer time period going back to 1984 when the Bank initiated a meaningful level of pension work. Thus, this report updates the portfolio review that was a central element of the Bank's Independent Evaluation Group's (IEG) review of pension work that covered the period from 1984 through early 2004. The update provides an overview of the World Bank pension lending trends by region, type of intervention, sector board and type of lending instrument. This report concludes with observations about the results of the pension work and the priorities for the future.,Debt Markets,Banks&Banking Reform,Emerging Markets,Pensions&Retirement Systems

To Walk the Earth in Safety 7th Edition (FY2006-FY2007)

We are pleased to offer the 7th Edition of To Walk the Earth in Safety, the report of the interagency U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program for Fiscal Years 2006 and 2007. This report also describes the conventional weapons destruction efforts of the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement located in the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs. This office directs programs that encompass humanitarian mine action, and elimination of at-risk small arms, light weapons, man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS), and munitions. Every edition of To Walk the Earth in Safety, archived at www.state.gov/t/pm/rls/rpt/walkearth, is a look back in time. This edition examines the United States’ mine action and conventional weapons destruction work in 2006 and 2007. Why the lag? It takes awhile to compile the information for these reports; however, the effort was worth it as 2006 and 2007 marked two more years of solid accomplishments. For example, thanks in part to United States’ assistance, in 2006 Macedonia was rendered free from the humanitarian impact of landmines and explosive remnants of war (“impact free”), and the last “hidden killers” were finally cleared from Mozambique’s Sena Railway. Also in 2006, progress was made with the NATO Partnership for Peace destruction initiative in Ukraine, which included the elimination of 1,000 MANPADS that were excess to Ukraine’s defensive needs. In 2007, the annual number of reported casualties from landmines and explosive remnants of war worldwide decreased to 5,751, down sharply from approximately 26,000 just four years ago. Even factoring in the difficulty of accurately accounting for all casualties, it is clear that the United States, other donors, the mine-affected countries themselves, and brave deminers all working together have made the landmine problem surmountable in our lifetime. In 2007, the United States’ destruction of at risk MANPADS surpassed 24,000 since we first began to prevent these threats to global aviation from falling into the wrong hands. Also in 2007, we celebrated the destruction of a symbolic millionth light weapon in five countries, a major milestone in the United States’ efforts to reinforce peace and the rule of law. Finally, in 2007 we marked the 10th Anniversary of our Public-Private Partnership program in which the United States encourages civil society participation to help make our world impact free from all conventional weapons. I invite you to examine this report in order to see the scope of the U.S. conflict-remediation and peace-building efforts around the world, and to learn about the organizations with which we cooperate closely to allow more people to “walk the Earth in safety.

Implementation of Ururguay Round commitments : the development challenge

At the Uruguay Round, developing countries took on unprecedented obligations not only to reduce trade barriers, but to implement significant reforms both of trade procedures, e.g., import licensing procedures, customs valuation and of many areas of regulation that establish the basic business environment in the domestic economy, e.g., technical, sanitary and phytosanitary standards (SPS), intellectual property law. Implementing such reforms are investment decisions in that implementation will require purchase of equipment, training of people, establishment of systems of checks and balances, etc. This will cost money and the amounts of money involved are substantial. Based on World Bank project experience in the areas covered by the agreements, an entire year's development budget is at stake in many of the least developed countries. Least developed country institutions in these areas are weak, and would benefit from strengthening and reform. However, the authors'analysis indicates that the World Trade Organization (WTO) obligations reflect little awareness of development problems and little appreciation of the capacities of the least developed countries to carry out the functions that SPS, customs valuation, intellectual property, etc. regulations address. The content of these obligations can be characterized as the advanced countries saying to the others,"Do it my way!"The authors touch at the beginning on another important point. Because of their limited capacity to participate in the Uruguay Round negotiations, the WTO process has generated no sense of"ownership"of the reforms to which WTO membership obligates them. From their perspective, the implementation exercise has been imposed in an imperial way, with little concern for what it will cost, how it will be done, or if it will support their development efforts.Economic Theory&Research,Judicial System Reform,Rules of Origin,Environmental Economics&Policies,Customs Administration,Economic Theory&Research,Rules of Origin,Trade and Regional Integration,Environmental Economics&Policies,Customs Administration

Cross-border E-commerce Trade between China and Africa: Review of the Literature

This article explores the opportunities, challenges, as well as the activities of the Chinese governmental and commercial stakeholders to promote cross-border e-commerce trade between China and Africa, based on the classification and correlation analysis of the literature from 2011 to 2019. The results show that the biggest driver for the development of China-Africa cross-border e-commerce trade is the gap between the rapid growth of the African population, especially the middle class, and the limited local capability to satisfy their demand. The rapid development of the internet and mobile internet is another driving factor. The biggest challenge is the last mile delivery of logistics, and online payment issues in Africa. At the macro-level the Chinese government has promoted measures such as infrastructure investment, e-commerce test zones and the establishment of pilot projects. At the firm level, Chinese companies have focused on solving practical micro-level local operational problems such as logistics, online payment, and talent training. The results also show that the referred literature is still in its infancy, mostly theoretical and less practical, and requires more in-depth domain specific analysis in the future

2022 CIVICUS State of Civil Society Report

Welcome to the 2022 State of Civil Society Report from CIVICUS, the global civil society alliance. This year's report, the 11th in our annually published series, takes a new, condensed and more accessible format. In January 2022, CIVICUS launched CIVICUS LENS, our rolling commentary and analysis initiative that covers the key current stories involving and affecting civil society. This report draws from and summarises that analysis, directly informed by the voices of civil society around the world. It offers a snapshot of civil society's world as it stands at the mid-point of 2022: a world characterised by crisis and volatility, where regressive forces are mobilising a fierce backlash, but where dogged civil society mobilisation is still winning vital battles

Social safety nets in World Bank lending and analytical work : FY2002 - 2007

This paper summarizes the state of the portfolio of World Bank lending activities and analytic work on social safety nets between FY2002-2007. It presents a description of the methodology used for compiling the inventories and analyses by region, type of intervention involved, sector board, and instrument. The World Bank has engaged with 118 countries on safety nets issues over the six years under review, providing lending in 68, analytic products in 86, training in 87, and a combined package of all three services in 42, demonstrating the increased sophistication and the important role of safety nets in social policy. There is noticeable variability over time as the portfolio and analytic effort expand when large or multiple countries face economic crises. The regional distribution of safety net activities shows the dominance of Latin America. The analysis also shows the diversity within the portfolio, with respect to both the type of intervention supported and the range of sectors involved in safety net work. Finally, the report delineates the implications and outlook for the future.Safety Nets and Transfers,Banks&Banking Reform,,Labor Policies,Debt Markets

Banking in Africa

In its fifth edition, this report focuses on recent developments in Africa’s banking sectors and the policy options for all stakeholders. The study of banking sectors across all African sub-regions includes the results of the EIB survey of banking groups operating in Africa. Three thematic chapters address challenges and opportunities for financing investment in Africa: Investing sustainably in Africa’s cities; Mobilising agricultural value chain financing in Africa: why and how; Remittances and financial sector development in Africa