WBI news 2(1)

VV BI News Volume 2 * Number I Winter 2000 21261 linod Thomas, who has successfully been at the helm of the World Bank Institute for the i. Pr past five years, has been promoted to Vice X "Experience demonstrates the critical importance of knowledge and capacity building to the success of a country's development process. Over the last few years the World Bank Institute (WBI) has become the Bank Group's prime vehicle in the dramatic expansion of our client and staff training efforts. From his current position as the Director, WBI, Vinod has played the key architectural and 11 leadership role in this process. In recognition of Shengman Zhang, World Bank Managing Director and Corporate the importance of the Bank's knowledge and Secretary, congratulates Vinod Thomas upon his promotion. learning agenda, WBI's essential role in the contin- ued success of the Bank's overall mission, as well dThe promotion of Vinod Thomas to Vice Presi- as Vinod's personal contribution in this regard, he dent of the World Bank recognizes the leadership as Vnotd's pto Vice President, WBI." role he has played in the scaling up of knowledge is promoted ment) and capacity building. This is a well deserved -recognition by our President not only of V/nod Thomas but of all of WBI for the remarkable job the Institute's staff did in this regardZ WBI News had a short interview with Vinod. How Do We Know If it Works? Q. As Vice President of the World Bank, which do you think are the most pressing challenges WBI is facing? WBI Winners at the Development Marketplac A. Today WBI faces a crucial responsibility and an unprec- CDF Is the Backbone of Civic Outreach edented opportunity. Working integrally with other World Bank Program Group units, the Institute's task is to scale up the learning impact by a multiple, to reach vastly larger and wider audiences, WBI Ein nlrngoto help country institutions build their capacity and to help WBI Environmental Training Course In China integrate learning into all of the Bank's assistance. Adapting to Change Q. What are the principles guiding WBI's expanded mission? A Challenging Game A. The expansion must be driven by needs, demand, country ownership and a continuing attention to quality, partnerships Spot News and cost efficiency. The way to achieving this goal is to place capacity building integrally within the Comprehensive Develop- _ .. R Lo . .. - - ment Framework process. BANK INSTITUTE  I nduc oni o pmgram | Evalun C urs Task Manager Bill Eckert in the DL classroom |A 01513nc Leaming c>a 08_ :: u lsptemberl4, 16,11 2l 28,rn~d30j>5! :, : - 0v0.i 1 a proposal to "expand" the audience by broadcast- 5 . -= = - \ ; ing the course to five Bank mission sites in Africa. It also included a group from the Norwegian Foreign Ministry and its General Accounting Office. The audience consisted of a local group of Bank staff, Bank Mission staff, local government officials and NGO's. Suddenly the group of fifteen to twenty had grown to over fifty! The course seemed to go well, so for the next offering in September, participants were recruited in the LAC region as well as in Africa. The result was a total of ten sites plus a local Bank group, Distance Learning version of mostly from IMF. These African and LAC sites were Evaluation Course reaches three joined by a group from the World Health Organiza- tion, providing a group of nearly one hundred and continents fifty participants. "I was particularly impressed by WBI sponsors hundreds of learning events each participants from the NGO's." commented Bill year. These activities range from formal Core Eckert. "There were people in the course from Courses on key development issues, to local and Planned Parenthood, and similar organizations, regional conferences that bring together Bank who were being pressured to evaluate their pro- clients and recognized experts. Much dedication grams, but had no means for doing so. They really and hard work go into planning and executing appreciated this course and the tools it could these events by our staff. But how do we know if provide them. This seems like the groups we these events are successful? This is the job of the should be aiming for. We never could have in- Evaluation Unit (WBIES), where a group of social cluded them without this technology." scientists and substantive experts work to develop Plans are for another course next year. And, methods that will assess these many events and eventually course offering in languages other than ultimately lead to their improvement. English. Was there an evaluation? Of course! A key part of the Evaluation Unit's services is the Nearly one-hundred questionnaires were returned course it sponsors on evaluation, Introduction to to the Evaluation Unit by participants. The results? Program Evaluation. This course is designed to Like any course, there is always room for improve- introduce basic evaluation concepts and methods, ment. and demonstrate their application. Originally, the Task Manager Bill Eckert: 202-458-1584 course was aimed at Bank staff. It changed last Email: weckert@ worldbank.or Spring, when the course Task Manager, Bill Eckert, was approached by the Distance Learning Unit with The Development Marketplace, held _ _ _ __ _ __ _ ___ on February 8-9, is a competition organized by the World Congratulations to the WBI winners at the Bank foratotal of $5 million in start-up funds for the most Development Marketplace ,innovative ideas to fight poverty. Nearly 1,200 proposals poured in from NGOs, business, and clients. The 339 finalists The WBI Development Marketplace winners were: represented 62 countries, with the majority coming from * Ending Female Genital Cutting by Providing New Economic Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and Opportuning for aCuttersn the US. There were 1 5 WBI projects among the finalists. A * Artisan Enterprise Institute jury representing all parts of the development community, including the private sector, awarded 44 prizes to the best In addition: ideas at the end of the second day. * The Virtual Souk received an IFC award * Fair Trade Business Initiative received the lnfodev award Nine teams participated through videoconference, * Special Governance Zones: An Entry Point for an Anti Corruption supported by the WBI Distance Learning team. * Strategy received the People's Choice award WBI offered 12 scholarships to runner ups The winners will be able to attend WBI training. i 11 | * Teacher Training and Research on Reading and Writing _I1 | * Community Forestry * Biodiversity: Use without Abuse * Appropriate Medical Technologies for Developing Countries * TIBEB Seeds: Self Employment and Entrepreneurship * Rebuilding Cohesion in Post-Conflict Communities * Special Governance Zones * Adopt a Primary Rural School * Ending Female Genital Cutting * Options for the Poor to Settle Disputes at Lower Cost * Roundabout Outdoor HIV/AIDS Initiative * Improving Capacity for Local Development in Turkey Special awards: * overt Eradicatio by 7ransfer of Technc!ogies -,- _ i_ ,- 2_ f,"ic .ir nF.- t , X, i _ - r  The Comprehensive Development Framework Is the Backbone of Civic Outreach Program - good example of WBI policy services offered A ^ in support of the CDF took place January 27- A 29 in Romania, where WBIKP's Civic Associa- tion Outreach and Training Program in conjunction with PREM's poverty unit offered a highly publi- Romnanian - cized conference on Social Capital and Economic Academy of Development. Demand for the program grew out Economic N of the CDF process, which identified low interper- Studies sonal trust and institutional effectiveness as key in .. factors prohibiting development in the country. Bucharest 1 Francis Fukuyama delivered a keynote address to a standing room only crowd at the Romanian Academy for Economic Studies, which was fol- lowed by a reception at the presidential palace and dinner hosted by Romanian President Emil Constantinescu. Fukuyama, author of The Great Disruption (1 999) and Trust: The Social Virtues and the Creation of Prosperity (I 99 5), among others, is Francis Fukuyama delivering well-known in Romania and two of his books have the keynote address been translated into Romanian. at the conference on Social Capital As a result of heavy coverage, the event and Economic Development launched a public debate in the media about the role of social issues in sustained development. A two-day residential seminar for key Romanian decision makers from government, civil society, Bank's strategy in Romania as well as the academia and the media followed. government's CDF activities," and reflected "ex- Working closely with a local partner institution, tremely well on the Bank." Follow-up is planned at the Romanian Academic Society, the event, in the the regional level, drawing on the Romanian words of Romania Country Director Andy Vorkink, experience. was a timely initiative that complements well the WBI Environmental Training Course in economics and policy analysis that underlie proper China decision-making of environmental and develop- ment policies in China. Through a set of four courses, participants (150 plus carefully selected he Environmental Economics and Policy (EEP) middle-career professionals) will be linked by a I Training Course was held in Shenzhen City, network and develop demand-driven policy- China, October 12-22. Co-sponsored by WBI, the services to tackle important national, provincial or Municipal Government of Shenzhen, and SEPA, the local environmental issues. two-week course is the third in a series of four Vice President Ian Johnson delivered a public under the World Bank/SEPA multi-year environ- seminar titled "Development Framework for the mental training program in China. 21st Century: The World Bank and China's Environ- WBIEN prepared and delivered the course in ment" to 150 participates on the closing day. In collaboration with ENV, EASES, China Department, the first week of the course, World Resources DEC, and TWU within the Bank. Forty-two partici- Institute President Jonathan Lash also gave a public pants attended the course. They represented seminar on environmental policy framework. The governmental agencies, civil society groups, and course generated highlights and publicity in local the private sector, from which there were 8 self- news media. There was coverage by local newspa- sponsored student participants. Sixteen experts pers and TV about the course opening and clos- from U.S., Taiwan, Hong Kong, and mainland China ing, the public seminars, and the meeting between came to teach in the course on a cost-sharing Mr. Ian Johnson and Shenzhen Vice Mayor. basis. The objective of the course was to train a group of prospective trainers with the most up-to-date knowledge and analytical skills in environmental  The Core Course wasn 't all work and no play; the participants held a reproductive health tie contest where the ties representedl reproductive health themes SUCh as male fertility and safe motherhood. to the Bank's first Resource Marketplace on Population and Reproductive Health where over 20 different organizations displayed their projects and publications. The Adapting to Change Core Learning Program is designed to help countries achieve the goals estab- lished at the historic 1 994 International Conference on A *, * zliE S 5Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, Egypt. The ICPD's Programme of Action is a new development strategy that emphasizes the integral linkages between _ ~he first annual Adapting to Change: Core Course on population and development and focuses on meeting Population, Reproductive Health and Health Sector Reform the needs of individual women and men, rather than was launched last year in September. Seventy participants on achieving demographic targets. from over 25 countries came for the three week intensive pro- The Core Learning Program, lead by WBIHD, is gram aimed to assist participants to strengthen the design and comprised of a consortium of collaborating agencies delivery of reproductive health care services. including WHO, UNFPA, the Harvard School of Public The Course featured presentations by renowned experts such Health and various bilateral donors and foundations. as John Bongaarts of the Population Council, Maggie Catley- Upcoming events include regional face-to-face and Carlson, former President of the Population Council and Fred Sai, distance learning events planned in Egypt and West former Senior Population Advisor of the World Bank and former Africa in FY00 and the possibility of training forums in President of the International Planned Parenthood Federation Peru and China in the works for FY01. (IPPF). In addition, participants and Bank staff were treated A Challenging Game WBI Artisan Seminar Series Kicks Off WBI created the Millennium Challenge in October 1 999, The first in a series of "Hand Made Development" semi- a fun, interactive development website aimed at raising nars, featuring a workshop by a Ghanian master weaver awareness of children and their parents throughout the gathered experts from inside and outside the Bank last world. "With the Millennium Challenge, we use a November to discuss how artisan enterprises can help concept called 'edu-tainment,' where people can learn preserve cultural heritage and reduce poverty. about poverty and sustainable development issues and Organized by Jerri Dell, team leader for WBI's Artisana be entertained at the same time," said Katherine Entrepreneurs Learning Program, the seminars aim to Sheram, manager of WBI's Development Education economically empower local artisans from very poor Program (DEP). communities. The site is currently part of the Bank's sustainable jerri Dell. 202-473-6287 development and poverty reduction display at EPCOT Center in Orlando, Florida. It was created specifically Reducing Corruption: A Case Study for the exhibit, where people are expected to spend WBI Governance Team conducted a diagnostic study to only two to four minutes on site. identify problematic areas in the municipality of Campo Visit the website at www.worldbank.org/millennium Elias, Venezuela. Using this study and the training received by the local government during WBI workshop, the mayor, her staff, and civil society worked in partici- patory groups to prioritize areas for reform and develop a detailed action plan. Subsequently, the plan A N e w s was successfully implemented to enhance accountabil- ity, transparency, cost-effectiveness, and credibility in the delivery of services. McNamara Fellowship Awards Maria Gonzales de Asis: 202- 473-7950 for 2000 WBI Helps Journalists Be Educators This year, 16 people from 13 countries were awarded the WBI McNamara Fellowship. This will be the 1 8th An eight-week course on economics and business cohort of developing country researchers, specializing journalism is now offered through WBI's Distance in institutional and regulatory reform, to take part in Learning Network. The program's goal is to teach this year long fellowship program starting in May journalists in developing countries to act as educators, 2000. The program, established in 1 982, includes a helping to create a more informed citizenry and week long seminar at Bank headquarters that helps enhance the debate on issues of public concern to establish a network of emerging leaders and develop- promote broader development. Many WBI traditional ment thinkers. courses are now adapted for distance learning in order to economically reach more students for whom the Visit www.worldbank.org/wbi/scholarships/McHomePage2.html training would be useful. for more on the Fellowships Program Tim Carrington. 202-473-8733 rj WORLD World Bank Institute The World Bank www.worldbank.org/wbi BANK Vinod Thomas, Vice President 1818 H Street, NW Email: wbi_infoline@worldbank.o INSTITUTE Washington, DC 20433 Hotline: 202 458 2498 I ISA