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October 1 , 2007
HIGHLIGHTS FULL CONTENTS 
 Doing Business 2008: East Asia Drops in Rankings on Pace of Reform; China is a Top Reformer, Singapore Ranks 1st Again
East Asia and Pacific ranks second-to-last among regions on the pace of business reform, according to Doing Business 2008—the fifth in an annual report series issued by the World Bank and IFC. China was a standout in regulatory reform in 2006/07, bucking the regional trend. The top reformer in the region and among the top 10 in the world, China introduced far-reaching protection of private property rights and a new bankruptcy law. Singapore, for the second year running, tops the aggregate rankings of 178 economies on the ease of doing business.
Also: Regional profiles for East Asia and Pacific (pdf) | Slideshow: Top 10 Global Reformers | Doing Business website
Indonesia and WB Presidents Discuss Partnerships
The Presidents of Indonesia and the World Bank met in New York on 25 September 2007 to discuss the Bank's partnership strategy to support Indonesia's development goals, the StAR (Stolen Asset Recovery) Initiative and Indonesia’s leadership role on environment and climate change.
Joint statement
Interview: StAR is not for Indonesia alone
More about the StAR Initiative
Nam Theun 2 Seen as Way to Better Hydro Projects
At a recent Hydropower Forum held in Bangkok, environment and social practices under the Bank-supported Nam Theun 2 Hydroelectric Project in Lao People’s Democratic Republic were mentioned as an "example" to be followed. Newsweek magazine has also recently referred to it s a “kinder and gentler dam,” while a group of social and environmental experts who advise on the project said it had the potential to become a global model. One of the defining features of NT2 has been the comprehensive environmental and social measures designed to mitigate potential impacts and to ensure that all Bank safeguards are complied with.
Also: World Bank site on NT2 project
First Mongolia Development Marketplace Selects Winners
Thirty-seven innovative projects out of 190 finalists in the first Mongolia Development Marketplace (MDM) were declared winners and awarded grants amounting to US$326,000. This country competition had the largest per capita number of participants for any Development Marketplace held across the World Bank.
Protecting Rights of Tsunami-Affected People
A legal aid organization known as the Tsunami Rights and Legal Aid Referral Center, or T-LAC, is working to protect the legal rights of those affected by the tsunami. It is part of the tsunami recovery program, supported by the $5 million grants from the Japan Social Development Fund. The grants are administered by the Bank’s office in Bangkok, which monitors the overall progress of the JSDF program, including how the money is spent. The program on legal services for tsunami survivors receives US$1.82 million in funding from the JSDF grants. It is implemented by The Asia Foundation in Thailand, which has begun providing legal support to tsunami-affected individuals since the early stage.
More Bank news at www.worldbank.org/news Back to top
China Quarterly Update - Rebalancing the Economy
China’s economic growth remains rapid and the trade surplus continues to widen, while the pattern of growth remains unchanged, notes the Bank's China Quarterly Update. The rising trade surplus, which so far seems little affected by measures to contain export growth, constitutes the bulk of the rising balance of payment surplus. This surplus, together with financial sector developments, is adding to domestic liquidity and contributing to asset price rises, share prices in particular. Although consumer price inflation has risen to a decade high, this has largely been because of higher food prices.
Also: Report (248k pdf)
Back to top Transparency and Trade Facilitation in the Asia Pacific region: What's at Stake?
A new World Bank-APEC study, “Transparency & Trade Facilitation in the Asia Pacific: Estimating the Gains from Reform”, estimates that the potential intra-regional gains in
APEC from improved transparency (the way in which trade reform measures are designed and administered) are substantial—approximately $148 billion, which is 7.5 percent of 2004 trade. Action to improve transparency could be undertaken in many forms, including within the current Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation framework or future talks on a Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific. While reform must continue to focus on traditional measures such as tariffs, transparency is also critical, say authors Helbe, Shepherd and Wilson. APEC member economies already perform relatively well on trade policy transparency compared with other regions, in part because of the effective use of information technologies by member governments.
Also: Report (pdf) More Bank publications and reports at www.worldbank.org/reference
Back to top
Approved: SOLOMON ISLANDS - Rural Development Program
US$ 3.2 million to improve living standards by involving local people and the public and private sectors in delivering more cost effective services and basic infrastructure while also increasing the capacity of agriculture institutions to deliver needed local services.
Details
Release
The program in pictures
Rural Development in the Pacific Islands
VIETNAM - Tax Administration Modernization Project
US$80 million to assist the General Department of Taxation (GDT) to strengthen governance in tax administration and to increase the level of voluntary compliance with the tax system by improving the effectiveness, efficiency, transparency and accountability of the tax administration.
New and revised project information documents: China - GEF Sustainable Development in Poor Rural Areas
China - Mainstreaming Adaptation to Climate Change into Water Resources Management and Rural Development Project
Vietnam - East Meets West Foundation (EMWF) GPOBA Vietnam Rural Water Supply Development
For more information on projects and programs, visit http://www.worldbank.org/projects Back to top 
World Teachers’ Day 2007
October 5
Global
World Teachers' Day, held annually on 5 October since 1994, commemorates teachers’ organizations worldwide. Its aim is to mobilize support for teachers and to ensure that the needs of future generations will continue to be met by teachers. This year, the focus will be on working conditions: teachers, students and their communities all around the world are urged to get the message across that better working conditions for teachers mean better learning conditions for learners.
World Bank Group - International Monetary Fund Annual Meetings
October 20-22, 2007
The Boards of Governors of the International Monetary Fund (Fund) and World Bank Group (Bank) normally meet once a year in the autumn for a two-day plenary session to discuss the work of their respective institutions. The Annual Meetings are preceded by the ministerial-level meetings of the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC), the IMF's policy-guiding body, and the Development Committee, a joint IMF-World Bank forum.
Sr. Infrastructure Specialist
Hanoi, Vietnam
Application deadline: October 11 Sr. Governance Specialist - Public Sector Management
Hanoi, Vietnam
Application deadline: October 19 For a full list of open positions and scholarships http://www.worldbank.org/jobs Back to top
 Environmental issues in Indonesia
As the world’s largest archipelago of 17,000 islands, Indonesia spans two bio-geographic regions - the Indomalayan and Australasian - and supports tremendous biodiversity of animal and plant life in its pristine rain forests and its rich coastal and marine areas.
The growing pressure of population demands together with inadequate environmental management is a challenge for Indonesia that hurts the poor and the economy.
The World Bank's assistance to Indonesia over the next three years will see an expansion on work related to climate change, forest and watershed management, and disaster management. Back to top
The Easiest Place to do Business in the World
Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business, from 1 – 178, with first place being the best. A high ranking on the ease of doing business index means the regulatory environment is conducive to the operation of business. This index averages the country's percentile rankings on 10 topics, made up of a variety of indicators, giving equal weight to each topic.
The best country to do business in is Singapore. Back to top | 
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