ARMENIA
New Courthouse Unveiled in Armenia The opening ceremony of the newly-reconstructed First Instance Court for Criminal and Civil Cases in Davidashen and Achapniak was held in Yerevan on December 26. The building now complies with international standards. This is the ninth courthouse completed under the Bank-funded Judicial Reform Project. Cabinet members, Members of Parliament, municipal authorities, NGOs, and media attended the ceremony. Country Manager Roger Robinson emphasized the Bank’s role in creating an independent, efficient, and transparent judiciary system in Armenia. Documentary Depicts Difficulty of Power Sector Reform The Armenia Country Office and Shoghakat TV Company jointly organized the first screening of the documentary film "Switch" in Yerevan on December 26. The film describes how Armenia dealt with the country's power sector reform soon after its independence. The story includes how the crisis was overcome and lessons that can be applied to other countries. Funding for the production of this DVD was received from the Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility. Cabinet members, former government officials, and NGO and media representatives shared positive feedback after the screening. New Legal Database Presented in Yerevan The Armenian Legal Information System, developed under the Bank-funded Judicial Reform Project, was presented in Yerevan on December 16 in the presence of state officials, NGOs, and media. Armenians can now access, free of charge, a comprehensive on-line database of Armenian laws, decisions taken by all government bodies, and Constitutional Court rulings at http://www.arlis.am. Country Manager Roger Robinson and ECSPE Senior Public Sector Specialist David Bernstein, task manager of the Judicial Reform Project, emphasized the importance of transparency in the judicial system. CROATIA World Bank Supports European Union Program with Grant Minister of Finance Ivan Suker and ECSSD Senior Operations Officer Karin Shepardson signed a contract on the European Union’s CARDS (Community Assistance for Reconstruction, Development and Stabilisation) 2004 donation on December 27 in Zagreb, which provides Croatia with a Euro 4.5 million grant to improve the real estate property registration system and cadastre. The project is part of the Croatian government’s land registry reform, which was funded with a Euro 24 million loan by the World Bank. The funds are intended to expand the digital information system, increase education and technical assistance for employees of the State Geodetic Administration and the Ministry of Justice, and improve citizens’ awareness of ownership registration and their rights and obligations. Click here for the press release. World Bank Donation Builds Croatia's Statistical Capacity Finance Minister Ivan Suker and ECSPF Lead Technical Specialist Vladimir Kreacic signed a deed of donation on December 21 to help Croatia build its statistical capacity. Senior Country Economist Sanja Madzarevic-Sujster explained that the purpose of the grant is to develop a Statistical Master Plan, an action plan for reorganizing and strengthening the National Statistical System, which would be able to provide the type of quality statistics required for entering the European Union in a cost-effective manner. Click here for the press release. World Bank Supports Civil Society The Croatia Country Office is organizing for the sixth year the Small Grants Program, inviting NGOs to apply for assistance by March 1. The support to civil associations amounts to US$3,000 to 5,000. The Program supports activities that empower and enable citizens to take initiative to enhance and influence development outcomes. Click here for more information. KYRGYZ REPUBLIC World Bank Supports Health and Social Protection The Board of Directors approved on December 15 a grant of US$15 million for the Health and Social Protection Project for the Kyrgyz Republic. This Sector-Wide Approach is the first of its kind in Central Asia . US$13 million will co-finance implementation of the Government’s Manas Taalimi Health Reform Program, which is continuation of a widely-recognized previous program. Several other donors are also providing parallel funds to support the health sector. Strengthening the administrative system of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection is the second major component of the Project; US$2 million will help implement policy reforms and strengthen administrative systems to enable social protection and health systems to more effectively target assistance and subsidies to poor and disadvantaged households. Click here for the press release. ROMANIA World Bank Supports Knowledge Economy in Romania The Knowledge Economy Project was officially launched in Bucharest on December 13 in a ceremony attended by Minister of Communication and Information Technology Zsolt Nagy, Presidential Advisor Theodor Stolojan, Country Manager Owaise Saadat, and media and the general public. The project will set up Local Community e-Networks in targeted disadvantaged communities which will operate as tools for education, business, and public communication with the government. During the pilot phase, nine such networks were established in communities and small towns across Romania. Click here for the press release. RUSSIA Launch of Report on High Mortality Rate in Russia The World Bank report Dying too Young: Addressing Premature Mortality and Ill Health Due to Non Communicable Diseases and Injuries in the Russian Federation was launched on December 8 at the international conference "Social Policy and Challenges of the 21st Century," organized by the Independent Institute of Social Policy, Ministry of Health and Social Development of Russia, and ECSHD. ECSHD Sector Manager Armin Fidler and Team Leader for the study Patricio Marquez presented and discussed findings of the report, which explores the socioeconomic impact of a sharp rise of non-communicable diseases and the toll they are taking on Russian workers. Patricio also presented the report to top representatives of the Russian and international business community in Moscow. Click here for the press release. UZBEKISTAN Country Office Highlights Collaboration on World AIDS Day The Uzbekistan Country Office used the opportunity of a World AIDS Day event on December 2 to highlight that HIV/AIDS is not only a health problem, but it is also a development problem that threatens human welfare, socio-economic advances, productivity, social cohesion, and even national security. The Office publicized the Regional HIV/AIDS Control Project and the World Bank’s new global plan to strengthen the Bank’s response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic at country, regional, and global levels. A Public Information Center dialogue was held on the efficient collaboration of donors and NGOs in rolling back the spread of the HIV/AIDS global epidemic, with many donor agencies and NGOs participating. Click here for the press release.
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