World Bank Roundup

Albania Approved June 20: International Development Association (IDA)credit of $25 million for national road rehabilitation and construction;improvements in maintenance and safety of existing roads; developmentof local contracting industries; and improvements in the technical skills of the general road directorate's staff. The project willfinance civil construction and technical assistance. It will provideequipment and materials for road safety and signals, employ consultantsfor supervision of road works and establish a road data bank,as well as a pavement and bridge management system. For more information,call Barbara Crosby 1-202/473-1379, fax 522-3362, e-mail bcrosby@worldbank.org.

Brazil Approved June 20: International Bank for Reconstructionand Development (IBRD) loan of $350 million to reduce the costof freight transport in Brazil's main corridors by restructuringand privatizing the federal railways. One project component includesthe division of the railway into six regional operations, thetransfer of rail assets to concessionaries and the reorganizationand strengthening of the federal railways company's technicalsupervision units. Emergency rehabilitation will cover emergencyrepairs and maintenance during restructuring. The program willalso strengthen the environmental management and safety units,enact regulatory reforms and establish a settlement division.

Approved June 20: IBRD loan of $300 million to improve the deliveryof health care under the sole source of publicly subsidized carefor the poor, and to assist the government in introducing policymeasures which will improve the financial sustainability and efficiencyof the united health care system. The project will finance therehabilitation of equipment and improved management of the systemby concluding unfinished projects, funding subprojects and purchasingequipment. The project will finance technical assistance, includingconsulting services and epidemiological, economic, legal and otherstudies necessary to reform health care financing. For more information,call Mario del Carril, 1-202/473-6189, fax 522-3698, e-mail: mdelcarril@worldbank.org.

China Approved June 25: IBRD loan of $125 million and IDA creditof $25 million for a project in the Yunnan province aimed at improvingenvironmental conditions and urban services management. The projectwill focus on reducing pollution on Lake Dianchi and has fourcomponents: direct onlending, investment financing and actionplans to reduce industrial pollution from enterprises identifiedas most threatening to water quality; waste water management andwater system expansion in Quing, and action for the protectionof Gejiu Lake and Nanpanjiang River; water quality monitoringimprovements; and institutional development and training. Formore information, call Lauren Ptito 1-202/458-0358, fax 522-3405,e-mail lptito@worldbank.org.

FYROM Approved June 20: IDA credit of $16.9 million for a healthsector transition project in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.The project will support an initial phase of policy reforms toincrease cost-effectiveness, fiscal sustainability and patientchoice. The first component of the project will build capacityto analyze and apply information for policy-making and healthsystem management. The second component will strengthen primaryhealth care and support high-priority disease prevention and healthpromotion programs. The third component will help create a morecompetitive pharmaceutical market and increase the efficiencyof public sector procurement and reimbursement. For more information,call Barbara Crosby 1-202/473-1379, fax 522-3362, e-mail bcrosby@worldbank.org.

India Approved June 25: IBRD loan of $59.6 million for a ruralwater supply and environmental sanitation project in Uttar Pradesh.The project will support investments and reforms in the sector.The investments are designed to test various policy options, improveservices and waste water disposal, and increase knowledge andawareness of the links between health and hygiene. Policy reformswill provide a framework for a 10 to 15-year strategy and to identifycorresponding investments for the sector. For more information,call Durudee Sirichanya 1-202/458-9031, fax 522-0321, e-mail dsirichanya@worldbank.org.

Indonesia Approved June 25: IBRD loan of $86.9 million to improveurban road infrastructure in the North Java Corridor, strengtheninstitutions, and help the government decentralize urban transportresponsibilities and develop new sector policies. The projectwill finance construction of new roads around the four towns ofWeleri, Kaliwungu, Denak and Kudus, and improvements in existingroads around Cirebon, Pemalang and Semarang. It also includesinstitutional and human resource development, database developmentand technical assistance. For more information, call Durudee Sirichanya1-202/458-9031, fax 522-0321, e-mail dsirichanya@worldbank.org.

Kazakstan Approved June 25: IBRD loan of $180 million for financialsector adjustment aimed at helping the government reduce operatingrisks and latent instability of banks, and deal with problem loansand problem banks affecting the entire sector. The government'sreform program, which is expected to be substantially completedby early 1997, includes strengthening the framework for securedlending, fostering the institutional development of banks, facilitatinginter-bank payments and liquidity management, ensuring fair competition,tightening prudential supervision, facilitating private recapitalization,and restructuring and downsizing two banks. For more information,call Barbara Crosby 1-202/473-1379, fax 522-3362, e-mail bcrosby@worldbank.org.

KyrgyzRepublicApproved June 25: IDA credit of $45 million to supportthe government's financial sector reform program, which includes:growth of a competitive and efficient banking system; liquidationof two state-owned banks; downsizing and financial restructuringof two other banks; establishment of a temporary debt resolutionagency; and creation of a regulatory and supervisory frameworkfor the development and growth of emerging non-bank financialinstitutions. A second IDA credit of 3.4 million will financetechnical assistance in support of the adjustment credit. Formore information, call Barbara Crosby 1-202/473-1379, fax 522-3362,e-mail bcrosby@worldbank.org.

Mauritania Approved June 20: IDA credit of $20 million to improvepublic economic management capacity, strengthen and deepen recentfiscal gains, and improve the efficiency of the allocation andmanagement of public expenditure. The policy reform componentof the project will help broaden and diversify the tax base andimprove public expenditure allocation and management through athree-year rolling public expenditure program. The capacity buildingprogram will focus on improving the organizational structuresand administrative procedures of five key ministries and improvingeconomic policy-making capacity by strengthening the technicalsecretariat of the Interministerial Committee for Economic Policy.For more information, call Eric Chinje, 1-202/473-4467, fax 473-7917,e-mail: echinje@worldbank.org.

Mexico Approved June 20: IBRD loan of $186.5 million for a projectthat will finance institutional development, training, technicalassistance, field monitoring equipment, engineering services,consultant services and minor civil works to improve water resourcesmanagement. Additionally, the project will finance the reductionof flood damage downstream from reservoirs; improve dam safety;improve water distribution; promote decentralization of waterresources management; improve water resources planning; and strengthenthe water rights administration. For more information, call Mariodel Carril 1-202/473-6189, fax 522-3698, e-mail: mdelcarril@worldbank.org

Thailand Approved June 25: IBRD loan of $31.6 million to helpmodernize the vocational and technical education system. The projectwill finance an institutional improvement program, including overseastraining for administrators and teaching staff, consultant servicesfor project management and procurement. It also includes acquisitionof equipment for laboratories and workshops, refurbished facilities,curriculum development, instructional materials and improvementof operations and maintenance systems.

Approved June 25: IBRD loan of $81.9 for a secondary educationquality improvement project that will finance construction ofnew science laboratories and workshops; equipment; institutionaldevelopment (fellowships and practical training of teachers);research and technical services (including research grants andconsultants for the design of projects and new course development);and project management assistance. For more information, callLauren Ptito 1-202/458-0358, fax 522-3405, e-mail lptito@worldbank.org.

Turkey Approved June 20: IBRD loan of $250 million to financehighway rehabilitation and improvements. The project includestraffic engineering improvements to high-risk areas, driver education,provision of police and medical equipment, and road safety materialsfor traffic management. The project will also implement a newmanagement system, computerization, and consideration of environmentalfactors in project selection and design. For more information,call Barbara Crosby 1-202/473-1379, fax 522-3362, e-mail bcrosby@worldbank.org.