UPCOMING WBI EVENTS: Flagship Global Course on Health Sector Reform: October 12-30, 2009, Washington, D.C. The course introduces a practical and comprehensive framework for understanding health systems and their performance and a structured approach to developing health system reform policies to improve that performance. Specific course modules examine the theoretical and empirical basis for reform strategies in such diverse areas as health financing, payment systems, organizational change, regulation, and population and provider behavior, making extensive use of case materials from countries in all regions and at all levels of development. This three-week course is designed for mid-career, senior-level decision-makers and managers who are actively involved in planning or directing government-initiated health sector reforms; compulsory social health insurance programs; private-voluntary or private sector initiatives, and developing country training programs in health sector reform and sustainable financing. Contact person: Hadia Karam NIDM-WBI Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management Framework On-line Course: Sep 21-Nov 1, 2009 (Online) The increased demand for both disaster assistance and mitigation capacity building calls for a structured, comprehensive and global risk management framework, one that can be used by regional and national authorities and by partner institutions. The World Bank Institute Natural Disaster Risk Management Program was developed to address the above needs. The WB Hazard Management Unit and ProVention Consortium supported the program development. The program comprises a series of five web-based courses, which aim at (i) awareness raising and (ii) advancing the participants’ analytical skills and professional knowledge in the specific area of disaster risk management. This course is the first in the series. This course addresses basic questions such as “why are disasters a development issue?” and “what are the components of comprehensive disaster risk management?” The course reviews the institutional arrangements and financing mechanisms of disaster management systems, and identifies the role of national and local actors in the processes related to risk assessment, mitigation and financing. This course targets general development practitioners to raise their awareness and sensitivity in prevention of natural disasters, and consists of three modules and End of Course Exercise. Contact person: Katalin Demeter Climate Change and Disaster Risk: Sep 14-Oct 11, 2009 (Online) To develop a wider understanding of climate change and its implications for development policy and practice, and increased knowledge of approaches, methods and tools that can be utilized to integrate climate change into disaster risk reduction strategies. Weather-related disasters are on the rise and threaten the development gains and poverty alleviation efforts of many developing countries. At the same time, climate change is modifying the hazards triggering these disasters, leading to more severe impacts. These changes should be factored into development practices and especially disaster risk management in order to reduce the rising human, economic and financial losses from extreme weather events and climate variability. This course on climate change and disaster management intends to facilitate this effort by improving the understanding of climate change and its implications for development policy and practice, and by contributing to increased knowledge of approaches, methods and tools that can be utilized in designing disaster risk reduction strategies. Contact person: Katalin Demeter PAST EVENTS India Carbon Market Conclave: September 2-3, 2009, New Delhi, India The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) organized this event in partnership with the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA), and support from the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF). This was the third edition of the annual event, which has had support from the World Bank since 2007. It brought together global expertise on emerging issues and options related to carbon finance and trading, with a focus on the Indian carbon market. The World Bank – through its Carbon Finance Assist program of the World Bank Institute – had been asked by the organizers to again support this year’s event and share lessons learnt from its experience as a leading player in the carbon market. The Conclave provided guidance on market access strategies and project development in India. Support from the World Bank was in the form of technical advice and participation of World Bank experts on carbon finance. Participants included international experts, speakers, and organizations engaged in the business of carbon finance, national experts from the private sector as well as Delhi-based representatives of Ministries and Departments. Contact Person: Konrad von Ritter, Venkat Ramana Putti NIDM-WBI Damage and Reconstruction Needs Assessment Online Course: Aug 10-Sep 6, 2009 (Online) The course introduces basic tools that can be used to assess the damages and losses caused by natural disasters. The accompanying analysis provides guidance for long-term policy decisions that aim at reducing disaster risk and vulnerability. The course provides a better understanding of: • The concept of disaster valuation, • Links between disasters, post-crisis management and development, • Tools for socioeconomic and environmental valuation of disasters and • Disaster assessment process in developing countries. It is a joint offering of National Institute of Disaster Management, New Delhi and World Bank Institute, Washington. The course aims at enhancing participants’ understanding and capacity in assessing the social, economic and environmental effects of natural disasters. This course offers a set of diagnostic tools to measure the type and extent of damage and losses caused by a specific disaster. It can be used immediately after the emergency stage to assess the direct and indirect effects of a catastrophic event, and its implications for the social well-being and economic performance of the affected area. This comprehensive methodology covers the broad range of effects and their cross implications for the economic and social sectors, physical infrastructure, and environmental assets. Contact person: Katalin Demeter Orissa Outcome Based Budgeting: June 26, 2009, Bhubaneswar, India This day long workshop introduced the concept and practice of outcome based budgeting and what implementation of the concept would entail. It exposed Orissa state officials to experiences from across India including lessons on what to do and what not to do through practical advice. It also helped deepen the capacity of the Madhusudan Das Regional Academy of Financial Management to help the Finance Department to carry out and implement such a program in future Contact person: Sheeja Nair Quality of Care in Health: June 22-26, 2009, Srinagar, India The course aimed to develop and enhance knowledge and skills of the participating health officials in the area of Quality Management to improve health care delivery as part of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). The 5 day course focussed on defining quality in health care; principles of quality management system; different quality management frameworks; issues of poor quality; standard operating procedures among other aspects. Teaching methods included lectures, case studies, role plays and site visits. The course targeted mid and senior level government officials from the health sector, Department of Training and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. In addition, there were NIHFW faculty and faculty of other Indian training institutes, development partners and international experts. Contact person: Hadia Karam Integrated Municipal Solid Waste Management (ISWM):2009 - May 21-23, 2009, Hyderabad This event was a joint offering of WBI and the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI). It aimed at providing a holistic perspective on ISWM and MSW2000 Rules; assisting city managers and sector professionals in developing strategies and necessary tools that will enable them to implement ISWM; enhancing understanding on PPP options in ISWM; promoting an active exchange of experiences and enhancing awareness of national and international best practices in the entire cycle of MSW functions. Mechanism for Earning Carbon Credits through CDM - April 2-3, 2009 , Ahmedabad The objective of this 2 day workshop was to enlighten the Municipal Commissioner and Chief Engineers on the potential of extracting Methane Gas from Landfills as well as to understand the need of capping the landfill and exploring the potential of earning carbon credits from appropriate solid waste management. Contact person: Venkat Ramana Putti India Solid Waste Management Scale Up Program - Karnataka, Gujarat, Bihar - March 18-June 25, 2009, Ahmedabad, Mysore, Jaipur, Bhopal and Patna This consisted of a series of workshops to scale up the India Solid Waste Management program, initially to the three states of Karnataka, Gujarat and Bihar. These training of trainers workshops providing materials and pedagogy were aimed at capacity building of government staff at different levels from the Solid Waste sector. Contact person: Venkat Ramana Putti NIDM-WBI Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management Framework On-line Course, India #7 - March 23-May 1, 2009 This course addresses basic questions such as “why are disasters a development issue?” and “what are the components of comprehensive disaster risk management?”. The course reviews the institutional arrangements and financing mechanisms of disaster management systems, and identifies the role of national and local actors in the processes related to risk assessment, mitigation and financing. Contact : Katalin Demeter (WBISD) E-Learning Course on Strengthening The Essential Public Health Functions - 28Jan - 27 May, 2009, Washington, D.C. The overall objective of the course is to develop leadership and competencies in the performance and assessment of the Essential Public Health Functions (EPHF), as a critical component in strengthening national capacity in public health. At the end of the course participants will be able to: -apply the conceptual framework that supports the Essential Public Health Functions (EPHF) -describe and analyze each of the EPHF in detail; -apply the methodology and diagnostic tools to assess and monitor the performance of the EPHF at the national and sub-national levels; -design plans of action and strategies to strengthen public health functions and capacities within a specific country context; -analyze the contribution of health systems and EPHF to achieve the MDG making use of the provided framework; -employ strategies for encouraging participation of key stakeholders in achieving public health objectives and reorienting health care services; and -identify health problems that require cross-sectoral strategies to address them. Contact person: Jo Hindriks (jhindriks@worldbank.org) Labor Market Policy Core Course: “Jobs for a Globalizing World’ – March 30-April 10, 2009, Washington, D.C. Jobs for a Globalizing World: Labor Market Policy” is a two week course offering a unique learning experience on how employment is being transformed in today's rapidly changing, globalizing environment. The course identifies key labor market challenges within the context of overall poverty reduction and other economic and social development goals, and explores what policy makers and others can do about them. It builds on the latest research findings by the World Bank and other academic and research institutions, as well as on practical lessons learned from country experiences. The content of the course will focus specially on developing and transition countries. The course will feature parallel sessions, focusing separately on labor issues in low-income and middle income countries. This structure will allow a more in-depth exploration of the policy options for each setting. Participants will also have the opportunity to present and discuss challenging labor market issues in their own country, and work toward solutions with other participants and experts. Contact Person: Ms. Nene Mane ( nmane@worldbank.org) NIDM-WBI Safe Cities On-line Course, India - February 16-March 13, 2009 This specialization course addresses particular concerns of urban managers and planners. It reviews processes, regulations – land use, infrastructure, construction, and building codes – enforcement issues and methods essential to reducing exposure to hazards and limiting the physical vulnerability of high density settlements. Contact Person : Katalin Demeter (WBISD) Flagship Course on Health Sector Reform in Asia - March 16-27, 2009, Hong Kong, China A two week face to face course delivered to an audience of mid- to high level government officials. The course includes a combination of theory, country case studies and a three week long country exercise.Enable participants to speak a common language. Enable participants to better assess their health system and identify options to take them from point A to B. Target audience: mid- to high level government officials and the provincial and central level in several countries including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan. Contact person: Hadia Karam (hsamaha@worldbank.org) Capital Markets In Asia: Opportunities and Risk - March 11-12, 2009 In collaboration with Korean Institutions we will deliver a series of seminars aimed at disseminating to Asian countries Korea's experience in developing and liberalizing its capital markets while managing risks.The seminar also aims to facilitate understanding among Asian countries on how to access Korean capital markets and how to form alliances with Korean financial institutions.Policy seminar on development of corporate bond and risk transfer markets in Asia. Target Audience: Senior Technical Officers in several countries including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka. Contact person: Arvind Gupta (agupta1@worldbank.org) A Global Core Course - “Effective Regulatory Reform: Why, What, and How?”- March 9-13, 2009, Washington, D.C. The Investment Climate Capacity Enhancement team is pleased to announce the above global fee-based course which will provide participants with a practical approach and an in-depth understanding of the main strategies, tools and techniques for a successful Regulatory Reform Program in order to ultimately empower participants to better design and manage reforms. The course is based on international best practices in the area of regulatory reform. The target audience includes policy makers and practitioners, it aims to empower participants to better design and manage policy reforms. Topics covered will include: - The Importance of Regulatory Reform - Regulatory Reform: Strategies and Approaches - Tools to Improve the Stock of Regulation - Tools to Improve the Flow of Regulation - Tools to Improve the Implementation of Regulation Contact person: Une Lee (ulee@worldbank.org) Strengthening Human Resources for Health - March 2-7, 2009, Khajuraho This one week course will focus on Human Resource Management issues relevant to the Health Sector in India including estimating future HRM needs, HR challenges in rural areas, satisfaction, motivation and performance, strategic planning for HR, negotiation and conflict resolution. The objective is to provide a framework to mid-level government officials in the health sector at the state level, academic institutions and staff of donor agencies to critically assess and manage Human Resource challenges that they encounter. Contact person: Alexandra Humme (ahumme@worldbank.org) Monitoring and Evaluation for Results Course - February 23-27, 2009, New Delhi The course will cover fundamental approaches for the design of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems for programs and projects. Participants will be presented with basic M&E tools and techniques needed for planning and implementing M&E systems for their programs and projects. The course will provide an overview of (i) monitoring and evaluation methods with particular emphasis on logic models, indicators and measures, and (ii) research design for impact evaluation, including data collection and analysis. Through practical exercises and group work, participants will learn to implement results-based measurement, monitoring and program evaluation and have opportunities to apply the methods and instruments presented in the activity. Examples and case studies of M&E systems will be presented. All sessions will be informal and highly interactive, with ample opportunities for questions and answers. The target audience would include Program and project team leaders and managers, M&E staff, technical specialists, consultants. Certificates of participation will be awarded to those who have fully participated. Contact person: Alexandra Humme (ahumme@worldbank.org) HIV/AIDS and Inclusive Development:- Building on Good Practices and Experiences - February 11, 2009, New Delhi As part of its program on private sector HIV/AIDS response in India, the WBI Private Sector Development program will partner with the Confederation of Indian Industry to organize a knowledge exchange event on “Inclusive Responses to the HIV and AIDS Challenge - Experiences from the Indian IT Sector” in Gurgaon/Delhi on February 11, 2009. The workshop will disseminate learnings from the cases featured in a new publication of the same name and will provide opportunity for industry and government representatives to discuss the experiences of companies from the IT sector and the extent of management level awareness and commitment to address HIV/AIDS challenges in ways that harness IT sector core competencies. Contact person: Michael Jarvis (mjarvis@worldbank.org) Strengthening Urban Management in India - January 19-23, 2009, Hyderabad The Administrative Staff College of India in partnership with WBI is conducting a program on Strengthening Urban Management in India designed specifically to provide city officials with a platform with which to learn in great detail key aspects of urban management and to develop innovative solutions to major issues confronting their cities. Leading national and international speakers/experts have been identified by WBI/ASCI and they are invited to share their experiences during this Program. The target audience includes senior urban development policy makers especially Commissioners and Mayors of Indian cities. For further details please click on this link:SUM 2009 Contact person: Dr. A. Narendra (a_narender@asci.org.in) Public Private Partnerships in Health - December 15-20, 2008, New Delhi The course aims to bring various Indian and international experiences together by practitioners of PPP. It will focus on PPP through a range of Indian and international experiences. It will specifically focus on contracting, evaluation of contracts, design and skills in implementation and different models of PPP. The course targets mid-level government officials in the health sector at the state level, academic institutions and staff of donor agencies. Contact person: Alexandra Humme (ahumme@worldbank.org) Using Risk Transfer Markets to Manage Food Price Volatility: Learning from Practitioners in the Private Sector – December 15-19, 2008, Washington, D.C. This activity is targeted at Managers in Bank client countries who have to deal with food price volatility on a day-to-day basis. The workshop aims to bring the “how to” best risk management practices deployed in leading commodities trading firms. Participants will have an opportunity to discuss with leading managers from commodities firms the methods of risk management via commodity exchanges and how to build an organization to undertake these tasks. The objective is to enable commodities firms and financial institutions understand and access Risk Transfer markets for management of price volatility in food commodities Contact person: Arvind Gupta (Agupta1@worldbank.org) Public Private Partnership in Infrastructure (PPPI) Days 2008 - December 15-19, 2008, Washington, D.C. PPPI Days is a global networking event of Heads of PPP Units. This year the event will include 2 days of a network meeting roundtable with a high quality program delivered by leading practitioners. The event will include a one day workshop focused on best practices dissemination and one day focused on World bank activities in PPPI and private sector. The objective of this activity is to build a network of practitioners, to share international best practices, to disseminate knowledge and to raise awareness of desirable and successful examples in PPPs. Contact person: Filip Drapak (fdrapak@worldbank.org) Monitoring and Evaluation for Results Course - Dec 8-12 and Dec 15-19, 2008, Vienna, Austria The course is organized by the World Bank Institute Evaluation Group – with experience teaching over 4,000 participants across 60 countries in the last decade - and taught by senior evaluation experts. Combining both attention to M&E theory and practical applications, the 30 participants completing the course will gain knowledge and experience on M&E tools, techniques, and resources needed for M&E planning, organizing, and/or managing programs and projects. Participants would include mid-career professionals employed as project managers and directors, M&E specialists, technical specialists, and researchers. Consumers and clients of evaluations, such as government employees who must hire evaluators or review their work. For more information click on this link: www.worldbank.org/wbi/evaluation/training/vienna2008 E-Learning: Policies for Managing Food and Oil Prices – December 1-5, 2008, Washington, D.C. This ten-session on-line course on poverty analysis, spread over three weeks, will emphasize the measurement and interpretation of how poverty changes over time (“poverty dynamics”) and the concept of vulnerability to poverty. The course will be structured as follows: Week 1: Review of the basics of poverty analysis. Week 1-Week 2: The measurement and interpretation of poverty dynamics. Week 3: The quantification and analysis of vulnerability to poverty. The course will require extensive hands-on exercises using Stata. Although intensive and demanding, the course can be completed on a half-time basis over a period of three weeks (not including the final project). Contact person: Raj Nallari (Rnallari@worldbank.org) E-Learning - Basic Concepts, Theory, & Empirical Evidence in Export Devt & Diversification - Nov 24-Dec 19, 2008, Washington, D.C. This course series aims at providing trade policy makers, advisors, researchers, private sector operators (representatives of agriculture, industry, and services), and export support institutions in client countries with useful insights and better understanding of: (i) factors, institutions, processes, policies and principles necessary for accelerated and diversified exports in developing countries; and (ii) lessons of experience of successful export development countries.Partners: ITC (the technical cooperation agency of UNCTAD and WTO, based in Geneva, Switzerland) Contact Person: Salomon Samen ( Ssamen@worldbank.org) Training Course on Quality Management in Health - November 17-22, 2008, New Delhi The objective of this course is to train health care officers on Quality Management in health care. The course will focus on defining quality in health care; principles of quality management system; different quality management frameworks; issues of poor quality; standard operating procedures among other aspects. Teaching methods will include lectures, case studies, role plays and site visits. The course will target mid and senior level government officials from the health sector, Department of Training and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. In addition, there will be NIHFW faculty and faculty of other Indian training institutes, development partners (GTZ, USAID, DfID) and international experts from Heidelberg University. South Asia Regional Conference on Managing Food Price Inflation: Agricultural Supply Response and Safety Nets - November 15-16, 2008, Dhaka This Conference will bring together international and local experts in agricultural pricing and production issues from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, to discuss the mix of policy options and programs available to governments to manage food price inflation in the short, medium and longer term. The focus of the conference will be on food crops with special attention to wheat and rice. Contact person: Raj Nallari ( rnallari@worldbank.org) E-Learning: Basics of Health Economics - Nov 12-Dec 17, 2008, Washington, D.C. The course will expose participants to the potential contribution of health economics to decision making in the health sector. At the end of the course participants can: • Use the economic rationale arguments to determine what government should or should not do • Apply economics to improve allocative efficiency in the health sector • Analyze economic arguments to help improve technical efficiency in the health sector • Explain how economics can help improve equity in the health sector 2. Introduce participants to the language of economics and health sector reform so they can be more effective communicators when working with the Ministry of Finance. By the end of the course participants can: • Correctly use the tools on market failures to justify the role of the public sector • Apply the different dimensions of efficiency to ensure a larger return to investments in the health sector. Contact person: C. Jo Hindriks-Stolker (jhindriks@worldbank.org) E-Learning Course - Trade in Services and International Agreements - Oct 27-Dec 19, 2008, Washington, D.C. This course covers the economics of services trade reforms and the development implications of international agreements and negotiations in services trade. It will be conducted over 8 weeks by foremost services trade experts within and outside the World Bank and will include 13 modules drawn from Bank studies, WBI-commissioned overview papers, non-Bank seminal works, and case studies, including critical perspectives on the relationship between national trade in services policy and its current stage at the multilateral level. When necessary, country experiences for dealing with trade in services will be presented.Contact person: Gianni Zanini ( Gzanini@worldbank.org) State-level course on Public Private Partnership (PPP) in Health - April 26-May 3, 2008, Agra, UP The course focussed on PPP issues in the health sector and exposed participants to new concepts and innovations, including international best practice. It introduced the contracting tool kit developed by the World Bank and included sessions on stakeholder analysis, performance standards and managing contracts as well as hands-on sessions on TOR writing and other group work. The course has been customized to the Indian context and was delivered by Indian and international faculty. Participants included state level directors, assistant directors and chief medical officers from the various health departments of 6-8 Indian states. Contact Person:Alexandra Humme (email:ahumme@worldbank.org) State Level Course on Human Resource Management in Health -Date: May 26-31, 2008, Puri (Orissa) This course focussed on HRM issues relevant to the health sector in India and placed special focus on HRM challenges in rural areas. It included sessions on financing, supervision and monitoring, management assessment and motivation. Issues such as institutional changes, strategic planning, priority setting and conflict resolution was also taught. The course has been customized to the Indian context and was delivered by Indian and international faculty with the support of the Harvard School of Public Health. Participants included state level directors, assistant directors and chief medical officers from the various health departments of 6-8 Indian states. Contact person: Alexandra Humme (email: ahumme@worldbank.org) Export Development and Diversification: Global course Date: 5 May - 6 June, 2008 E-Learning course delivered via Internet This Internet-based course aimed at providing trade policy makers, advisors, researchers, private sector operators (representatives of agriculture, industry, and services), and export support institutions in client countries with useful insights and better understanding of: (i) factors, institutions, processes, policies and principles necessary for accelerated and diversified exports in developing countries; and (ii) lessons of experience of successful export development strategies in specific countries. The course has been developed by the World Bank Institute’s Poverty Reduction and the Finance and Private Sector Development units, in partnership with the International Trade Department and the Development Research Group in the World Bank, and the International Trade Centre (ITC, the technical cooperation agency of UNCTAD and WTO, based in Geneva, Switzerland). It comprised of nine modules delivered by Internet over five weeks. The modules are drawn from World Bank research, studies, WBI-commissioned overview papers, non-Bank seminal works and case studies, as well as cutting edge knowledge and research developed by other partner institutions and researchers. Contact persons: Salomon Samen (email: ssamen@worldbank.org); or Ignacio Hernandez (email: ihernandez@worldbank.org) Website: http://pgpblog.worldbank.org/ Executive Development Program, “Inclusive and Sustainable Business: Creating Markets with the Poor,” Date: June 9-13, 2008 and continuing on-line from June 16-30, 2008, Washington D.C. This unique five-day program offered company managers working in emerging markets insights to build corporate strategies that fight poverty while delivering profits. Participants learned how to create business opportunities among the billions who are joining the market economy for the first time—the world’s poor. An innovative learning model allowed you to interact with private sector development experts from international financial institutions, published thinkers and strategists from the world’s top business schools, as well as executives and entrepreneurs with proven track records on this business frontier. Participants exchanged with and learned from an accomplished group of peers, about how their organization can not only meet the bottom line, but develop working business models that include the world’s poor as investors, producers, sellers and buyers. Who were to Participate: • Business executives from larger companies responsible for managing business in emerging and developing economies, • Public sector leaders whose policies affect corporate engagement, • Donor agency executives, civil society organization representatives, and staff from international development agencies actively engaged in involving the private sector in meeting development goals. The program fee was US $2,000. To ensure a high degree of interaction and knowledge sharing, participation was limited, and so early applications were encouraged. For information please click on this link www.worldbank.org/wbi/edp Basics of Health Economics Date: May 14-June18, 2008, Online Course This course outlines the impact of economics on decision-making in the health sector. Participants were introduced to the issues linking economics and health sector reform. Topics addressed in the e-Learning course include: • the role of government, markets and private sector in health; • resource allocation and equity of health services (the poor spend a larger proportion of their income on health than middle- and higher-income people, and usually get lower-quality care); • mechanisms to change behaviors of health-care providers and consumers to achieve better health outcomes. For information please click on this link: Basics of Health Economics Global Finance Forum onOil Price Volatility, Economic Impact, and Financial Management -Date: March 10-11, 2008, Washington DC . The conference is intended to provide a forum for exchange of views among policymakers, corporate strategists, and development practitioners on the impact of high and volatile oil prices on growth and financial sector risks, and to strengthen participants’ understanding of policy options and management techniques to mitigate the risks associated with oil price volatility. This will be a fee-based program. Target audience will include policymakers, executives from financial institutions, financial managers from energy-intensive industries, and commodity fund and risk managers. For details see http://www.financelearning.org/oil2008 Please register on line now if you are interested. Jobs for a Globalizing World: World Bank Labour Market Policy Core Course Date: March 31- April 11, 2008, Washington , DC This is a two week course offering a unique learning experience on how employment is being transformed in today's rapidly changing, globalizing environment. The course identifies key labor market challenges within the context of overall poverty reduction and other economic and social development goals, and explores what policy makers and others can do about them. It builds on the latest research findings by the World Bank and other academic and research institutions, as well as on practical lessons learned from country experiences. The content of the course will focus specially on developing and transition countries. The course will feature parallel sessions, focusing separately on labor issues in low-income and middle income countries. This structure will allow a more in-depth exploration of the policy options for each setting. Participants will also have the opportunity to present and discuss challenging labor market issues in their own country, and work toward solutions with other participants and experts. For details please see:www.worldbank.org/wbi/socialprotection/labormarket08 Technical Workshop (training-of-trainers) on Health Sector Reform: Governance, Performance and Financing
Date: January 23-25, 2008, Bhubaneswar This is being organized and delivered in partnership with the Xavier Institute of Management in Bhubaneswar. XIMB is part of the larger network of health institutions in India which we are trying to establish. The objectives of the ToT will be to expose participants to the key elements of the WBI health flagship course and it's relevance to the NRHM. Participants both from private and public institutions will attend the course. They are expected to continue to work with NIHFW and WBI in content development and the delivery of similar courses - both at the central and state level. Discussions of didactic approaches and pedagogy such as lectures, cases, group exercises would also be held, building on the experiences of the WBI program. (Participation by invitation) Workshop on Health Systems Policy and Management
Date: January 28-February 2, 2008, Ahmedabad This course is being organized by the National Institute of Health and Family Welfare (NIHFW) in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and WBI. Modeled on WBI's Global Flagship course on Health Sector Reform and Sustainable Financing the scope of the course has been customized to meet India specific requirements and will be taught by international and Indian faculty (including some of those who would have attended previous training of trainers courses). Senior Government officials from 10 states have been invited. Within the context of the National Rural Health Mission, the course aims to develop and enhance the skills set and knowledge to improve health systems performance through innovations in health service delivery. In particular, the course will focus on how to improve the performance of the Public Health sector in terms of efficiency and equity (how to reach the poor) through organizational reform and methods of optimizing private sector participation. (Participation by invitation)
Workshop on Social Accountability Curriculum Development in South Asia
Date: November 19-20, 2007, New Delhi
The World Bank is planning to support the efforts of several institutions in the South Asia region to develop certificate or post diploma learning programs in the area of Social Accountability (SAc). Social accountability refers to the broad range of actions and mechanisms beyond voting, such as social audits among others, that citizens can use to hold decision makers and powerholders to account for their performance and conduct.
The long-term objective of this initiative is to have a few centers of excellence established in the South Asia region that graduate 'Social Accountants' who can apply the tools for improved policies, procurement oversight, better governance, and service delivery. To date no such curriculum is available in South Asia or any other Region.
The two day brainstorming Workshop will be to think through: i) the draft outline and content of a social accountability curriculum; ii) possible roles and responsibilities among participating institutions in developing specific components of the curriculum; iii) a timeline and work plan for the curriculum development and (iv) the next steps. An objective is also to begin to bring various experiences together and begin to form a South-Asian network on this topic. Strengthening Essential Public Health Functions (E-Learning course)
Date: November 14, 2007-March 19, 2008, GLOBAL
The overall objective of the course is to develop leadership and competencies in the assessment and performance of the ‘Essential Public Health Functions’ (EPHF), and contribute to the strengthening of effective national public health systems. At the end of the course participants can:
Describe each of the ‘Essential Public Health Functions’ in detail; Apply the methodology and diagnostic tools to assess and monitor the performance of the EPHF at the national and sub-national levels; Design plans of action and strategies to strengthen public health functions and capacities within a specific country context; Analyze the contribution of health systems and EPHF to achieve the MDG making use of the provided framework; Employ strategies for encouraging participation of key stakeholders in achieving public health objectives and reorienting health care services; Identify health problems that require cross-sectoral strategies to address them.
Flagship Global Core Course on Health Sector Reform and Sustainable Financing
Date: October 29 - November 16, 2007, Washington, D.C.
The 2007 Flagship Course on Health Sector Reform and Sustainable Financing is offered by the World Bank Institute in collaboration with the Harvard School of Public Health, and has been redesigned in 2006 following it’s initial offering in 1997. The course introduces a practical and comprehensive framework for understanding health systems and their performance and a structured approach to developing health system reform policies to improve that performance. Specific course modules examine the theoretical and empirical basis for reform strategies in such diverse areas as health financing, payment systems, organizational change, regulation, and population and provider behavior, making extensive use of case materials from countries in all regions and at all levels of development. The course is targeted to mid-career, senior-level decision-makers and managers who are actively involved in planning or directing; government-initiated health sector reforms; compulsory social health insurance programs; private-voluntary or private sector initiatives, and developing country training programs in health sector reform and sustainable financing. Enrollment is also open to staff from the World Bank and donor agencies. The course is dedicated to the development of national capacities through dissemination of knowledge and training. Country teams of 3-4 members are strongly encouraged to apply as the aim of the course is to build the capacity of a critical mass who could become agents of change in their country. Conference on Federalism "Unity in Diversity - Learning from Each Other"
Date: November 5-7, 2007, New Delhi
This conference is organized by the Government of India to share experiences on federalism practices around the world to improve public sector governance. The conference will be organized around four themes: (a) Building on and accommodating diversity; (b) Fiscal Federalism; (c) Interaction in a federal system; (d) Local governments in federal systems. WBI is coordinating the conference agenda for the sub-theme on fiscal federalism. Frontiers in Infrastructure Financing: Goa, September 11-18, 2007
Partners: State Bank of India, Federal Reserve Bank
Description: The 6th annual course on “Frontiers in Infrastructure Finance” will provide systematic coverage on how infrastructure projects are analyzed, appraised, managed, and financed. The course participants are expected to consist of about 60-70 government officials and private sector executives from India and other countries mainly from the South Asia region.
Contact:
Training of Trainers Course on Disaster Risk Management: Chennai, September 24-28, 2007
Partners: Madras University, Kyoto University, Middle East technical University and UN ISDR
Description: The World Bank Institute and UN ISDR support the University of Madras in setting up a Centre for Natural Hazards and Disaster Studies (CNHDS) through a cross-regional university collaboration of Middle East Technical University (METU), and Kyoto University (Japan). This training of trainers course aims at preparing the team of Madras University to offer master's courses and diploma programs in disaster risk management. The training will cover broad areas of disaster management from economic and social to psychological impacts of disasters, mitigation and risk reduction measures and aspects of emergency management. The faculty of Kyoto University, METU, Madras University and WBI will provide the training. 25-30 participants are identified from School of Social Sciences, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and Life Sciences from Madras University, NGOs, Government of Tamil Nadu, medical and fire safety services, Tsunami Rehabilitation Information Network among others.
Contact: Katalin Demeter (WBISD)
Post Graduate Diploma in Urban Management: Yashada, Pune (Sept 2007-August 2008)
Partners: WBI; Mumbai University
Description: The Maharastra State Institute of Urban Development (SIUD), Yashada has launched a diploma and post graduate diploma in urban management. The programs are designed to equip urban managers with concepts, skills and techniques required for effective urban management. Participants are exposed to best practice in urban governance and aims to equip participants to meet the challenges of urban management. The course structure is modular and comprises of eight modules: urban governance, municipal management, urban planning, urban finance, urban infrastructure, urban poverty, urban environment, ICT for urban. The course is designed for senior executives in government such as municipal officers and elected representatives as well as for other urban professionals, including NGOs. Barjor Mehta, WBI TTL, will open the module on urban planning.
Contact: Barjor NIDM-WBI Course - Reconstruction and Damage Need Assessment: On Line Course, September 3-October 1, 2007
Partner: National Institute of Disaster Management
Description: Web based course on Damage and Reconstruction Needs Assessment is part of the Comprehensive Natural Disaster Risk Management Program developed by the WBI with support from WB Hazard Management Unit and ProVention Consortium. The course aims at enhancing participants’ understanding and capacity in assessing the social, economic and environmental effects of natural disasters. It reviews methodologies and instruments used to quantify direct damages and indirect losses and the overall macroeconomic consequences of catastrophic events in order to determine the damages and the reconstruction needs. It is based on the Handbook developed by the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and Caribbean. This web based course consists of self-paced modules, discussion forums, exercises, readings, case studies, tests and learning via interaction with program faculty and peers. The course targets development practititoners working in disaster management related sphere, government officials from central and local levels, academics, representatives of donor and relief agencies.
Contact: Katalin Demeter (WBISD)
Health - E-Learning Courses:
E-learning: Basic of Health Economics (Oct 3 - Nov 7)
E-learning: Health Outcomes and the Poor (October 24 - December 6) E-learning: Strengthening Essential Public Health Functions (November 14, 2007 - March 19, 2008)
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