We are pleased to share with you the

second issue of Outreach. We hope you

found our first edition useful and

informative. Through Outreach we

aim to reach out to people and highlight

the World Bank Group programs in

Egypt. We hope through this issue to

widen the scope and understanding of

the Bank's work.

We also take this opportunity to wish

you and your families a happy and

blessed holiday semon and a successful

new yeat:

Mahmood Ayub ISam; HaddadWorld Bank, IFC, DirectorCountry Director; Middle Bart &Egypt, Yemen & Djibouti North Africa

In partnershillJ with the NGO SerViCE! Center*, and other developlmentpartners in E!~ypt, the World Bank h;as launched this month EgyptDevelopment Marketplace, a program aimed at engaging organizations infighting poverty through innovative I~evelopment initiatives. Par't of theWorld Bank's global program, the De1'/elopment Marketplace matches socialentrepreneurs innovative ideas to t~lckle poverty with partners 'who havethe resources to implement their vis,ion.'The NGO Service Center is a developmental activity aiming to increase the participation of citizens and non-governmental

organizations (NGOs) in development, The Center is sponsored by the Ministry of Insurance and Social Affairs and fundedby the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

n cooperation with:

81FClNTERNAllONAL FINANCE CORPORA nON

+continued on page 2

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A glimpse on the Global Development Marketplace, held in Washingotn D.C. in January 2002.

The objective of this program is to promote them," said Mahmood Ayub, World Bank

grassroots solutions to poverty alleviation and Country Director for Egypt. "Therefore, we are

sustainable development. "We strongly believe looking to the Egyptian community to come

that local communities have a better up with innovative ideas to poverty reduction

understanding of how to improve their individual by opening new doors of opportunity."

quality of life than we can second guess for

The first country in the Middle East and North Africa to launch a local version of the Development

Marketplace, Egypt is introducing a program which focuses on the theme of "Skills E:nhancement

for Development" and will include:

1. Innovation Competition -a competition open The Egypt Development Marketplace will be

to any Egyptian organization, whereby start- held on 25 March, 2003 when the award

up funds are awarded to organizations winners will be announced and the Knowledge

proposing innovative ideas around the chosen Forum will be held. An independent jury

theme. The awards, in the amount of Egyptian comprised of representatives from the

Pounds 50,000 -250,000 depending upon development community will select the winners.

the needs of applicants' project proposals,

will serve as seed funding that will enable

teams to implement their idea. The Egypt Country Innovation Day is part of

the Development Marketplace Program -an

innovation initiative launched by the World

Bank in 1998 as a means of seeding grassroots

development projects worldwide among the

World Bank's staff. Based on its overwhelming

success, the competition was expanded globally

to invite all those working in development to

participate. Since 1998, over $12 million has

been awarded to NGOs, foundations, and the

private sector to test out innovative methods

of combating poverty.

2. Knowledge Forum where social visionaries

and activists gettogether to network and

learn from each other's experience. They will

be able to discuss the evolution of

development efforts, the roles of emergingcivil society, and connect with those able to

provide technical assistance, access to vital

networks and financial support. For donors

and financers, it offers a chance to listen,

learn, and support cutting edge initiatives

that promote empowerment of the poor and

community development.

R 0 U P

at the

by

growth.

-,

operation and development in the Basin.

Egypt and other five riparian countries -

the Democratic Republic of Congo (CI.R.

Congo), Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, and

Uganda -formed the Technical Co-

operation Committee for the Promotion

of the Development and Environmen1:al

Protection of the Nile Basin (TECCONILE).

The other four riparian states participated

as observers. In 1997 the Nile Basin

Initiative was initiated and all the ten

countries sharing the Nile waters agrE~ed

to use the NBI as the basis for any water

cooperation between them. The NBI 'vvas

officially launched in 1999.

In October 2002,

three years after

initiation of the Nile

Basin Initiative (NBI),

a program seeking to

develop the river in a

cooperative manner,share substantial

socioeconomic

benefits, and promote regional peace and

security, the Ugandan Parliament vested

the NBI with juridical personality and thus

with the powers of an international

organization. A Headquarters Agreement

was signed by the Government of Uganda

and the Nile Secretariat on November 4,

2002. This is a milestone for NBI, enabling

a speedy transition to implementation of

programs approved by the Ministers and

supported by several donors.

Q: Whalt are the objectives andprogralms of the Nile Basin Initiatiive,and where do they stand todav;»A: The NBI seeks to develop the river in

a cooperative manner, share substantial

socioeconomic benefits, and promote

regional peace and security. It is guided

by a shared vision "to achieve sustainable

socio-economic development through the

equitable utilization of, and benefit from,

the common Nile Basin water resources."

On this occasion, Outreach interviewed

H.E. Minister Mahmoud Abu-Zeid, Minister

of Water Resources and Irrigation to explain

the Nile Basin Initiative and its benefits to

its member, especially to Egypt.

Q: Minister Abu-Zeid, can vou pleasebrief us about the historv of the Nile To translate the NBI's shared vision into

action, a Strategic Action Program has

been launched to Identify and prepare

cooperative projects in the Basin. The

program consists of two complementary

sub-programs:1 )The basin-wide Shared Vision Program

is intended to be a broad-based basin-wide

program of collaborative action, exchange

of experience, and capacity building to

ensure a strong foundation for regional

cooperation. Currently the program includes

seven projects, which build upon each

other to form a coordinated program. Four

of these are thematic in nature, addressing

issues related to environmental

management, power trade, efficient water

use for agriculture, and water resources

planning and management. The remaining

three are facilitative, supporting efforts to

strengthen confidence-building and

stakeholder involvement, applied training,

and socio~conomic development and

benefit-sharing. These projects are close

to appraisal and funding and will roll out

in 2003; and

2)The Subsidiary Action Programs which

includes investment programs at a sub-

basin level involving all potentially affected

countries. Two sub-basin programs have

been identified:

a. A program for the Eastern Nile (EN-

SAP), which includes Egypt, Sudan and

Ethiopia.b. A program for the Nile Equatorial Lakes

Region (NEL-SAP) ), which includes the six

countries in the southern portion of theA: In 1992 the Council of Ministers of

Water Affairs of the Nile Basin States

launched an initiative to promote co-

4 WORLD BAN K GROUP

facilitate a dialogue among the riparians

on cooperative water resources

management, and to identify a strategic

plan of adtion.

Basin, as well as the downstream riparians

Sudan and ~gypt.

These subsidiary groups have identified

joint investnilent opportunities which

warrant furt~er investigation and

preparation. I

Q: What is the importance of thl~ NileBasin Initiative to fUIPtiiA: Egypt is a dry country that depends on

the Nile for its water resources. As

enormous quantities of water is wasted in

the Nile Basin, better management of the

Nile water through the NBI will help

maintain and increase Egypt's water

resources.

In June 2001, the World Bank chaired a

meeting of international donors, at the

request of the Nile Council of Ministers.

This meeting provided a forum for building

donors commitment to, raising funds for,

and monitoring progress of NBI programs.A: The World Bank, at the request of the

Nile Council'of Ministers, has supported

and facilitated the development of the NBI

and is coordinating donor involvement

and support to NBI projects. The Bank is

working closely with the United Nations

Development Program (UNDP) and the

Canadian International Development

Agency (aDA) and other donors to

Cooperation on the Nile water opens up

new opportunities for realizing win-win

solutions. Collaboration serves the best

interest of all countries II

The World Bank is committed to supporting

the NBI and has promised to respond to

the financial requests by the Nile countries

on a case by case basis.

The World Bank recently published a Rural Clevelopment StratE!gy for the Middle East anCJINorth Africa (MENA) region titled "Reaching the Rural Poor in the MENA Region."

level coordination in the design and

implementation of development

programs in rural areas, and more

importantly in capturing the lessons

learned from different activities in terms

of overall spatial and budget planning,

the impact on rural well-being and the

feedback into overall/ national level rural

strategy development.

Egypt has been selected as one of the

three pilot countries for the MENA Rural

Development Strategy Implementationand the Case Study preparation is

supported by the MENA Rural Alliance,

a cross sectoral group established to

promote the implementation of the

Strategy.

As a follow-up to this study, the Rural

DeVeIO! ment, Water & Environment

Sector f the World Bank's MENA

depart ent will be undertaking a

country-specific case study aimed at

analyzing different sectoral efforts in

rural Egypt to capture lessons learned

and opportunities from the

implementation of development

programs in rural space. The study will

be implemented in close collaboration

with other World Bank sectors involved

in the rural areas (health, education,

social development) as well as

Government agencies and key relevant

donors.

The Governorate of Sohag has been

chosen as the geographic focus of the

study, given the multitude of ongoing

World Bank and other donor programs

in the region.

It is hoped that the study will assist in

identifying effective mechanisms of local

GROUPWORLD BAN K 5

,The project aims at: (i) improving access and equity thtough a well

designed school construction and maintenance program; (ii) improving

the quality of teaching and consolidate advancements !n curricula

design; (iii) enhancing the Ministry of Education (MaE') capacity in

policy analysis, management and education planning through training

MaE staff and further development and efficient use of an education

management information system; and (iv) assisting in the formulation

of options for addressing priority basic education issues.

the quality of student performance; and (iii) enhance system efficiency.

The project aims to increase the productivity of 26,000 low-income

families who have been settled on about 130,000 feddans of saline

soil to be reclaimed.

The Project aims to: (i) strengthen the monitoring and enforcement

capabilities of the erlvironmental institutions; and (ii) establish technical

and financial mechanisms for industria! pollution abatement investments

in Greater Cairo, Alexandria, Suez and Ismailia.

Through the development of the tourism sector, the project aims to:

(i) create employment opportunities; and (ii) increase foreign exchange

earnings.

The project aims at: (i) expanding health insurance towards universal

coverage for a basic package of primary health care and public health

services; and (ii) improving access to efficient primary care and public

health services, in three pilot Governorates, to meet the service

demand created by the expansion of Primary Health Care insurance

coverage.

The project seeks to: (i) conserve the water, land and vegetation

resources in the project area; and (ii) reduce poverty and improve

the local Bedouin population quality of life by providing support for

enhanced natural resource management practices, coupled with

agricultural and non-agricultural development. The main objective of the project is to improve the efficiency and

reliability of deliver~{ of irrigation water, and the timely evacuation

of drainage water, to prevent the losses in crop yields resulting from

aging pumping stations on the irrigation and drainage system.The project aims at: (i) increasing agricultural production and farmers

income by improving the irrigation infrastructure, facilitating a more

equitable distribution of water and improving on-farm irrigation

management; (ii) improving the long term sustainability through

takeover of responsibility for operation and maintenance of the

tertiary level irrigation system by the farmers and their sharing in

the costs for tertiary level investments; and (iii) strengthening the

institutional planning and implementation capacity of the Ministry

of Water Resources and Irrigation in the irrigation subsector.

The project aims to primarily support the sustainable development

of Sohag rural villa~~es through the participatory approach initiated

by the National Prol~ram for Integrated Rural Development (Shrouk).

The project objectives are to: (i) increase access to general secondary

education; (ii) better align curricula and assessment with the skills

needs of employers and higher education; (iii) provide professional

development for teachers and administrators on new technologies,

curricula, assessment and management techniques; and (iv) strengthen

institutional capacity.

The project aims at helping Egypt: (i) better manage population

growth by giving the Ministry of Health and Population the institutional

capacity to play the lead role in the population sector; and (ii) improve

the conditions and status of women and children in areas where

fertility remains high, mainly in rural areas of Upper Egypt, by

stimulating additional demand for smaller family size and for family

planning services.

The project's objective is to help create jobs and provide community

infrastructure and services through labor-intensive works.

Key objectives of the project are to: (i) ensure universal access to

basic education, with an emphasis on access for girls; (ii) improve

6 WORLD BAN K GROUP

The project aims to: (i) increase the agricultural productivity of about

0.8 million feddan!; of irrigated land by improving drainage conditions

through evacuation of excess irrigation water with subsurface drains

into existing open drains; and (ii) avoid yield and production losses

on this land, which would result if water logging and soil salinity

problems were to persist

The project seeks to support the Government's continuing policies

of encouraging broad-based private-sector-led growth in order to

meet the need for increased employment opportunities and income

for a growing population. The project will specifically: (i) promote

rural economic development, leading to increased income and

employment in rural Egypt; and (ii) strengthen financial and institutional

viability of the Principal Bank for Development and Agricultural Credit

(PBDAC), a public sector institution that is in effect the main institution

providing financial services in rural Egypt.The project aims to create the conditions fundamental to improving

the quality and ef1:iciency of the higher education system in Egypt

through legislative reform, institutional restructuring, and establishmentof independent quality assurance mechanisms and monitoring systems.

The objective of the project is to develop and test integrated programs

for children with disabilities and youth at risk, through a range of

providers. and to assist the Government in developing a new strategy

to improve services for this sector.

Nicholas H. Stern, the World Bank's

Chief Economist and Senior Vice

President will visit Egypt during January

20-21,2003. Mr. Stern engage in

dialogue with a group of Cabinet

Ministers on poverty challenges in

Egypt, and best practice from regional

and international experience in

addressing them. He will also deliver

a talk at Cairo University on Inclusion

and Innovation. Mr. Stern will. also

deliver a presentation on the

investment climate hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce

in Egypt and the Egyptian Center for Economic Studies.

Prior to joining the World Bank, Mr. Stern was Chief Economist at

the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development where he

was also the Special Advisor to the President from 1994-1999. Before

1994, his career was mostly in academic life including teaching at

the London School of Economics, Oxford and Warwick universities

in the United Kingdom, and at the Massachusetts Institute of

Technology in the United States.

~

[~~~i'a.'~~~ ~~~

Public Sector Man ement

~

8

~~~~

At the invitation of the Public Administration and Development Forum of the Am4~rican University in Cairo, Mr. MahmoodAyub, World Bank Director for Egypt, Yemen and Djibouti spoke on " Strengthening Governance: World Bank Experience

to Date". The presentation was held on December 11th, 2002 and was attendl~d by a wide audience of students,professors, and others interested in the topic. The diagram demonstrates one aspect of Mr. Ayub's presentation.

;'~I;J,~[~I;~.[;; [.;ii ~~~.J~'J::;;.J'JJ:,=iJ:i; I ~~.;j;i.~l r;"'.~~[.;:!I'l;~l_~j I;.Legal and Practical serparation of powers .Political competition, credible political parties.Executive decision-making structure and power .Transparency in party financing.Legislative oversight .Disclosure of parliamentary votes.Independence and effectiveness of judiciary .Asset declaration, conflict-of-interest rules

.Absence of "state capture"

.C,:>mpetitive restructuring of monopolies

.Regulatory simplification for entry

.Transparency in corporate governance

.Role of civil society organizations

.Public consultations on draft laws

.Freedom of press

.Governance monitoring by watchdog agencies

.Meritocratic civil service with monetized, adequate pay

.Public expenditure management (budget preparation andexecution, financial accountability, procurement, audit)

~~

!!II

.,

.."~-_c ". ..,"

'.

~~

Jointly sponsored by the Bank's Middle

--East and North Africa regiona! office,the

Arab Urban Developmen\.lnsti.tute,and

the Municipality of Greater Amman, the

"Children and theCjtyConfer~n

vi/ife of World

in October

At their meeting this year, both

ladies focused on the recently

completed strategy paper titled:

"Strategic Options for Early

Childhood Education" (October

2002), jointly prepared by the

Egyptian Ministry of Education

and the World Bank. During their

discussion, Mrs. Mubarak

suggested the need to open up

community libraries10 early

childhood education programs;

this would help accelerate the

pace of kindergarten expansion.

Paving the way for implementing

the Egypt Early Childhood

Education Program, the strategy

aims at: making early childhood

education available to the poorest

segments of the population;

improving the quality of

kindergarten by benchmarkingwith international standards;

ensuring that Egypt has enough

well-trained kindergarten teachers

and administrators; encouraging

the private sector to !::ontinue its

efforts in providing high quality

early education; and monitoring

Supporting early childhood

education is another example of

strong partnership between the

Egyptian Government and the

World Bank to support education

at all levels. Together, they have

undertaken a comprehensive

approach -from basic to tertiary

education -and the inclusion of

early childhood to the equation,

extends the continuum of life-

long learning by providing an

enriched first step. II

and evaluating the progress of

early childhood education

throughout the country.

Both the Canadian International

Development Agency (CIDA) and

the World Bank are considering

supporting this Pro~:ram, given

the many positive outcomes of

early childhood education,

including preparing children for

school, improving their health, as

well as the high economic and

social benefits for the society

overall, as shown through

international studie!;.

For more information about Early Childhood Development, please visit: ww~i.worldbank.org/children/

10 WORLD BAN K GROUP

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c0)

U

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CO

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0-c-(.)

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a.

The Public Information Center maintained at the VI/orld Bank Cairo Office, make:s Bank

information available to the public and disseminate it~i work to the widest possible audience.

The PIC serves as the central contact in the country for persons seeking to obtain Bank

documents and information on Bank's operations.

PIC Services:

.Access to World Bank publications

.Free training on electronic search on the Worlld Bank homepage

.Free access to electronic search through statiions dedicated to client's service

.Photocopying service (for World Bank publications)

.Answers to queries through email or telephone

World Ban kRecent Publications

Can East Asia Compete?: Innovation for Global MarkE~ts

Can East Asia Compete? looks at whether or not

East Asia can restore its near magical performance,

or is its competitive strength beginning to wane.

This volume argues that East Asian countries have

far from exhausted their growth potential. However,

future competitiveness will depend on much greater

innovative capability in manufacturing and services,

innovativeness that is grounded in s1:ronger

institutions, improved macroeconomic policies, and

closer regional coordination. Can East j\Sia Compete?

clearly summarizes the issues currently being debated

and provides guidance to East Asian economies on

how to deal with the policy concerns that lie ahead.

Empowerment and Poverty Reduction: A Sourl:ebook

Empowerment and Poverty Reduction: A Sourcebook

is an outcome of World Development Report

2000/2001: Attacking Poverty, which highlighted

opportunity, empowerment, and security as key

elements in the creation and implementation of

poverty reduction strategies. This book provides a

framework for empowerment that concentrates on

increasing poor people's freedom of choice and

action to shape their own lives. This framework

pertains to five areas of action to improve

development effectiveness-provision of basic

services, improved local governance" improved

national governance, access to justic:e and legal

aid, and pro-poor market developmE~nt.

This Sourcebook gives 20 "Tools and Practices,"

which concentrate on a wide-range of topics to

encourage the empowerment of the poor from

poor people's enterprises, information and

communication technologies to dia~;nostiG tools

including corruption surveys and citizen report

cards.

Constructing Knowledge Societies: New Challenges for Tertiary Edu(:ation

Higher education, or tertiary education, is critical

for human development worldwide. In today's

lifelong learning framework, tertiary education

provides the high-level skills needed for the labor

market and offers the essential training for teachers,

civil servants, doctors, scientists and social scientists.

Universities are a key part of higher education

systems but so are technical training institutes,

community colleges, nursing schools, research

laboratories, and distance learning centers.

This book's main focus is the exploration of the

role of tertiary education in the development of a

cc>untry's capacity to better integrate higher

education with the world's increasin~~ly knowledge-

based economy. It also examines policy options

that have the potential to enhance economic growth

amd reduce poverty.

WORLD BAN K GROUP 11

~ Right to Tell: ~ Role of Mass Media in Economic DevelopmlentAn independent press is essential to sound and

equitable economic development. The media

helps to give a voice to the poor and the

disenfranchised. An independent press also

provides a solid foundation for a free and

transparent society.The Right to Tell: The Role of Mass Media in

Economic Development contains an outstanding

list of contributors from Nobel Prize winner and

former World Bank chief economist, Joseph

Stiglitz to Robert J. Shiller author of Irrational

Exuberance, and Nobel Prize winner and novelist

Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Contributors to this

volume explore the role of the media as a

watchdog of government and the corporate

sector, and the policies that prevent the media

from exercising that role. The Right to Tell assesses

the media's function as transmitters of new ideas

and information. This book also evaluates the

damaging effects that an unethical or irresponsible

press can cause to a society.

Several of the book's contributors describe the

role of the media and the challenges they face

in specific countries including Bangladesh, Egypt,

the former Soviet Union, Thailand, and

Zimbabwe. These fascinating case studies

highlight the media's ability to act as a catalyst

for change and growth

A Case for Aid: B~ing a Consensus fo_r Development Assis~ncE~

This publication includes readings related to the U.N. International Conference on Financing for

Development, held in Monterrey, Mexico, in March 2002:

(a) "A Partnership for Development and Monterrey, detailing lessons from the World

Peace," a keynote speech given by World Bank's experience, written by Ian Goldin,

Bank president James D. Wolfensohn, two Halsey Rogers, and Nicholas Stern;

weeks before the Monterrey event; (d) "The Monterrey Consensus," the official

(b) "Making the Case for Aid," a note by World United Nations document outlining the

Bank chief economist Nicholas Stern, major agreements reached at the

discussing the consensus that emerged conference, with an introductio,n by Mats

from Monterrey; Karlsson, World Bank vice president for

(c) "The Role and Effectiveness of Development external and U.N. affairs.

Assistance," a report presented at

To order World Bank Group publications, contact: PIC Manager: Nehal EI Kouesny, E-mail: nelkoLlesny@worldbank.org Tel.: 574-1670 Fax. :574-1676

Or visit our Public Information Center: 1191 Corniche EI Nil St., World Trade Center, 15th Floor, Cairo, Egypt, PIC hours: 9 a.m. to 3p.m.

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