This Health Sector Note is the result of
the first phase of an open, participatory three-step process
for developing the Health Sector Policy and Strategic Plan
(HSPSP), and serves as the preliminary basis for further
rounds of discussions, and analyses among stakeholders, to
arrive at a strategic vision for the national health sector.
The socioeconomic situation is reviewed, stipulating Eritrea
remains one of the poorest countries in the world, where

Forestry contributes 7-10 percent of Lao
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 15-20 percent of
non-agricultural GDP. In rural areas forest exploitation is
one of the few available economic activities, and non-timber
products provide more than half of family income. The sector
contributes 34 percent of total export value, and even more
of net foreign exchange. Forestry royalties as a share of
government revenues have decreased from 20 percent in the

This study reviews the available
quantitative and qualitative information on urban poverty
issues and trends in the East Asia and Pacific (EAP) Region,
with particular focus on Indonesia, the Philippines, and
Vietnam. The review is a desk study-which is limited to
material accessible to the Bank in Washington and draws
mainly on existing field work and other published and
unpublished papers. The empirical analysis focuses on the

This case study is one of six
evaluations of the implementation of the World Bank's
1991 Forest Strategy. This and the other cases (Brazil,
Cameroon, Costa Rica, India, and Indonesia) complement a
review of the entire set of lending and nonlending
activities of the World Bank Group and the Global
Environment Facility. This OED study finds that while
China's forest program was highly successful, much

The World Bank research program seeks to
improve the design of Bank-financed projects, and programs
to increase the effectiveness of aid, and improve
recognition of emerging problems, in a responsive manner to
crises. Moreover, this program supports policy-oriented
research in developing, and transition economies, by
assisting in the development of research capacity in member
countries, as well as improving the Bank's own advisory

Reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and
other greenhouse gases that affect climate change is one of
the key challenges facing the international community. The
Bank's Prototype Carbon Fund (PCF) provides a framework
for action, learning, and research to demonstrate how
greenhouse gas emission reduction transactions can
contribute to sustainable development, while lowering the
costs of compliance with the Kyoto Protocol-the 1997

Environmental impact assessment, or EIA
as it is known, is a procedures for evaluating the impact,
proposed activities may have on the environment. In recent
years, significant strides have been made to build a legal
foundation for EIAs in Sub-Saharan Africa. Whereas EIAs
typically used to be carried out only to meet requirements
of foreign donors, they are now mandated in twenty two
Sub-Saharan countries, as an important element of domestic

This note on social protection has as
its objective establishing an exhaustive analysis/diagnosis
of the existing social protection framework and of preparing
an integrated approach through developing better social
protection priorities and plans of actions. It a) identifies
the social risks which the Moroccan people face generally;
b) examines current social protection initiatives (public,
private, and civil society-sponsored) set up to reduce

These policy notes are intended as
background for initial discussions between the new
Government and the World Bank about the development strategy
for Turkey, and the possible support the World Bank could
bring to implement that strategy. This paper presents recent
work on specific sectors where action by the government
would be needed. The main points in each note are outlined
here: Strict fiscal management is key to full realization of

The Africa Gas Initiative (AGI) has been
established by the Oil and Gas Division of the World Bank,
to promote the utilization of natural gas in Sub-Saharan
Africa. The study focuses on coastal countries - Angola,
Cameroon, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, and Gabon - along the
West African coastline, and the Gulf of Guinea, where most
of the region's gas reserves are located, and where
significant proportions of the gas produced, is being wasted

The Africa Gas Initiative (AGI) has been
established by the Oil and Gas Division of the World Bank,
to promote the utilization of natural gas in Sub-Saharan
Africa. The study focuses on coastal countries - Angola,
Cameroon, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, and Gabon - along the
West African coastline, and the Gulf of Guinea, where most
of the region's gas reserves are located, and where
significant proportions of the gas produced, is being wasted

The Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), in
collaboration with the World Bank, UNDP, UNCHS (HABITAT) and
the Western Provincial Council (WPC) in Sri Lanka, launched
a project in February 2000 to formulate a comprehensive
strategy framework and a perspective plan of action for
development of the city. The purpose was to identify key
areas and issues that need systemic and planned attention of
the Council and other major stakeholders and to develop