The objective of the Effective Management of the Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve Project for Malawi is to ensure effective management of the Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve through a sustainable management model focusing on its Bua watershed area. The project aims to develop and apply a new management approach with the involvement of border communities, public sector, private sector and civil society that focuses on strengthening national Protected Area (PA) management capacity.

Read more: http://go.worldbank.org/DIT36O26L0

The objective of the Coastal Resource for Sustainable Development Project (CRSDP) is to improve the sustainable management of coastal fisheries in selected coastal provinces of Vietnam. Negative impacts include: dust generation/air pollution, noise and vibration, water pollution, solid waste, chemical or hazardous waste, traffic management, and workers safety.

Read more: http://go.worldbank.org/DWXYUH05L0

The project development objective is to enhance adaptation to climate change in agriculture and irrigation water management practices through awareness-raising, institutional and capacity strengthening, and demonstration activities in the 3H basin. The reallocation is necessary to adjust for the appreciation of the Chinese currency over the US dollar since the time of project effectiveness, and to shift resources away from slow progressing activities towards faster moving activities.

Read more: http://www.worldbank.org/projects/documents/2011/10/15532080/china-mains...

The development objective of the Jakarta Urgent Flood Mitigation Project is to contribute to the improvement of the operations and maintenance of a priority part of the flood management system in Jakarta. Negative impacts includes: air quality, noise pollution, water quality, waste management, medical waste, and direct or indirect hazards to public traffic and pedestrians by construction activities.

Read more: http://go.worldbank.org/IBCDQ018P0

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is investing $60 million to help set up three venture capital funds dedicated to nurturing new climate change technologies. The funds will primarily target the markets of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and India, which are actively promoting clean energy and sustainable technologies.

"Climate change will hit Asia hard in coming decades. Investing in these venture capital funds will help channel finance into innovative and affordable technologies that tackle the challenge of climate change in ways that are suited to developing Asia," said Philip Erquiaga, Director General of ADB's Private Sector Operations Department.

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ADB

One of the world's most diverse and threatened marine ecosystems - the Coral Triangle - is getting Asian Development Bank (ADB) support to improve management of its rich resources and to provide job alternatives for people living in the coastal communities.

ADB has approved assistance of around $12 million for the Coastal and Marine Resources Management Project. It includes a $1 million grant from ADB's concessional Technical Assistance Special Fund, and $11.2 million in cofinancing from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The governments of Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines will provide $3 million in non-cash contributions.

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ADB

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is providing CNY300 million in partial credit guarantees to Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, or SPD Bank, to support private-sector financing of energy-efficient buildings across the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

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ADB

HA NOI, VIET NAM - State Bank of Viet Nam Governor Nguyen Van Giau and Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Haruhiko Kuroda today signed a $1.38 billion financial assistance package to enhance Viet Nam’s nationwide clean water access, conserve threatened forests, and ease urban gridlock. The total cost of the three projects is almost $4.5 billion.

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The Government of Australia has agreed to provide an untied grant of A$21.584 million for Asian Development Bank (ADB)-administered trust funds targeted at water investment and clean energy initiatives in Asia and the Pacific.

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ADB

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide up to $150 million in credit guarantees to help India scale up its use of solar power as a major renewable energy source.

The guarantees will be available to local and foreign commercial banks that finance private sector solar power plants in the country and will cover 50% of the payment default risk on bank loans made to project developers. The guarantees will help mobilize long-term funding for solar energy development and support the Government of India's push to diversify its energy mix away from a heavy reliance on fossil fuels to lower-carbon, renewable sources.

"Solar energy is ideally suited to India because it has available land with strong sunlight. Solar plants are easy to install, even in remote communities that currently have no other access to energy, suit small-scale demand, and are relatively cheap to operate and maintain," said Philip Erquiaga, Director General of ADB's Private Sector Operations Department. "In a world of depleting fossil fuels, solar energy is a long-term, sustainable solution to India's energy needs and security."

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ADB

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III today transferred 20 Asian Development Bank (ADB)-funded electric tricycles (e-trikes) to the City of Mandaluyong, marking an important first step towards a sustainable, energy-efficient transport model for the country.

Emissions from the transport sector currently represent 30% of all pollution in the country, and approximately 80% of air pollution in Metro Manila. A sizeable proportion of vehicle emissions are attributable to inefficient public transport, particularly from tricycles, jeepneys and buses.

The 20 e-trikes are part of an ADB-funded project to introduce energy-efficient transportation alternatives in the Philippines. ADB is currently in discussions with the government and other development partners on a proposed project to significantly scale up the rollout of energy efficient e-trikes in Manila and other urban areas as early as 2012.

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ADB

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - Five Pacific nations, which rely heavily on imported diesel for power generation, are expected to reduce their fossil fuel consumption with the help of a technical assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and its partners.

The ADB Board of Directors recently approved a technical assistance of around $12.4 million under the Promoting Energy Efficiency in the Pacific (Phase 2) to help consumers use power more efficiently in the Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Samoa, Tonga, and Vanuatu.

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ADB

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is extending $100 million to raise the productivity of orchards and natural forests to increase incomes in areas of northwest People's Republic of China (PRC) that suffer from some of the worst land degradation and poverty rates in the country.

The ADB Board of Directors approved the loan from ordinary capital resources for the Forestry and Ecological Restoration Project which will be carried out in the provinces of Gansu and Shaanxi, as well as the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Along with planting thousands of hectares of fruit and nut trees, which will bring economic benefits to over 200,000 households, the project will reforest large areas of hilly and environmentally damaged land. It will also incorporate an innovative integrated ecosystem management approach and support carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation measures.

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ADB

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is extending $100 million to raise the productivity of orchards and natural forests to increase incomes in areas of northwest People's Republic of China (PRC) that suffer from some of the worst land degradation and poverty rates in the country.

The ADB Board of Directors approved the loan from ordinary capital resources for the Forestry and Ecological Restoration Project which will be carried out in the provinces of Gansu and Shaanxi, as well as the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Along with planting thousands of hectares of fruit and nut trees, which will bring economic benefits to over 200,000 households, the project will reforest large areas of hilly and environmentally damaged land. It will also incorporate an innovative integrated ecosystem management approach and support carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation measures.

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ADB

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Japan are promoting greater access to clean energy for poor rural women in South Asia.

A Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction grant of $3 million, administered by ADB, will be used to increase income and livelihood opportunities for women in three ADB-financed clean energy projects in Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka. It will also seek to identify pro-poor, gender-inclusive energy practices and policies, with the ultimate goal of integrating them into ADB's energy operations throughout South Asia.

"This project will support the mainstreaming of gender-related concerns and approaches in a sector which has largely untapped opportunities for promoting gender equity and for improving the lives of women," said Yongping Zhai, Director of the Energy Division in ADB's South Asia Department.

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ADB

Papua New Guinea (PNG) and the Asian Development Bank signed a loan worth $57.3 million to reduce power shortages in urban areas. The Secretary for the Department of Treasury, Simon Tosali, Chief Executive Officer of PNG Power Limited Tony Koiri, and Officer-in-Charge of the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) Papua New Guinea Resident Mission Allan Lee signed the loan.

The signing ceremony was held at PNG Power's headquarters in Port Moresby. Julianna Kubak, Acting Deputy Secretary-Policy, Department of National Planning and Monitoring, was Master of Ceremonies for the event.

ADB's loan to the state power utility, PNG Power Ltd, will fund renewable energy facilities, including run-of-the-river hydropower plant and transmission systems in urban centers in PNG. Only about 10% of PNG's population of 6.5 million has access to grid power, which is largely confined to urban areas. Some provinces suffer regular outages, adversely affecting businesses and industry.

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ADB

Nam Theun 2, the Lao People's Democratic Republic's (Lao PDR) largest hydropower facility, was officially inaugurated today, signaling a new era for growth, development and poverty reduction in the landlocked Southeast Asian country.

Over 90% of the electricity generated by the project is being sold to Thailand, providing Lao PDR with a $2 billion revenue stream over the next 25 years.

The funds are earmarked for the nationwide improvement of health and education services, and other poverty alleviation programs.

"This project is a testament to the fact that when hydropower projects are done right, in a socially and environmentally responsible manner, the benefits are considerable," said Kunio Senga, Director General of ADB's Southeast Asia Department.

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For more on the project, click here.

ADB

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is to help Jiangxi Province, in the People's Republic of China (PRC), develop eco-friendly measures to sustainably manage its forests, which are under threat from over-exploitation.

The ADB Board of Directors approved a loan of $40 million for the Jiangxi Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Development Project, which will be used to rehabilitate and develop over 50,000 hectares of forest on barren land and to build up sustainable forestry management practices. It will also support the PRC's ongoing push to provide forest insurance against natural risks.

"The project will increase income and livelihood opportunities for over 25,000 rural households and contribute to the sequestration of an estimated 150,000 tons of carbon through tree planting," said Yue-Lang Feng, Principal Natural Resources Management Specialist in ADB's East Asia Department.

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ADB

Situated on the border between the three countries of Macedonia, Albania, and Greece, Lake Prespa is a popular recreation spot for inhabitants of the entire region. Polluted rivers flowing into the lake, however, are a menace to the already precarious ecological system unless measures are taken to ensure the waters are filtered. Thanks to the introduction of modern methods of waste management, the SDC is contributing to the decontamination of these waters and to raising the environmental awareness of the region's inhabitants.

Read more
http://www.sdc.admin.ch

The Project will support the Government’s efforts to address the critical issues of sustainable management of marine and coastal resources. The salient activities of the Project include

(i) develop an institutional framework for integrated coastal resources management (ICRM), address policy weaknesses and legal gaps, clarify roles of national government agencies concerned and local governments, and address their capacity-building needs;
(ii) assess resources in the coastal zone of participating municipalities; develop and implement ICRM plans and participatory law enforcement; and develop ecocertification mechanisms for trade in coral-associated species;
(iii) implement biodiversity conservation in priority marine biodiversity corridors supported by focused research on critical ecosystems and threatened species;
(iv) help municipal fisherfolk develop sustainable enterprises and livelihoods, reducing their reliance on fishing; and
(v) improve water supply, sanitation, and solid waste management; provide add-on classrooms to existing schools for disadvantaged coastal communities; provide infrastructure and facilities for mitigating coastal erosion and pollution; and support an information, education, and communication program on the link between population and environmental quality and population management.

The Project will be implemented in six priority marine biodiversity corridors and ecosystems covering 68 municipalities in the provinces of Cagayan, Cebu, Davao Oriental, Masbate, Siquijor, and Zambales.

Download the paper (637 KB, PDF)
http://www.adb.org

Hefei City, the capital and commercial and industrial centre of Anhui Province, has witnessed substantial economic expansion, industrialization, and urbanization in recent years. The geography of the Hefei urban area is dominated by rivers, streams, and lakes. Since 2000, the rapid urban and industrial growth has led to discharge of large amounts of untreated or inadequately treated wastewater, poor drainage of inland rivers, and serious air pollution.

The Project will improve urban environmental management in Heifei by 2015 to support the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for environmental sustainability (MDG Goal 7) and MDGs Target 10, which has a target of halving the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015, through:

(i) Reduced frequency of disruption and damage to river banks due to local flooding;
(ii) Reduced annual wastewater pollutant loadings;
(iii) Increased wastewater service coverage of the urban population;
(iv) Improved protection and landscaping of a former landfill site;
(v) Improved urban air quality through a more efficient city road network and reduced vehicular emission and greenhouse gas; and
(vi) Enhanced managerial and financial capacity of the implementing agencies on environmental protection.

Consequently, the Project will serve to improve the public wastewater, flood control and transport services in Hefei City.

Download the paper (969 KB, PDF)
http://adb.org

The Project aimed to improve food security in the central mountainous regions of Lao PDR, including districts in the provinces of Bolikhamxay, Houaphanh, Vientiane, the Xaysomboun Special Zone, and Xieng Khouang.

The objectives were to (i) increase agricultural production, (ii) increase food security and incomes for about 6,000 farm families, and (iii) improve watershed management by reducing shifting cultivation and promoting tree planting.

Download the paper (2.2 MB, PDF)
http://www.adb.org

This 5-year project will be implemented in the agro-pastoral regions of Dosso and Tillaberi. The objective is to enhance surface and ground water management by promoting the construction and development of irrigation structures, small-scale irrigation techniques and efficient resource management.

The project will adopt a participatory and decentralized approach to develop 1,200 ha for flood recession cropping and 680 ha for irrigation farming, and also regenerate close to 9,500 ha of degraded lands. In particular, it will help to address problems of land tenure, community natural resources management, structuring of farmers’ organizations and women’s empowerment. The main components of the project are: (a) Infrastructure Development; (b) Agricultural Development; (c) Capacity Building and (d) Project Management.

Read more (PDF)
http://www.afdb.org

This publication is a fact sheet containing details of UNDP India's Poverty Reduction efforts, in relation to Millennium Development Goals 1 (Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger) and 7 (Ensure environmental sustainability).

The project is designed to support national efforts articulated in the Government of India’s 10th Five Year Plan (2002-2007) that relate to empowerment of communities for poverty-alleviation through a process of social mobilization and gender equality.

The special SGSY (Swarn Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana) scheme of the Ministry of Rural Development – a major poverty alleviation scheme – provides the broad policy framework that places emphasis on social organization. This project builds on lessons learnt from GOI-UNDP programmes under the previous Country-Cooperation Framework (1998-2002): (a) Community Based Pro-poor Initiatives Programme – Ministry of Rural Development (11 states) and (b) Food Security/Women in Agriculture Programme – Ministry of Agriculture (3 states).

Download the fact sheet (358 KB, PDF)
http://www.undp.org.in

The purpose of Norway’s environmental development cooperation is to contribute towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), making it possible for poor people to improve their living conditions and health, and reducing their vulnerability. A central element of this cooperation will be to support partner countries’ efforts to achieve MDG 7 on ensuring environmental sustainability, and particularly the target of integrating the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs.

Download the paper (747 KB, PDF)
http://www.regjeringen.no

In many of the world's drylands, women's traditional knowledge of and roles in natural resource management and food security are crucial. Women across the developing world spend considerable proportions of their time using and preserving land for food and fuel production, and for generating income for their families and communities. They are therefore severely affected when erosion and diminished soil fertility result in decreased crop and livestock, productivity and reduced income derived from these products. Workloads and responsibilities increase significantly, particularly if men have left home or migrated.

Women's already limited access to productive assets, including land, water and livestock further decreases, straining their abilities to assure the survival of their families. Because ownership and decision-making over land and livestock remains predominantly the domain of men, women are often excluded from participation in land conservation and development projects, and from the policymaking process.

This review highlights the following strategic actions based on lessons learned through IFAD projects:
• strengthen rural poor women's organizations
• carry out capacity-building work to create enabling environments for women's participation
• apply a gender sensitive approach, and promote the role of women

Download the review (869 KB, PDF)
http://www.ifad.org

Project initiatives focus on improving the quality of life for the region's inhabitants. Activities include establishing sustainable productive technologies with arrested environmental and resource degradation through integrated resource management, including agriculture and livestock production, and farm and community forestry.

New construction and upgrading of existing infrastructure for production, water consumption, and transportation represent significant aspects of the Project. Project management will operate closely with government line departments and the Project will be implemented through community participation to improve community involvement in designing and implementing project interventions. Capacity-building initiatives, as well as training in community organization, strengthened project management skills, and improved institutional capabilities for line departments to better address the needs of the poorer segments of the society are important project activities.

Download the paper (586 KB, PDF)
http://adb.org

The purpose of this fact sheet is to provide an update on recent project preparation developments in the Karachi, Thatta and Baadin areas. The Sindh Government Planning and Development Department, The Sindh Coastal Development Authority (CDA), the Asian Development Bank, ANZDEC Limited, New Zealand in association with the Resource Monitoring and Development Group and SEBCON (Pvt) Limited, Pakistan have been coordinating with local officials, nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and the public to formulate an investment project: The Sindh Coastal and Inland Community Development Project – SCICDP, the Project.

Download the fact sheet (29 KB, PDF)
http://adb.org

Developing countries are increasingly integrating energy into their strategies for social, economic and environmental development. The 2002 Johannesburg Plan of Implementation highlighted the role of energy in achieving the Millennium Development Goals, including the goal of poverty alleviation. The EU Energy Initiative, a joint commitment by the EU Member States and the European Commission, has already increased the focus on energy in the European Union’s development cooperation. It has strengthened the impetus for cooperation and combined efforts within the EU and has become an important framework for dialogue with developing countries and stakeholders.

Since its launch at the 2002 World Summit in Johannesburg, the EU Energy Initiative has delivered a number of specific actions and instruments, mainly focusing on access to energy to poor communities. Among these are the €220 million ACP-EC Energy Facility, COOPENER and the EUEI Partnership Dialogue Facility (PDF).

This publication provides more information about the EU Energy Initiative, as a response to the energy-poverty nexus.

Download the publication (6.5 MB, PDF)
http://ec.europa.eu

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is the UN's coordinating agency for the rehabilitation of the agriculture, fisheries and forestry sectors. The first quarter 2006 issue of the FAO newsletter covers their tsunami recovery programme for Indonesia. Included are features on "tambak" (fish/shrimp pond) farmer assistance, animal health workshops, and forestry rehabilitation, among others.

Download the newsletter
www.fao.org