Dünya Bank?n?n s?r?ncamç? direktoru Az?rbaycan, Erm?nistan v? Gürcüstana s?f?r edir 

 

Bak?, 16 oktyabr 2009-cu il – Dünya Bank?n?n s?r?ncamç? direktoru xan?m Nqozi Okonco-?veala 17 -21 oktyabr tarixl?rind? Erm?nistan, Gürcüstan v? Az?rbaycana s?f?r ed?c?k. Onun s?f?rinin m?qs?di maliyy? böhran?n?n C?nubi Qafqaza t?siri m?s?l?l?rini müvafiq hökum?tl?r, inki?af t?r?fda?lar? v? v?t?nda? c?miyy?ti il? müzakir? etm?k, v? böhrandan ç?x?? v? davaml? iqtisadi art?m?n t?min edilm?si yollar?n? mü?yy?nl??dirm?kd?n ibar?tdir. Dünya Bank? bu ölk?l?rin qar??s?nda duran v?zif?l?rin h?llin? yard?m göst?rm?y? çox f?al ??kild? c?lb olunmu?dur.

 

“Böhran?n ön plana ç?xard??? m?s?l?l?rd?n biri bizim qar??l?ql? as?l?l?qda olma??m?zd?r. Bu qar??l?ql? as?l?l?q böhran?n sür?tl? yay?lmas?na r?vac vermi?dir, amma o eyni zamanda bizim investisiya v? art?m gücümüzün m?nb?yidir. Hökum?tl?r?, inki?af t?r?fda?lar?m?zla, v?t?nda? c?miyy?ti il? birlikd? i?l?y?r?k Bank C?nubi Qafqazda v? dünyan?n h?r bir yerind? insanlar?n h?yat ??raitinin yax??la?d?r?lmas?na köm?k edir. Biz birlikd? böhran?n?n t?sirini yum?alda v? ölk?l?ri yeni art?m, inki?af v? sosial t?r?qqi trayektoriyas?na istiqam?tl?ndir? bil?rik” – xan?m Okonco-?veala söyl?mi?dir.

 

C?nubi Qafqaz?n h?r üç ölk?sind? xan?m Okonco-?veala ölk? r?hb?rliyi, yüks?k s?viyy?li hökum?t r?smil?ri, v?t?nda? c?miyy?ti v? öz?l sektorun nümay?nd?l?ri il? görü??c?k v? Dünya Bank?n?n layih? yerl?rind? ba? ç?k?c?k. Erm?nistanda o, Dünya Bank?n?n maliyy?l??dirdiyi layih?l?rin benefisiarlar? il? görü??c?k. Gürcüstana s?f?rinin ç?rçiv?sind? o, m?cburi köçkün q?s?b?sin? s?f?r ed?c?k, yol tikintisi v? ibtidai s?hiyy? xidm?tl?ri mü?ssis?sin? ba? ç?k?c?k. Az?rbaycanda is? xan?m Okonco-?veala yüks?k s?viyy?li ?qtisadi Siyas?t Forumuna h?ms?drlik ed?c?k, m?d?ni irs abid?sin? ba? ç?k?c?k v? apar?c? qad?nlar qrupu il? görü??c?k.

 

Dünya Bank? bu yax?nlarda Erm?nistanla (iyun 2009) v? Gürcüstanla (sentyabr 2009) Ölk? T?r?fda?l?q Strategiyalar?na (ÖTS) start vermi?dir v? haz?rda Az?rbaycanla yeni strategiya üz?rind? çal???r. Erm?nistanla strategiyan?n m?qs?di ölk?d? iqtisadi art?m?n b?rpa olunmas?na v? maliyy? böhran?n?n yoxsullara t?sirinin yum?ald?lmas?na yard?m göst?rm?kd?n ibar?tdir. Bu gün?d?k Dünya Bank? Erm?nistana 54 layih? üçün t?xmin?n 1,3 mlrd AB? dollar? ay?rm??d?r. Gürcüstanla ÖTS ikiqat böhran?n – 2008-ci ilin avqust münaqi??si v? onun ard?nca qlobal iqtisadiyyat?n t?n?zzül – fonunda haz?rlanm??d?r v? münaqi??d?n sonrak? aktual probleml?rin h?llin?, r?qab?t qabiliyy?tinin v? g?l?c?k art?m?n gücl?ndirilm?si mövzular?na yön?lmi?dir. Bu gün?d?k Gürcüstana ayr?lm?? v?saitin h?cmi 46 layih? üçün t?xmin?n 1,2 mlrd AB? dollar? t??kil edir. Az?rbaycanla yeni ÖTS cari proqram?n n?tic? v? nailiyy?tl?rin? ?saslanacaq. Haz?rk? strategiya 2,2 mlrd AB? dollar? m?bl??ind? investisiyalar? n?z?rd? tutur. Yeni strategiya hökum?t v? v?t?nda? c?miyy?ti il? s?x m?sl?h?tl??m? ??raitind? haz?rlanacaq v? ölk?nin q?sa v? uzunmüdd?tli prioritetl?rin? nail olunmas? m?qs?dini güd?c?k.

 

                                               

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M?lumat üçün:
Az?rbaycan: S?id? Ba??rl? sbagirli@worldbank.org +994 12 92 19 41

Ratings for the Highway Project for Azerbaijan were as follows: outcomes were satisfactory, the risk to development outcome was low, the Bank performance was satisfactory, and the Borrower performance was also satisfactory. Some lessons learned included: the design and implementation of projects in the road sector should give equal or more weight to the issues of improving the effectiveness of the government’s investment program than to the issue of quantity of expenditures. There appears to be a marked emphasis during project implementation on funding issues, disbursement rates and contract execution of the civil works under the project. This is clearly reflected in supervision reports and letters to the Borrower. However, improvements to the effectiveness of investments generally did not receive the same attention and were mostly relegated to the discussions of delays in implementing a contract in the technical assistance component. The project is an excellent example of the benefits derived from a high level of flexibility in project implementation. The Bank´s decision to include in the project the construction of the Tovuz by-pass involved a higher level of risk in terms of the complexity of the civil works financed under the project. Nevertheless the risks were approached with the utmost conviction and professionalism by both the Borrower and the Bank and the result was not only a substantial improvement to the country’s road network but also to the legal and regulatory framework of land acquisition. Similarly, the use of further savings to finance the preparation and supervision of a follow-on project ensured not only an effective use of the available funds, but facilitated implementation of future projects.

The World Bank Office in Azerbaijan is seeking for Resource Management Assistant 

 

The World Bank Office in Baku is seeking candidates for the position of Resource Management Assistant for a two-year term with the possibility of being extended. This is the entry level position in the Resource Management family which handles financial accounting, administration and resource management work programs in the country offices.  The incumbent in this position works under the guidance of senior team members, on detailed issues, using accuracy and attention to detail in order to meet the country office’s need for timely processing and reporting of day-to-day RM work program. 

 

Financial Accounting:

•               Process accurately and promptly all accounting transactions, including, operating expenses, procurement, travel, consultant payments, vendor payments, and other office running  expenses;

•               Maintains accounts reconciled at any given point in time.  Regularly reviews the open item accounts and resolves any outstanding items; keeps relevant documents and invoices systematically to fully support the accounts;

•               Reviews cash flow and replenishment needs;

•               Interact with clients both inside and outside the Bank, e.g., staff, consultants, vendors, etc., to effect timely payments and resolve accounting related issues;

•               Assist in planning and monitoring budget and expenses linked to country office work program;

•               Provide references to Bank financial and administrative policies and procedures in administrative expense related subject areas;

•               Ensure compliance with institutional and regional policies and guidelines.

 

HR Administration:

•               Manage the CO’s local personnel system and liaises with the Headquarters based personnel team on local and expatriate personnel issues.

•               Handle hiring process for new staff from advertisement till orientation training. Conduct interviews for short-listed candidates together with the selection committee members. Issue LOAs for locally recruited staff; liaises with the HR Service Center with regard to follow-up actions on contract expirations, extensions, salary increases, etc; 

•               Issue and process STT/STC contracts and do relevant SAP entries. Maintain filing system, follow-up on payments to STC/STTs and any other pending issues;

•               Perform as LARS primary coordinator.  As a back-up, verify and process loans to staff, enroll new staff and family members in the medical plan;

•               Supervise daily work of GSD staff, balance the workload, anticipate and solve resource conflict to effectively and efficiently provide support services to the needs of the CO; do OPEs for GSD staff and receptionist, organize regular meetings both individually and in group;

 

General Administration:

•               Vendor registration, request UPIs, create POs, SESs and make other relevant SAP entries.

•               Monitoring vehicle fuel and maintenance, keep filing of monthly fuel/maintenance expenditures for office vehicles, ensure annual local insurance for office vehicles and keep up-to-date data in the bank’s property database;

Free form description

 

Essential Specialized Skills/Knowledge Competencies:

 

•               Basic ability to research, analyze, and synthesize information, interpret data, retrieve information from SAP or similar integrated systems and clearly and concisely prepare results.

•               Basic knowledge and application of relevant Bank policies and practices as they relate to financial management (e.g., Administrative Manual, Controls Guide, and Procurement Guidelines, etc.).

•               Basic knowledge of basic accounting theory and principles and understanding of COSO philosophy.

•               Proficiency in Microsoft Windows applications, namely Excel, Word and Power Point.  Demonstrated ability to learn new technology quickly and effectively use it for maximum productivity.

•               Basic knowledge of Bank’s accounting systems and/or experience with accounting systems with a comparable level of complexity and high degree of integration.

 

Minimum Education: AA (A relevant Associate degree, e.g., Finance Accounting, Business, Economics

 

•               Minimum Years of Relevant Experience: 2 years experience in a relevant field, e.g. Administration, Accounting or Finance

 

 

General Competencies:

 

•               Strong communication skills with the ability to prepare, present, and discuss findings in written and oral form;

•               Ability to function effectively in multi-disciplinary teams within a matrix management environment;

•               Ability to provide guidance to less experienced staff, as needed.

Detailed Duties and Accountabilities, and Selection Criteria are available on vacancy announcement # 091887 at http:/www.worldbank.org/jobs.

 

Qualified candidates may apply on-line at http:/www.worldbank.org/jobs and choose vacancy # 091887.   Please note that you will need to register before submitting your application.  The closing date is 6:00 PM November 3, 2009.  Questions may be directed to Ms. Gamar Usifova at Gusifova@worldbank.org Ref: 091887.  Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

 

The Status of Projects in Execution (SOPE) report for FY09 provides information on all International Bank and Rural Development (IBRD)/International Development Association (IDA) projects that were active on June 30, 2009. The report is intended to bridge the gap in information available to the public between the project appraisal document, disclosed after the Bank approves a project, and the implementation completion report, disclosed after the project closes. In addition to the project progress description, the FY09 SOPE report contains project level comparisons of disbursement estimates and actual disbursements, and a table showing the loan/credit/grant amount and disbursements to date for all active projects.

Media advisory

                                 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

World Bank Managing Director to Visit Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia

 

Baku, October 16, 2009 – The World Bank Managing Director, Ms. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, will travel to Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan on October 17-21. The aim of her visit is to discuss with the respective governments, development partners and civil society the impact of the financial crisis in the South Caucasus and to find ways to help ease the crisis and enable sustainable economic growth. The World Bank is actively engaged in helping these countries address the challenges facing them.  

 

“One thing that the crisis has taught us all is our interdependence. While this has added to the global nature of the current crises, it is also a source of strength for investment and growth.  Working together with the governments, our development partners and civil society, the Bank is helping improve the lives of the people in the South Caucasus and elsewhere.  Together, we can help ease the crisis and enable the countries embark upon a new trajectory of growth, development and social progress,” says Ms. Okonjo –Iweala.

 

In all three countries Ms. Okonjo-Iweala will meet with the country leadership, senior government officials, civil society and private sector representatives, and visit World Bank supported project sites. She will make a field trip to IDA Fast-Track Operation sites and meet with project beneficiaries in Armenia. As part of her program in Georgia, she will visit an IDP settlement, a road construction site and a primary healthcare facility. In Azerbaijan, she will co-chair a high level Economic Policy Forum, visit a cultural heritage site and meet with women leaders.

 

The World Bank recently launched Country Partnership Strategies (CPS) in Armenia (June, 2009) and Georgia (September, 2009) and is currently preparing one for Azerbaijan. The Strategy for Armenia is intended to assist the country in resuming growth and reducing the impacts of the financial crisis on the poor. It also aims to help Armenia lay the foundation for a more competitive economy for rapid post-crisis growth.  The commitments to Armenia total approximately US$1.3 billion for 54 projects. The Georgia CPS prepared against the backdrop of twin crises – the August 2008 conflict followed by the global economic downturn – focuses on pressing post-conflict and vulnerability issues, and strengthening the foundations for competitiveness and growth in the future. The commitments to Georgia total approximately US$1.2 billion for 46 projects. The new CPS for Azerbaijan will build on the results and achievements of the current program that embraces investment operations for a total amount of US$2.2 billion. The new strategy will be prepared in close consultation with the government and civil society and designed to meet the country’s short and longer term priorities.

 

                                               

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For information:

Azerbaijan: Saida Bagirli sbagirli@worldbank.org +994 12 92 19 41 

 

 

The World Bank Office in Azerbaijan is seeking for Financial Management Analyst 

The World Bank Office in Baku, Azerbaijan is looking for a Financial Management Analyst (FMA) with a bachelor degree in accounting, business, finance, economics, or relevant areas, and at least 3 years of directly relevant experience in financial management (FM).  The Financial Management Analyst will be assigned to the World Bank Office in Baku, on a two-year term appointment. The Financial Management Analyst is part of the Financial Management team of the Europe and Central Asia Region in Operations Policy and Services Department (ECSPS) of the World Bank Office in Washington, DC.

The Financial Management (FM) unit advises and supports Regional Management and staff on financial management in operations.  Specifically, the Financial Management unit is responsible for: (i) the fiduciary aspects of the Region’s overall lending portfolio, especially operational support and sound management in the area of financial management; (ii) policy advice to Government on financial management and accountability issues (in both public and private sectors); and (iii) capacity building to improve borrowers’ financial management systems, including support for lending operations that focus on FM reform/development.

The Financial Management Analyst will work under the close supervision of a Financial Management Specialist (FMS) and/or the Regional Financial Management Manager (RFMM). He/She will assist the FM team in all FM aspects related to the World Bank’s operations in Azerbaijan, or as assigned by the RFMM. The Financial Management Analyst will contribute to the preparation and supervision of the funds administered by the Bank including loans and credits, project preparation facility advances, grants, project-related trust funds and other funds administered by the Bank ensuring compliance with the Bank’s audit and fiduciary requirements; and ensuring that the projects operations are carried out in accordance with sound financial management practices. The FM Analyst will perform as a member of the various Task Teams of the World Bank financed projects, and in addition leads special purpose initiatives.
Detailed Duties and Accountabilities, and Selection Criteria are available on vacancy announcement # 091748 at http:/www.worldbank.org/jobs.

Qualified candidates may apply on-line at http:/www.worldbank.org/jobs and choose vacancy # 091748.   Please note that you will need to register before submitting your application.  The closing date is 6:00 PM October 31, 2009.  Questions may be directed to Ms. Gamar Usifova at Gusifova@worldbank.org Ref: 091748.  Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Contacts: 

Kristyn Schrader (90) 530-929-45-35

kschrader@worldbank.org  

Tunya Celasin (90) 533-285-18-21

tcelasin@worldbank.org 

ISTANBUL, October 3, 2009—The global economic crisis has reversed the impressive economic growth of recent years in Emerging Europe and Central Asia, hitting families hard with higher unemployment and lost wages. Financially weaker governments will need to protect poor people while strengthening institutions and infrastructure to attract investors, the World Bank said today at a press briefing at the World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings.

“The global financial and economic crisis has literally hit home in many parts of Emerging Europe and Central Asia,” said Philippe Le Houérou, World Bank Vice-President for Europe and Central Asia. “What started as a financial crisis has become a social and human crisis. The global crisis has come on the heels of the food and fuel crises, which had already weakened people in the region by reducing their purchasing power. Today, rising poverty and joblessness are pushing households into poverty and making things even harder for those already poor.”

For the past decade, many countries of Emerging Europe and Central Asia notched up impressive growth, moving them closer to the living standards of Western Europe and other advanced economies. But the crisis has hit them hardest and stopped that convergence. Growth has plummeted from a fast clip of 7.6 percent in 2007 to 4.7 percent in 2008, and is projected at negative 5.6 percent in 2009.

“For years now, Emerging Europe and Central Asia has roared along in high gear,” said Le Houérou. “But the global crisis and the drying up of external private financial flows are stalling the engine of growth, prompting many to downshift and some to even slip into reverse. The job now for the governments in the region is to speed up reforms. The role of the international community is to help countries get back in gear. For us at the World Bank, that means essentially focusing our support to governments in their efforts to clean up the banking sector so that banks can provide a lifeline for firms and businesses to grow and create jobs, improve the business climate to attract private capital flows, make public spending more efficient so that the benefits reach working families, and continue to finance key public investments in infrastructure.”

Unemployment and deficits on the rise

The global crisis has hit some countries worse than others but today there is a danger that the region faces a weak and jobless recovery. Some countries, such as Poland, have fared better than others. Still, the number of jobless in the region has jumped from 8.3 million in 2008 to 11.4 million in 2009. It has doubled in the Baltic countries, grown by 60 percent in Turkey, and by one-third in other countries in the region.

“Instead of the number of poor falling by 15 million in 2009, we now project poverty to increase by about 15 million,” said Indermit Gill, World Bank Chief Economist for the Europe and Central Asia Region. “There are already 145 million poor people in the region – or almost one-third of the total population. For them, the crisis has made an already tough existence even tougher. Much of the world is getting good economic news this autumn. But for workers and their families in Emerging Europe and Central Asia the news is not encouraging. To them, the talk of recovery may seem premature.”

In the face of the unprecedented crisis, governments in Emerging Europe and Central Asia will have many hard choices to make, given that government deficits will increase from 1.5 percent of GDP in 2008 to 5.5 percent in 2009, said Gill. This will put more pressure on governments to make spending more efficient.

“Social spending makes up more than half of government expenditures so governments will need to make education, health care and social security more efficient,” Gill said. “School systems need to be resized to fit shrinking enrollment numbers due to falling fertility. Health care has to be restructured because many countries now have the health problems of high-income countries with the fiscal resources of middle-income economies. And social security has to be restructured to recognize that many countries in the region have aged before they have become wealthy. Reforms will help make governments fiscally healthy, economies robust, and societies more fair. Every responsible policymaker should take a hard look at these reforms.”

Also, governments must continue to improve their business environment to attract investment. During the last decade, countries in Emerging Europe and Central Asia have made progress in improving the climate for doing business. The region has been the top performer in the World Bank’s Doing Business ratings for the last six years—led first by countries in central and southern Europe and more recently by those in the Caucasus and Central Asia. This year, five of the top ten reformers were from the region: Krygyz Republic, FYR Macedonia, Belarus, Tajikistan, and Moldova.

World Bank supporting reforms through lending and advice

While governments are in the lead, the World Bank is helping countries navigate their way through the crisis, Le Houérou said. For its part, the World Bank is providing budget support to countries to support promising reform efforts. During the past year, the World Bank has increased financial support to the region by 60 percent, from $8 billion last year to $12.5 billion this year with the aim of mitigating the impact of the crisis on the poor, stabilizing banks, and positioning countries for post-crisis recovery. In September 2009 alone, the Bank approved $2 billion in budget support to Hungary, Latvia, and Ukraine.

Along with funding, the Bank is offering analytical support and encouraging governments to expand selected social safety net programs. Currently, most countries in the region have good programs that could be expanded during the crisis, such as those in the Kyrgyz Republic, Albania and Georgia where benefits are most likely to reach the neediest people. At the same time, the Bank is advising governments on how to fix less efficient programs to ensure benefits are reaching the right target audiences. Although many countries in the region have excelled on improving the business environment, many countries have not improved social service delivery.

The World Bank’s client countries in Emerging Europe and Central Asia are currently using Bank funds for 53 projects spanning institutional reform, infrastructure and interventions to help the neediest. Also, through the World Bank’s private sector arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Bank has teamed up with the EBRD and EIB on a $31 billion fund to support the banking sector and to fund lending to businesses hit by the global economic crisis through equity and debt finance, credit lines, and political risk insurance. And the Bank’s political risk insurance arm, MIGA, has made up to $3 billion available for investments in the heavily hit economies of the region. Guarantees worth nearly half of a $1 billion were issued in support of shareholder loans made by parent banks to their subsidiaries in Ukraine and Russia.

For more information, please visit www.worldbank.org/eca

The project Education Sector Development Project has changed to Closed. To see more information, see the project information in the World Bank project database

The Education Sector Development Project for Azerbaijan is committed to sectoral reforms in the education sector based on the Education Reform Program of 1999. The purpose of the reform program is to address key sectoral issues, some of which need to be prioritized on the basis of additional analytical work, to improve the quality of education, and to realign the entire sector. The project has 5 components: 1) Quality and relevance of general education through curriculum reform for grades 1-11, development and enhancement of teacher capabilities, and provision of reading materials for school libraries. Design and adopt the national curriculum framework, and prepare and implement new national standards. Establish strong links between education reforms and teacher professional development, textbook and reading materials to stimulate reading habits. 2) Reforms in financing and budgeting so as to gain efficiencies in the use of financial, human, and physical resources. 3) The proposed school grant program will supplement limited resources of specific schools in the three pilot districts to ensure that the poor are not discriminated from benefiting from quality education; 4) Management and planning capacity in the Ministry of Education to use available resources more effectively and efficiently. 5) Strengthening of coordination and monitoring mechanisms under the project.

The Status of Projects in Execution (SOPE) report for FY08 provides information on all International Bank and Rural Development (IBRD)/International Development Association (IDA) projects that were active on June 30, 2008. The report is intended to bridge the gap in information available to the public between the project appraisal document, disclosed after the Bank approves a project, and the implementation completion report, disclosed after the project closes. In addition to the project progress description, the FY08 SOPE report contains project level comparisons of disbursement estimates and actual disbursements, and a table showing the loan/credit/grant amount and disbursements to date for all active projects.