Explore the vast range of titles available.

A Development Emergency: the title of this year's Global Monitoring Report, the sixth in an annual series, could not be more apt. The global economic crisis, the most severe since the Great Depression, is rapidly turning into a human and development crisis. No region is immune. The poor countries are especially vulnerable, as they have the least cushion to withstand events. The crisis, coming on the heels of the food and fuel crises, poses serious threats to their hard-won gains in boosting economic growth and reducing poverty. It is pushing millions back into poverty and putting at risk the very survival of many. The prospect of reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, already a cause for serious concern, now looks even more distant. A global crisis must be met with a global response. The crisis began in the financial markets of developed countries, so the first order of business must be to stabilize these markets and counter the recession that the financial turmoil has triggered. At the same time, strong and urgent actions are needed to counter the impact of the crisis on developing countries and help them restore strong growth while protecting the poor. Global Monitoring Report 2009, prepared jointly by the staff of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, provides a development perspective on the global economic crisis. It assesses the impact on developing countries, their growth, poverty reduction, and other MDGs. And it sets out priorities for policy response, both by developing countries themselves and by the international community. This report also focuses on the ways in which the private sector can be better mobilized in support of development goals, especially in the aftermath of the crisis.

Bridging the Gap: Addressing Health Worker Imbalances in Sub-Saharan Africa This working paper tackles the critical issue of geographical imbalances in the health workforce across Sub-Saharan Africa. It analyzes labor market dynamics and their impact on urban-rural inequities, offering a fresh perspective on why these imbalances persist. Discover effective policy options for improving health resource allocation and achieving better health outcomes. This is for researchers, policy analysts, and policymakers seeking to understand and address health workforce challenges in the developing world. Learn how to: * Analyze health labor markets using economic principles * Evaluate the effectiveness of different policy interventions * Improve health system efficiency and reduce poverty

As the use of payments for environmental services (PES) programs for conservation has grown in developing countries, the use of stated preference methods, particularly contingent valuation (CV) surveys, to estimate the maximum amount that users of environmental services (“buyers”) would be willing to pay has also increased. This paper reviews 25 CV studies conducted in the context of PES programs (CV-PES) and assesses their quality and usefulness for designing PES programs. Almost all these studies attempt to estimate the demand of downstream water users for upstream watershed protection and, more generally, for improved water services. Most studies were methodologically uninspired and generally low-quality applications of stated preference methods, with limited policy relevance. The quality and usefulness of CV-PES studies could be substantially improved at only a modest increase in costs.

Three questions are frequently raised about the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Where do developing countries stand? What factors affect their rate of progress? Can lagging countries achieve these goals in the few years remaining until 2015? This paper examines these questions and takes a closer look at the variation in the rate of progress among developing countries. We argue that answers from the available data are surprisingly positive. In particular, three-quarters of developing countries are on target or close to being on target for all of the MDGs. Among the countries that are falling short, the average gap for the top half is about 10 percent. For those that are on target, or close to it, solid economic growth, policies, and institutions have been the key factors in their success. With improved policies and stronger growth, many countries that are close to being on target could achieve these targets by 2015 or soon after.

Ethiopia, like most developing countries, has opted to deliver services such as basic education, primary health care, agricultural extension advice, water, and rural roads through a highly decentralized system (Manor 1999; Treisman 2007). That choice is based on several decades of theoretical analysis examining how a decentralized government might respond better to diverse local needs and provide public goods more efficiently than a highly centralized government. Ethiopia primarily manages the delivery of basic services at the woreda (district) level. Those services are financed predominantly through intergovernmental fiscal transfers (IGFTs) from the federal to the regional and then the woreda administrations, although some woredas raise a small amount of revenue to support local services. Since 2006, development partners and the government have cofinanced block grants for decentralized services through the Promoting Basic Services (PBS) Program. Aside from funding the delivery of services, the program supports measures to improve the quality of services and local governments capacity to deliver them by strengthening accountability and citizen voice.

In the year 2000, SOGON formulated a strategic plan on women's health based on the reproductive health approach with the aim of reducing maternal mortality by 50% by the year 2010. In 2005, the Nigerian Road Map for accelerating the attainment of Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 was launched. One of the key guiding principles of the Road Map was promoting partnerships and joint programming among stakeholders including professional associations. In response, SOGON decided to align her strategic plan with the Road Map by refocusing the plan to the key objectives of the Road Map. The new SOGON Plan involves interventions with a focal objective of reducing the case-fatality of emergency obstetric conditions. The plan is anchored on interventions where SOGON has comparative advantage such as providing human resources and promoting capacity building for emergency obstetric care and skilled attendance at delivery, and advocacy and information dissemination on maternal health. En l'année 2000 la SOGON a formulé un plan stratégique sur la santé des femmes basé sur la santé de la reproduction en vue de réduire la mortalité maternelle de 50% en 2010. Le Nigéria a lancé des indications pour accélérer la réalisation des objectifs du millénaire 4 et 5 en 2005. Un des principes de base clé du plan était la promotion des partenariats et la co-programmation chez les intéressés, y compris les associations professionnelles. En réponse, la SOGON a décidé d'aligner son plan stratégique sur les indications principales en reportant le plan sur les objectifs clé des indications principales. Le nouveau plan de la SOGON implique des interventions ayant un objectif focal de réduire la fatalité de cas des conditions obstétriques d'urgence. Le plan s'ancre sur les interventions où la SOGON a un avantage comparatif tel la procuration des ressources humaines pour la promotion et le renforcement de la capacité pour le soin obstétrique d'urgence et l'assistance compétente pendant l'accouchement aussi bien que la plaidoirie et la diffusion de l'information sur la santé maternelle.

In the year 2000, SOGON formulated a strategic plan on women's health based on the reproductive health approach with the aim of reducing maternal mortality by 50% by the year 2010. In 2005, the Nigerian Road Map for accelerating the attainment of Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 was launched. One of the key guiding principles of the Road Map was promoting partnerships and joint programming among stakeholders including professional associations. In response, SOGON decided to align her strategic plan with the Road Map by refocusing the plan to the key objectives of the Road Map. The new SOGON Plan involves interventions with a focal objective of reducing the case-fatality of emergency obstetric conditions. The plan is anchored on interventions where SOGON has comparative advantage such as providing human resources and promoting capacity building for emergency obstetric care and skilled attendance at delivery, and advocacy and information dissemination on maternal health. Le projet de la société de Gynécologie et d'obstétrique du Nigeria (SOGON) pour la réduction durable des décès maternels : objectifs du millénaire (ODM) 4 et 5 au Nigéria En l'année 2000 la SOGON a formulé un plan stratégique sur la santé des femmes basé sur la santé de la reproduction en vue de réduire la mortalité maternelle de 50% en 2010. Le Nigéria a lancé des indications pour accélérer la réalisation des objectifs du millénaire 4 et 5 en 2005. Un des principes de base clé du plan était la promotion des partenariats et la co-programmation chez les intéressés, y compris les associations professionnelles. En réponse, la SOGON a décidé d'aligner son plan stratégique sur les indications principales en reportant le plan sur les objectifs clé des indications principales. Le nouveau plan de la SOGON implique des interventions ayant un objectif focal de réduire la fatalité de cas des conditions obstétriques d'urgence. Le plan s'ancre sur les interventions où la SOGON a un avantage comparatif tel la procuration des ressources humaines pour la promotion et le renforcement de la capacité pour le soin obstétrique d'urgence et l'assistance compétente pendant l'accouchement aussi bien que la plaidoirie et la diffusion de l'information sur la santé maternelle.

Nigeria's maternal mortality rate has been on the increase even after the launching of the Safe Motherhood Initiative (SMI) 16 years ago. The causes of this increase are well known, and mainly result from inability of a health system to deal effectively with complications, especially during or shortly after childbirth. Shortage of health professionals and health facilities equipped to offer EOC and emergency obstetric care 24 hours a day are significantly related to quality of care and maternal mortality rates. Since the Primary Health Care (PHC) level is usually the first contact point for the majority of our women, it must be able to deliver the essential services in full and make appropriate referrals when necessary. From available statistics, provision of EOC services in Nigeria has been deplorable. Deficient areas within the health system concerning EOC services are highlighted and suggestions made on how to improve and sustain services. It is concluded that provision of effective and efficient EOC facilities and services will play a key role in maternal mortality reduction, not only in Nigeria but in most developing regions of the world. (Promot Educ, 2008; 15 (4): pp. 50-52)

Every year, the Global Monitoring Report (GMR) gauges progress across the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), so we can better understand whether we are delivering on basic global needs. These needs include affordable, nutritious food; access to health services and education; and the ability to tap natural resources sustainably whether clean water, land for urban expansion, or renewable energy sources. We assess how well the world is doing by looking at income poverty, schooling levels, the health of mothers and children, and inroads in treating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, as well as assessing how the international development community delivers aid. We also try to measure levels of malnutrition and hunger in the world. Food prices can affect all these indicators. For these reasons, the Global Monitoring Report 2012 takes the theme of 'food prices, nutrition, and the MDG.' This year's edition highlights the need to help developing countries deal with the harmful effects of higher and more volatile food prices. The 2012 GMR addresses these basic questions. It summarizes effects of food prices on several MDGs. It reviews policy responses including domestic social safety nets, nutritional programs, agricultural policies, regional trade policies, and support by the international community. And it outlines future prospects.

Human and economic developments are closely linked to geography. The mission of the World Bank Group is to assist countries to overcome poverty and establish a sustainable path for their development. Providing reliable information about the state of the world and its people is an important part of that mission. Recognizing the formidable challenges and great successes that have been achieved should strengthen our resolve to work together to fight poverty and increase human welfare. To that end the World Bank has published an atlas for over 40 years. This edition of the Atlas of Global Development draws on a global database compiled from the work of the World Bank, other international agencies, and national statistical offices of member countries.