U.S. Honors Development Banks for Great Projects
Washington - Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner recognized outstanding
projects undertaken by the multilateral development banks (MDBs) at the first
Development Impact Honors, hosted by the U.S. Department of the Treasury in
Washington June 7.
The event brought together heads of the multilateral development banks,
members of Congress, leaders of the development and business community, and
senior U.S. administration officials to recognize and promote excellence in
development.
"Given the challenges facing the global economy today, our support for the
multilateral development banks has never been more important," Geithner said.
"Investments in these institutions are part of this administration's strategy to
strengthen economic growth."
The Treasury Department convened representatives of the Treasury,
Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID),
Millennium Challenge Corporation, and Overseas Private Investment Corporation to
evaluate 58 MDB projects nominated for the Development Impact Honors. Projects
were judged on their focus on priority sectors, innovation in overcoming
previous difficulties, quality of preparation, focus on beneficiaries, quality
of results, effectiveness of risk mitigation and generation of lessons
learned.
"The multilateral development banks have truly stepped up to the challenges
of our times," said Treasury Under Secretary for International Affairs Lael
Brainard. "When food prices spiked, we worked with the MDBs to find ways to
address global hunger. When the Arab Spring started, we worked with the Banks to
help countries remain economically stable so that democratic transitions could
deliver on their promise. That is why, when last year we faced a
once-in-a-generation decision to provide new capital to the MDBs, the United
States worked on a bipartisan basis to provide support for these
institutions."
ABOUT THE HONOREES
Mali-Senegal Road Project: African Development Bank
Recognizing that an effective transport corridor requires more than a road,
this African Development Bank project combined construction of an international
road with a radio communication system, allowing operators to report problems;
border-crossing stations equipped with scanners to speed crossing times; axle
scales along the corridor; awareness training on road safety and transmission of
diseases; and socio-economic infrastructure that meets the needs of local
communities. As a result of the project, transport times for agricultural
products have fallen by half, and shipping charges have dropped
significantly.
Afghanistan Telecom Development Company Project: Asian Development
Bank
Helping to re-establish critical connectivity in a fragile, conflict
environment, this Asian Development Bank project provided private-sector loans
and political-risk guarantees to help the Telecom Development Company
Afghanistan Limited (Roshan) invest in mobile phone operations throughout
Afghanistan. From modest beginnings, Roshan has expanded mobile telephone
services to 4.5 million subscribers in more than 200 cities and all of the
country's 34 provinces, binding together a country whose communications
infrastructure had been fractured by decades of conflict. The program is notable
for its emphasis on serving the poor, employing and protecting women, allowing
farmers to shop by text for the best prices for their products and facilitating
social services. Roshan's products also include a mobile phone wallet and money
transfer system to help Afghans access financial services.
Basic Nutrition Program: Inter-American Development Bank
Designed to address the prevalence of acute malnutrition and anemia among
poor children under 2 years of age, this Inter-American Development Bank program
funded the distribution of an iron supplement and a food coupon to facilitate
the preparation of a daily meal for children. Evaluation of the program
indicated that it lowered the prevalence of anemia among affected children by
30.3 percent and reduced the prevalence of malnutrition by 49.1 percent. The
program was so successful in overcoming previously unsuccessful approaches -
which had failed primarily because of unsuitable choices of food for
distribution and a lack of follow-up training of community workers - that it was
expanded beyond its initial target of reaching 15,000 vulnerable children to
serve 41,000 children.
Amazon Region Protected Areas Program (ARPA): World Bank Group and Global
Environment Facility
The ARPA was designed by the World Bank Group and Global Environment
Facility to address deforestation in the Amazon by expanding and consolidating
protected areas. The goal was to increase the fraction of the Brazilian Amazon
that was under strict conservation use to a minimum of 10 percent, and to
improve the effectiveness of management of these areas. The project overcame
challenges including poverty, poor coordination between stakeholders, lack of
managerial capacity and resources, and the vastness of the territory.
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State.)
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