Over 80% of worldwide new coal-fired power plants due to begin operating between now and 2020 will be in middle-income countries in Asia: China, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines and Pakistan. Together with the existing plants in operation in these countries, this will lock-in 260 gigatons of carbon dioxide emissions over their remaining lifetimes, which would exceed the carbon budget available to the power sector to be consistent with limiting global warming within 2 degrees.

The Honduran Government has been working to develop capacity to effectively monitor public policy results and improve public spending effectiveness in a tight fiscal context. In this effort, it has moved toward consolidating reforms in key areas such as public financial management. It has begun the development of a second phase of its comprehensive National Public Investment System to support the planning, monitoring, and evaluation of the public investment portfolio.

Paraguay undertook an exchange program with Chile and Peru to enhance the knowledge and skills of its decision-makers and technical staff to serve as input to develop an efficient state-owned enterprises (SOE) oversight system. Having learned from two of the most advanced oversight units of the SOE sector in Latin America, Paraguay is currently preparing a Corporate Governance Framework to ensure state-owned enterprises deliver services efficiently.

Challenge

Obsolete and separated information systems have afflicted planning and public investment in Bolivia. Through an experience exchange, the Chilean Ministry of Social Development and the Peruvian Ministry of Economy and Public Finance shared their knowledge and good practice approaches in the design and implementation of geo-referenced information systems leading Bolivia’s Ministry of Development Planning to assess its own information systems for effectiveness.

Challenge

The Government of Armenia sought to develop a means of maintaining its roads system to assure sustained access of its rural communities to markets and services. In 2008, it launched the Lifeline Road Network Development Program to stimulate economic growth and contribute to poverty reduction by improving a selected network of lifeline roads. These lifeline roads were mainly rural roads that connected rural communities to a major interstate road.

The Government of Colombia sought to strengthen the capacity of its Bank of Public Investment Projects. Weak capacity and systems made it difficult to manage projects and coordinate among subnational governments in the planning and execution of public investment projects.  The opportunity for a knowledge exchange with Peru presented Colombia with the direction it needed to improve the strategic vision of BPIN.

Challenge

What was the objective of the South-South exchange? : The Bolivian Government sought to improve the management and regulation of state-owned enter­prises (SOE), which provide services in key sectors such as energy, transport, and communication. Boliv­ian officials approved in 2013 a Public Corporation Law establishing a legal framework for state-owned enterprises.

Regional, provincial, and municipal officials from Peru’s Cusco Region engaged in an exchange with Colombian officials to learn about innovative solid waste management models, including for contracts and service administration. This exchange helped regional and local governments analyze options, reach agreement on appropriate models for their jurisdictions, and plan solid waste investments under the Bank-financed Cusco Regional Development Project.

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In 2011, the new administration of the Peruvian Government re-prioritized the need to improve the quality of education and services in rural areas. In order to enhance both knowledge and skills of key officials to build a more effective rural education model for Peru, the World Bank organized a knowledge exchange that focused on one of the most successful models, Colombia’s Escuela Nueva program.

Challenge

Chronic malnutrition, or stunting, is a serious problem in Central America. Stunting rates in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama are greater than 20 percent and the cost of malnutrition in these countries is estimated to range from 2.3 to 11.4 percent of GDP.¹  A growing number of studies show that community-based growth promotion (CBGP) programs can help reduce malnutrition rates.