WORLD BANK APPROVES TWO CREDITS FOR BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
Contacts
:
In Sarajevo
Srecko Latal (+387 33) 251-500
e-mail:
slatal@worldbank.org
In Washington
Miriam Van Dyck (1-202) 458-2931
e-mail:
mvandyck@worldbank.org
WASHINGTON, June 13, 2003—
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors this week approved two credits for Bosnia and Herzegovina: the
Social Insurance Technical Assistance Project
for
US$7.0 million, and the
Forest Development And Conservation Project,
for
US$3.74 million.
The
Social Insurance Technical Assistance Project
will strengthen the effectiveness and efficiency of health and pension insurance systems by the provision of high quality technical assistance and training to help implement existing reforms and to help design options for future social insurance reforms. The project will provide technical assistance that will facilitate the learning process of the institutions through addressing three main areas: effective implementation of health and pension-related reforms; an in-depth analysis of the key policy issues which affect health and pension insurance systems to develop well-founded recommendations for future reforms; and technical assistance and limited investment support to strengthen those aspects of extra budgetary funds operations that are likely to be part of their core mandate, whatever the policy framework within which they operate.
Implementing agencies, including the Ministries of Health, Labor, Pension Funds, and Health Insurance Funds, will benefit from the project, and by extension, so will the constituencies they serve. Benefits will include improved strategic and business planning, information management skills, and human resources policies; better policy advice based on high-quality analysis and information technology that assists the analysis; and, for the general public, more information about health policies and priorities.
The
Forest Development And Conservation Project
will assist with the implementation of mandated reforms in forest organization and management, which are expected to lead to better forest management, increased revenues from forest resources, and participatory approaches in forest and protected area land use planning through pilot learning activities. In addition, the project is expected to improve ownership of the reform process at the canton level.
Local benefits from the project will include recreation, employment opportunities from tourism, and watershed protection, as well as the maintenance of gene pools for forest products harvested and used by the local population, including berries and mushrooms.
Since joining the World Bank in 1996, commitments to Bosnia and Herzegovina total approximately US$970 million for 47 projects.
For more information on the World Bank’s work in Bosnia and Herzegovina, visit
http://
www.worldbank.ba
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