Country Context. 1. Turkmenistan is a presidential republic. Following independence in 1991, Turkmenistan adopted a gradual approach to economic and political reforms with the state playing a leading role in the economy. The Constitution provides for legal reform towards the market economy and democratization of state and public life. In 2020, the country is planning to introduce the bicameral model of the Parliament, where the People’s Council currently chaired by the President, is integrated as a unit of the Parliament.
Country Context. Within the last years, Serbia has experiencing rapidly evolving economic as well as political landscapes. The country has a population of seven million, with a workforce of 3.1 million. In 2019, the GDP in Serbia accounted for USD 50.8 billion, presenting a slight increase from the previous year, where it stood at USD 50.5 billion. Serbia is classified by the World Bank as the upper-middle-income country in current USD in 2019.17 Given the gradual improvement in the business environment as well as spill over effects from increased FDI inflows, resulting in increased infrastructure investment and growth in household consumption, real GDP growth stood at 3.7% in 2019.18 With a relatively constant development over the last years, the industrial sector contributed to around one-fourth of the country's GDP in 2018, employing nearly 25% of the country's workforce. According to World Bank data, the manufacturing value-added was reported at 14.5% of GDP in 2018, while the share of the agricultural sector has been declining in recent years, accounting for approximately 6% of GDP in 2019, and employing around 19% of the workforce. The Serbian economy is mainly characterized as a service-based economy, with the service sector employing approximately 57% of the workforce and reaching a share of more than half of Serbia’s GDP in 2019.
Country Context. As with many of its neighbouring countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, Ghana is experiencing rapid urbanization. Statistics from 2000 indicate that the growth trends of the urban population in the last four decades have increased from 23.1 percent in the 1960s to 43.8 percent in 2000.1 This shows an average growth rate of 23.5 percent per decennium over the last decades and at the current growth rate of 2.7 percent per annum, the urban population is expected to double by 2017.2 Though there are no updated official statistics on the current urbanizations rates, it can be inferred that today some half of the national Ghanaian population of 23 million (2007), lives in cities and other urban areas. The greatest urban concentration occurs in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) with a present day estimated population of 3 million. Despite this phenomenon, the urban agenda has been ignored in Ghana, practically to the point of non-existence, leaving the Government unprepared for its urban future. Ghana crossed the threshold from rural to urban without a hint of recognition. Xxxxx is “everywhere but nowhere” among government institutions, which are weak across the board and ill-prepared to deal with urban challenges. Though there has been a long history of efforts to strengthen local governance in Ghana, there has been little recognition of differentiated governance needs between urban and rural jurisdictions. The same methodologies for governance are applied for all metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) from the smallest, rural district assemblies to the largest metropolitan areas. Even the District Development Fund (DDF), which provides performance-based grants to MMDAs with the support of many development partners, does not draw a clear distinction between urban and rural districts – they are all measured against the same baseline indicators. A Strategic Plan for the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA), prepared almost 20 years ago, remains a reference point, but appears to be a plan that is more referred to than actually used to guide development of the capital city region. In fact, despite being extremely comprehensive, most of the plan has not been implemented, apart from some transportation (e.g. the ring road), industrial development and urban residential consolidation plans. Since that time, the practice of planning has been captured in the Medium Term Development Plans (MTDPs) prepared by all MMDAs according to the same template in...
Country Context. 2.1. HIV and AIDS and TB in South Africa South Africa has the largest HIV epidemic in the world with approximately 5.7 million people living with HIV. It also ranks third in the world in terms of XX xxxxxx according to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, with an incidence of 948 new infections per 100,000 population in 2010, which is compounded by high levels of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). The estimated number of confirmed MDR-TB cases among new pulmonary TB cases in 2010 was 7,386.1 The high rates of co-infection (approximately 60% of TB patients are co-infected with HIV) lead to further expansion of the epidemics and complicate treatment and care of patients. HIV and its related opportunistic infections (TB, certain forms of cancer, diarrheal disease) contribute significantly to maternal mortality (50%) and mortality under five years of age (35%). This is reflected in the challenge South Africa is experiencing in making progress to achieve Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 and 5, relating to child and maternal mortality. Child mortality initially increased from the MDG baseline in 1990 of 60 deaths under the age of 5 years per 1,000 live births, peaked at 82 deaths/1,000 births in 2003, and decreased to 56 deaths/1,000 births in 2009. The maternal mortality ratio is an estimated 310 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births (2008 data)2. In 2010 the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) conducted a “Know Your Epidemic” survey in all provinces. The report identified key biological, behavioral, social, and structural determinants of the HIV epidemic. The report also identified key populations and geographic areas where HIV prevalence is concentrated. The South Africa HIV epidemic is heterogeneous within provinces, districts, and sub-districts. Thus, an effective response should be very localized and sharply targeted. The table below highlights the geographic nature of HIV infection. 3 Table 1: The annual rate, estimated number, and percentage of new HIV infections by province, 2010 Province Estimated Annual HIV Incidence Rate Estimated New HIV infections Percentage of Total New Infections KwaZulu-Natal 2.3% 100 787 29.4% Gauteng 1.4% 68 618 20.0% Eastern Cape 1.6% 47 464 13.8% Limpopo 1.1% 29 599 8.6% North West 1.7% 29 106 8.5% Mpumalanga 2.0% 28 809 8.4% Free State 1.7% 23 104 6.7% Western Cape 0.5% 12 585 3.7% Northern Cape 0.7% 3 177 0.9% Total Annual HIV Infections 1.2% 343 249
Country Context. Liberia’s youth constitutes nearly half of the Liberian labour force but is exposed to high unemployment, underemployment and vulnerable employment rates. The global commodity prices crisis, combined with the effects of the Ebola crisis, have devastated the Liberian economy and worsened youth’s fragility problems. A socially and economically marginalised young population can pose serious risks to national security, social cohesion and stability. Liberian youth generally lack employable skills and are ill-equipped to access new economic opportunities. Efforts to improve their employability are constrained by a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector characterised by serious shortcomings in terms of quality and relevance, access and equity, funding, and governance. The Government of Liberia (GoL) recognises that the transition towards inclusive growth will not happen unless human capabilities are enhanced and the quality of education and vocational training are improved to match the demands of the labour market. The present intervention will seek to strengthen the Liberian TVET sector in its capacity to deliver equitable and gender-balanced access to high-quality and demand-driven TVET. This will be done by supporting capacity development at central and TVET provider level, and by strengthening links with the private sector. The intervention will address equity issues with emphasis on remote South East rural areas and vulnerable youth, including people with disabilities.
Country Context. India’s power sector has a history of increasing demand for, and chronic shortages of, electricity. India’s high economic growth rates since 2003 have added to the growing energy needs. India has accelerated the development of conventional and non- conventional generating capacity in the last decade (2004-2013). Despite this significant capital investment in generation capacity, energy deficits persist at the national level. Despite having installed power generation capacity of about 225 gigawatt (GW), India faced a peak power deficit of 9% (12 GW) as of May 2013. Power shortages have adversely affected the country's economy: in FY2012, the cost of power shortages in Indian economy was about $68 billion (0.4% of the gross domestic product). Improvement of the power sector is essential for the economic well-being of the country and enhancement of the quality of life of its citizens.
Country Context. 1 Project HOPE. Scope of Work, Community Health and Partnerships (CHAPS) Final Evaluation, Project HOPE/Malawi, January 13, 2002, p. 2
Country Context. Turkmenistan is a presidential republic. Following independence in 1991, Turkmenistan adopted a gradual approach to economic and political reforms with the state playing a leading role in the economy. The Constitution provides for legal reform towards the market economy and democratization of state and public life. In 2020, the country is planning to introduce the bicameral model of the Parliament, where the People’s Council currently chaired by the President, is integrated as a unit of the Parliament. Turkmenistan is an upper middle-income country of 6.2 million people5. High economic growth averaging 6.3 percent in 2016-20186, derived mainly from hydrocarbon development and state-led activities, is vulnerable to external risks. These include commodity price volatility, slower global growth, intensified trade tensions and rising geopolitical risks. The country continues to pursue an investment-led growth strategy underpinned by import substitution and export promotion policies, directed concessional lending, and broad foreign exchange controls on international transactions and payments7. Diversification and private sector development are key policy priorities, calling for a highly skilled workforce, accelerated structural reforms and transition towards the market economy. Strong economic performance contributed to improvements in social and development indicators. Turkmenistan’s Human Development Index value for 2018 was 0.710 ranking the country 108 out of 189 countries and in the high human development xxxxxxxx0 with lagging rates for life expectancy, public health spending, access to potable water and low penetration of information technology (IT). Since 2007, the government commits at least 70 percent of the state budget expenditure to the social sector, including health, education, social protection, culture and housing9, which can be still increased as a percentage of GDP. The National Programme of the President of Turkmenistan on improving social and living conditions in villages, towns, cities in etrap and etrap centers for 2020 (Rural Development Programme) continues to be key investment programme aimed at improving rural infrastructure and access to basic services and reducing regional disparities. Climate change poses serious risks to economic activities, environmental sustainability and human development. It is likely to reduce the volume of water available for irrigation, potentially limiting crop production and national food production capac...
Country Context
